29.11 Although this form is called the AORIST PASSIVE in most textbooks and grammars, including this one, it is a bit of a misnomer. In earlier Greek, the "AORIST PASSIVE" marker -θη (or -η) was not originally a marker of the passive voice, but instead marked INTRANSITIVE AORIST forms with an ACTIVE or MIDDLE meaning (S 802, G 501). The -θη (or -η) marker still serves this function for some common verbs, such as:
- βούλομαι, βουλήσομαι, -, -, βεβούλημαι, ἐβουλήθην want, prefer
- ἐβουλήθην I wanted, preferred
- δύναμαι, δυνήσομαι, -, -, δεδύνημαι, ἐδυνήθην be able, can
- ἐδυνήθην I was able, I could
- Note that there is no separate AORIST ACTIVE form for either of these verbs, so none is listed for the 3rd principal part.
By the time of Koine Greek, the marker -θη (or -η) came to be used much more often and consistently to indicate PASSIVE VOICE:
- Active: ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεός.
- God gave us eternal (αἰώνιον) life. 1 John 5:11
- Passive: ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη.
- The law was given through Moses. John 1:17
Even at these later dates, however, some verbs only use the "aorist passive" form intransitively. Such instances are noted in grammars, textbooks, and lexica.
29.12 Context within a sentence helps to translate the voice of the AORIST PASSIVE form. A rule of thumb is to look for a GENITIVE OF AGENT following ὑπό.
Note the following examples:
- τὸ βιβλίον ὑπὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ γράφεται.
- The book is being written by the poet.
- τὸ βιβλίον ὑπὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ ἐγράφη.
- The book was written by the poet.
- The aorist passive of γράφω has dropped the θ, but otherwise declines normally: ἐγράφην, ἐγράφης, ἐγράφη...
- αἱ πόλεις ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν λύονται
- The cities are being destroyed by the Persians…
- αἱ πόλεις ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν ἐλύθησαν
- The cities were destroyed by the Persians…