# BBG Chapter 18 — Present Middle/Passive Indicative

## Files

### Exercises

Exercise | Description
--- | ---
exercises/ch18-middle-passive-parsing/ | 20-item drill: parse present middle/passive forms and identify likely voice from context

### Flashcards

File | Description
--- | ---
ch18-vocab-deck.md | Human-readable card list — 10 vocabulary words
ch18-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import file (File → Import)
ch18-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe import file

### Notebooks

Notebook | What it shows
--- | ---
GNT Verb Morphology | Voice distribution; tense × voice crosstab
Genre Comparison | Greek middle/passive voice patterns by genre

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Mounce, 4th Edition

## 1. Overview

In the present tense, the middle and passive voices share identical forms. You cannot tell from form alone whether a verb is middle or passive — you must use context. This chapter introduces both voices and the very important category of deponent verbs.

## 2. The Middle Voice

The middle voice indicates that the subject is performing the action for their own benefit, on themselves, or with special personal interest in the outcome.

Active | Middle | Difference
--- | --- | ---
λύω = "I loose (something)" | λύομαι = "I loose for myself / I ransom myself" | Subject benefits from the action
πείθω = "I persuade (someone)" | πείθομαι = "I am persuaded / I trust" | Subject is affected inwardly

> Note: In the present tense, the English translation of the middle may not look different from the active. Context and the verb's normal usage pattern help determine the nuance.

## 3. The Passive Voice

The passive voice indicates that the subject receives the action. The agent performing the action (if expressed) appears in a prepositional phrase.

Voice | Example | Translation
--- | --- | ---
Active | λύει τὸν δοῦλον | "He looses the slave."
Passive | λύεται ὁ δοῦλος | "The slave is being loosed."

> Agent in passive constructions: In Greek, personal agents are typically expressed with ὑπό + genitive ("by someone"). Impersonal means are expressed with the dative of means.

## 4. Paradigm — Present Middle/Passive Indicative (λύω)

The present stem is λυ-. Primary middle/passive endings are attached via the connecting vowel.

Person | Singular | Translation (Middle) | Translation (Passive)
--- | --- | --- | ---
1st | λύομαι | I loose for myself | I am being loosed
2nd | λύῃ (or λύει) | You loose for yourself | You are being loosed
3rd | λύεται | He/she looses for himself | He/she is being loosed
1st pl | λύομεθα | We loose for ourselves | We are being loosed
2nd pl | λύεσθε | You (pl.) loose for yourselves | You are being loosed
3rd pl | λύονται | They loose for themselves | They are being loosed

### Primary Middle/Passive Endings

Person | Singular | Plural
--- | --- | ---
1st | -ομαι | -ομεθα
2nd | -ῃ / -ει | -εσθε
3rd | -εται | -ονται

> Note on 2sg: The 2nd person singular primary middle/passive ending is -σαι; the σ drops between vowels, contracting ε+αι → ῃ. The uncontracted form -ει occasionally appears in the GNT. Both are standard.

## 5. Key Diagnostics

Feature | Value
--- | ---
Ending -ομαι | 1sg present middle/passive (very common)
Ending -εται | 3sg present middle/passive (very common)
Ending -ονται | 3pl present middle/passive
Ending -εσθε | 2pl present middle/passive
Ending -ομεθα | 1pl present middle/passive
No augment | Present indicative never augmented
Identical form | Middle = passive in present — use context

## 6. Deponent Verbs

Deponent verbs have only middle or passive forms but carry active meanings. They are not "defective" — they are simply verbs whose meaning is inherently reflexive or intransitive and that therefore appear only in the middle/passive form.

Deponent verbs are extremely common in the GNT. You must memorize them as a class — their lexical form will end in -ομαι (not -ω).

### Common Deponent Verbs in the GNT

Lexical form | Meaning | Notes
--- | --- | ---
ἔρχομαι | I come, I go | Most common deponent; irregular principal parts
γίνομαι | I become, I am | Very common; "come into being"
ἀποκρίνομαι | I answer | Always deponent in NT
δέχομαι | I receive, accept |
ἐργάζομαι | I work |
πορεύομαι | I go, travel | Very common
προσεύχομαι | I pray |
ἅπτομαι | I touch | Takes genitive object
ἀσπάζομαι | I greet |
βούλομαι | I want, wish |

> Parsing deponents: When you encounter a deponent verb, you still parse it fully: e.g., ἔρχεται = Present Middle/Passive Indicative 3sg ἔρχομαι = "he comes / he is coming." The voice is labeled "middle/passive" (or just "middle" for deponents that are always middle), but the meaning is active.

## 7. Distinguishing Middle from Passive by Context

Since middle and passive are formally identical in the present, use these clues:

Clue | Indicates
--- | ---
Verb is listed as deponent (lexical form -ομαι) | Middle/Passive form, active meaning
ὑπό + genitive in the same clause | Passive — agent expressed
Verb root typically takes an object (transitive) | Could be passive
Verb root typically intransitive or reflexive | Likely middle
The subject "benefits" or "experiences" the action | Likely middle

## 8. GNT Examples

Deponent — ἔρχομαι:

> ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν (John 3:2)
> "He comes to Jesus."
> → ἔρχεται = PAI/PMPI 3sg ἔρχομαι; deponent, active meaning

Deponent — γίνομαι:

> ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος… καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (John 1:1,14)
> "In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh."
> → ἐγένετο = Aorist Middle Indicative 3sg γίνομαι (aorist form; deponent)

Middle voice (reflexive):

> ἐβαπτίσαντο… ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ (Matt 3:6)
> "They were being baptized… in the Jordan River."
> → Middle/passive; context suggests passive (by John)

Passive with agent:

> βαπτίζεται ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου (Mark 1:9, adapted)
> "He is being baptized by John."
> → Passive indicated by ὑπό + genitive

Deponent — πορεύομαι:

> πορεύεσθε οὖν καὶ μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη (Matt 28:19)
> "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations."
> → πορεύεσθε = PMPI 2pl πορεύομαι; deponent, active meaning (imperative sense in context)

## 9. Parsing Format Review

When parsing a present middle/passive indicative form, give:

> Tense — Voice — Mood — Person — Number — Lexical form (= translation)

Example: λύεται → Present Middle/Passive Indicative 3rd Singular λύω = "he is being loosed" (passive) or "he looses for himself" (middle)