# BBG Chapter 33 — Imperative

## Files

### Exercises

Exercise | Description
--- | ---
exercises/ch33-imperative-parsing/ | 20-item drill: parse imperatives, identify tense/voice/aspect implications, translate
exercises/ch33-prohibition-drill/ | Prohibition Pattern Drill — 20 items: classify STOP (μή + pres. imper.) vs. DONT (μή + aor. subj.)

### Flashcards

File | Description
--- | ---
ch33-vocab-deck.md | Human-readable card list — 3 vocabulary words
ch33-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import file (File → Import)
ch33-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe import file

### Notebooks

Notebook | What it shows
--- | ---
NT Mood Usage | Imperative distribution, present vs. aorist aspect, tense × person breakdown, genre comparison
Concordance | Find all imperatives of any NT verb

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Mounce, 4th Edition
Data: MACULA Greek TAGNT (~1,680 imperative tokens NT-wide)

## 1. The Imperative Mood — Overview

The imperative mood expresses commands, requests, or prohibitions. Key characteristics:

- Only 2nd and 3rd person forms exist (no 1st person imperative — Greek uses the hortatory subjunctive for "let us…")
- Both present and aorist imperatives exist — the aspect difference is significant
- The negative imperative uses μή (not οὐ)

## 2. Aspect in the Imperative

The present/aorist distinction in the imperative is one of the most practically important in Greek grammar:

Tense | Aspect | Nuance
--- | --- | ---
Present imperative | Imperfective | Keep on doing / continue doing — ongoing command
Aorist imperative | Perfective | Do it (simply / once) — simple command

> Note: This distinction is real and exegetically significant, but do not overstate it. Context governs. The present imperative generally calls for ongoing or habitual action; the aorist calls for a specific act. Both are genuine commands.

Examples:

> προσεύχεσθε ἀδιαλείπτως. (1 Thess 5:17) — present: "Keep on praying without ceasing."
> κλεῖσον τὴν θύραν. (Matt 6:6) — aorist: "Shut the door [now]."

## 3. Present Active Imperative — Full Paradigm (λύω)

Person | Singular | Plural
--- | --- | ---
2nd | λῦε | λύετε
3rd | λυέτω | λυέτωσαν

> Note: The 2nd person singular present active imperative is simply the present stem + ε: λύ + ε = λῦε. This is one of the easiest forms to recognize.

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

Person | Singular | Plural
--- | --- | ---
2nd | λύου | λύεσθε
3rd | λυέσθω | λυέσθωσαν

> Note: The 2nd sg middle/passive imperative -ου is a contracted form (λύε + σο → λύου). The -εσθ- morpheme runs through the plural forms and the 3rd person — familiar from middle/passive participle endings.

## 5. Aorist Active Imperative

### 5.1 First Aorist Active Imperative (λύω)

Person | Singular | Plural
--- | --- | ---
2nd | λῦσον | λύσατε
3rd | λυσάτω | λυσάτωσαν

> Note: The 2nd sg 1st aorist active imperative ends in -σον: λῦσον. This is the most important form to memorize.

### 5.2 Second Aorist Active Imperative

The 2nd aorist imperative uses the 2nd aorist stem with the endings of the present imperative (but no connecting vowel change — the stem itself is different):

Person | Singular | Plural
--- | --- | ---
2nd | λάβε (λαμβάνω) | λάβετε
3rd | λαβέτω | λαβέτωσαν

Common 2nd aorist imperatives:
| Verb | 2nd Aor. Imper. 2sg | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| λαμβάνω | λάβε | Take! |
| ἔρχομαι | ἐλθέ | Come! |
| λέγω | εἰπέ | Say! / Tell! |
| ὁράω | ἰδέ | See! / Look! |
| φέρω | ἐνέγκε | Bring! |

## 6. Aorist Passive Imperative (λύω)

Person | Singular | Plural
--- | --- | ---
2nd | λύθητι | λύθητε
3rd | λυθήτω | λυθήτωσαν

> Note: The aorist passive imperative 2sg marker is -θητι — the θη of the aorist passive stem plus -τι (the characteristic of the 2sg passive imperative). This is similar to the aorist passive infinitive -θῆναι and the aorist passive indicative -θην.

## 7. The Imperative of εἰμί

Person | Singular | Plural
--- | --- | ---
2nd | ἴσθι | ἔστε
3rd | ἔστω | ἔστωσαν

> ἴσθι is the 2nd person singular present imperative of εἰμί — "Be!" or "Be [something]!"

## 8. Prohibition: μή + Imperative vs. μή + Aorist Subjunctive

The construction used for negative commands depends on aspect:

Construction | Nuance | Example
--- | --- | ---
μή + present imperative | "Stop doing [what you are doing]" | μὴ κλαίετε = "Stop weeping!"
μή + aorist subjunctive | "Do not [begin to] do [it]" | μὴ φοβηθῇς = "Do not be afraid"

> Note: The μή + aorist subjunctive form of prohibition is treated fully in Ch31 (subjunctive). Here the focus is on the present imperative prohibition.

## 9. Third Person Imperatives

The 3rd person imperative is used to command or permit someone other than the person being addressed directly — "Let him…", "Let them…", "He must…"

> ἔστω δὲ ὑμῶν τὸ ναί, ναί. (Matt 5:37)
> "Let your yes be yes."

> ἄρατω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ.
> "Let him take up his cross."

## 10. GNT Examples

> ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν. (Matt 5:44) — Present active 2pl
> "Love your enemies." (ongoing command — keep on loving)

> μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ. (Mark 1:15) — Present 2pl
> "Repent and believe in the gospel."

> πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. (Matt 28:19) — Aorist 2pl
> "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."

> ὑπόστρεψον εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου. (Luke 8:39) — Aorist 2sg
> "Return to your house."

> χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε. (Phil 4:4) — Present 2pl
> "Rejoice in the Lord always." (ongoing)

## 11. Diagnostic Summary

Form | Parse as
--- | ---
stem + ε (2sg) | Present active imperative 2sg
stem + ετε (2pl) | Present active imperative 2pl
stem + έτω (3sg) | Present active imperative 3sg
stem + ου (2sg) | Present middle/passive imperative 2sg
aor. stem + σον (2sg) | 1st aorist active imperative 2sg
aor. stem + σατε (2pl) | 1st aorist active imperative 2pl
2nd aor. stem + ε (2sg) | 2nd aorist active imperative 2sg
aor. pass. stem + θητι (2sg) | Aorist passive imperative 2sg
ἴσθι | Present imperative 2sg of εἰμί
μή + present imperative | Prohibition: stop doing
μή + aorist subjunctive | Prohibition: don't start / don't do