BBG Chapter 28 — Present vs. Aorist Adverbial Participle Contrast

BBG Chapter 28 · Contemporaneous vs. Antecedent Action

Instructions: For each item, (1) classify the temporal relation as CONTEMP (present participle = same time as main verb) or ANTEC (aorist participle = prior to main verb), (2) give the tense and voice of the participle, (3) give the lexical form, and (4) translate. Click ▶ Answer to reveal the answer for that row.
#Participle ClauseRelation (CONTEMP/ANTEC)TenseVoiceLexical FormTranslation
1 ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀπῆλθεν
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · λέγω · Having said these things, he departed
2 πορευόμενος κηρύσσει
CONTEMP · Present · Middle · πορεύομαι · While going, he preaches
3 ἀκούσαντες ἐχάρησαν
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · ἀκούω · When / after they heard, they rejoiced
4 βλέπων τοὺς ὄχλους ἐσπλαγχνίσθη
CONTEMP · Present · Active · βλέπω · While seeing the crowds, he had compassion
5 ἐλθόντες εἶδον
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · ἔρχομαι · After coming, they saw
6 προσευχόμενος μὴ βατταλογήσητε
CONTEMP · Present · Middle · προσεύχομαι · While praying, do not babble
7 εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν συναγωγήν
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · εἰσέρχομαι · After entering the synagogue
8 λαλῶν ταῦτα εἶπεν
CONTEMP · Present · Active · λαλέω · While saying these things, he said (more)
9 πιστεύσαντες ἐβαπτίσθησαν
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · πιστεύω · After / when they believed, they were baptized
10 ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν
ANTEC · Aorist · Pass. (deponent) · ἀποκρίνομαι · Having answered, he said
11 διδάσκων ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ ἐξεπλήσσοντο
CONTEMP · Present · Active · διδάσκω · While he was teaching in the synagogue, they were amazed
12 ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβεν τὸ παιδίον
ANTEC · Aorist · Pass. (deponent) · ἐγείρω · Having gotten up, he took the child
13 ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εὐλόγησεν
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · ἀναβλέπω · Having looked up to heaven, he blessed
14 κλαίων ἐξῆλθεν ἔξω
CONTEMP · Present · Active · κλαίω · Weeping, he went outside
15 εὑρόντες αὐτόν
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · εὑρίσκω · After / when they found him
16 ἐρχόμενος πρὸς αὐτόν
CONTEMP · Present · Middle · ἔρχομαι · While coming to him
17 λαβὼν τοὺς πέντε ἄρτους ηὐλόγησεν
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · λαμβάνω · Having taken the five loaves, he blessed
18 ἐσθίων μετ᾽ αὐτῶν παρήγγειλεν
CONTEMP · Present · Active · ἐσθίω · While eating with them, he commanded
19 ἀναστὰς ἐπορεύθη
ANTEC · Aorist · Active · ἀνίστημι · Having risen, he went
20 χαίροντες ὑπέστρεψαν
CONTEMP · Present · Active · χαίρω · Rejoicing, they returned

Discussion Questions

  1. Items 10 and 12 use aorist passive participles for what are grammatically deponent verbs (ἀποκρίνομαι, ἐγείρω used as deponent). How do you know these are not true passive uses? What contextual signal tells you?
  2. Present adverbial participles can be translated with "while," "as," or just "-ing." Aorist participles get "after," "when," or "having." Test items 3 and 9: could item 3 be translated as "while hearing"? What is lost if you do?
  3. Item 8 (λαλῶν ταῦτα εἶπεν) seems paradoxical — the main verb is also a speech verb (εἶπεν). What does the present participle λαλῶν contribute that the aorist εἰπών would not?