BBG Chapter 32 — Infinitive Parsing

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Mounce, 4th Edition

Parse the underlined infinitive (tense / voice / lexical form), identify the use, and translate.

Part A — Complementary (1–5)

#Greek TextTenseVoiceLexical FormUseTranslation
1θέλω λύειν τοὺς δούλους.
Pres · Act · λύω · Complementary · "I want to loose the slaves."
2οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος αὐτοῦ.
Aor · Act · λύω · Complementary · "I am not worthy to loose the strap of his sandal." (cf. Mark 1:7)
3ἤρξατο διδάσκειν αὐτοὺς πολλά.
Pres · Act · διδάσκω · Complementary · "He began to teach them many things."
4δύνασαι ποιεῖν τοῦτο;
Pres · Act · ποιέω · Complementary · "Are you able to do this?"
5μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον.
Pres · Act · ζητέω · Complementary · "For Herod is about to seek the child." (cf. Matt 2:13)

Part B — Articular Infinitives (6–8)

#Greek TextTenseVoiceLexical FormUseTranslation
6τὸ ζῆν ἐμοὶ Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος.
Pres · Act · ζάω · Articular (subject) · "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil 1:21)
7ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι.
Aor · Act · σπείρω · Articular — purpose (τοῦ) · "The sower went out to sow." (Matt 13:3)
8ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν τόπῳ τινί.
Pres · Act · εἰμί · Articular — temporal (ἐν τῷ) · "While he was in a certain place." (Luke 11:1)

Part C — Purpose (9–12)

#Greek TextTenseVoiceLexical FormUseTranslation
9εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ σπεῖραι τὸν λόγον.
Aor · Act · σπείρω · Purpose (εἰς τό) · "He went in to sow the word."
10πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι αὐτοῖς.
Aor · Pass · θεάομαι · Purpose (πρός τό) · "So as to be seen by them." (Matt 6:1)
11ἦλθεν εἰς τὸ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ.
Aor · Pass · βαπτίζω · Purpose (εἰς τό) · "He came to be baptized by him." (cf. Matt 3:13)
12τοῦ γνῶναι αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ.
Aor · Act · γινώσκω · Purpose (τοῦ) · "To know him and the power of his resurrection." (Phil 3:10)

Part D — Result (13–15)

#Greek TextTenseVoiceLexical FormUseTranslation
13ὥστε τοὺς ὄχλους θαυμάζειν.
Pres · Act · θαυμάζω · Result (ὥστε) · "So that the crowds marveled." (Matt 15:31)
14ὥστε μηκέτι αὐτὸν δύνασθαι εἰς πόλιν εἰσελθεῖν.
Aor · Act · εἰσέρχομαι · Complementary within result clause (ὥστε) · "So that he was no longer able to enter a city." (cf. Mark 2:2)
15ὥστε τὸ πλοῖον καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων.
Pres · Pass · καλύπτω · Result (ὥστε) · "So that the boat was being covered by the waves." (Matt 8:24)

Part E — Indirect Discourse and Temporal (16–20)

#Greek TextTenseVoiceLexical FormUseTranslation
16νομίζουσιν αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν τῇ συνοδίᾳ.
Pres · Act · εἰμί · Indirect discourse · "They suppose him to be in the traveling company." (Luke 2:44)
17λέγουσιν αὐτὸν ἐγηγέρθαι ἐκ νεκρῶν.
Perf · Pass · ἐγείρω · Indirect discourse · "They say that he has been raised from the dead." (cf. Matt 28:7)
18πιστεύομεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀποθανεῖν καὶ ἀναστῆναι.
Aor · Act · ἀποθνῄσκω · Indirect discourse · "We believe that Jesus died and rose again." (1 Thess 4:14)
19ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτόν, ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν.
Pres · Act · σπείρω · Temporal (ἐν τῷ) · "While he was sowing, some fell along the path." (Matt 13:4)
20ἐν τῷ κατεβαίνειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Ἰεριχώ, τυφλοί τινες ἐκάθηντο.
Pres · Act · καταβαίνω · Temporal (ἐν τῷ) · "As he was going down to Jericho, some blind men were sitting there."