05.4. Mood
5.4. Mood Greek has four moods: the indicative, the subjunctive, the optative, and the imperative.
The Moods in the New Testament |
Indicative | 81.4% |
Subjunctive | 9.7% |
Imperative | 8.5% |
Optative | 0.4% |
There are two other forms that are studied together with the moods: the infinitive (a verbal noun) and the participle (a verbal adjective). Most verbs in the New Testament appear in the indicative mood.
5.4.1. Indicative
Among other things, the indicative presents a fact or makes a statement. ‘In the beginning was [indicative] the word’ (John 1:1).
5.4.2. Subjunctive The subjunctive mood is used in a number of ways. It may express probability; it may be used to exhort or command oneself and associates.
αγωμεν G71 V-PAS-1P και G2532 CONJ ημεις G2249 P-1NP ‘Let us go also’ (John 11:16). In the aorist tense it is used with a double negative to express a future negation.
ου G3756 PRT-N μη G3361 PRT-N εκβαλω G1544 V-2AAS-1S ‘I will not not cast out = I will certainly not cast out’ (John 6:37). John uses the subjunctive with double negation for some promises made by Christ. Believers:
· will never (ου μη) walk in darkness (John 8:12).
· will never (ου μη) see death (John 8:51).
· will never (ου μη) perish (John 10:28).
· will never (ου μη) die (John 11:26).
5.4.3. Imperative The imperative is used to express a command, a prayer or a request. In John 5:14 Jesus said: μηκετι G3371 ADV αμαρτανε G264 V-PAM-2S ‘Stop sinning’ (NIV). Robertson made the following comments about this phrase:
‘No longer go on sinning.’ Present active imperative with μηκετ, a clear implication that disease was due to personal sin as is so often the case... He had suffered for 38 years. All sickness is not due to personal sin (John 9:3), but much is and nature is a hard paymaster.
5.4.4. Optative The optative appears 68 times in the New Testament. It expresses a wish or a prayer, translated by ‘may it be’. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul expressed the wish that God αγιασαι G37 V-AAO-3S‘may sanctify’ the believers.