Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Watchtower
ONLINE LIBRARY
English
  • BIBLE
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • MEETINGS
  • nwtstg
  • Aorist

No video available for this selection.

Sorry, there was an error loading the video.

  • Aorist
  • Glossary
  • Similar Material
  • Questions From Readers
    The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1994
  • 7B Features of Biblical Greek
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures
  • Questions From Readers
    The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1956
  • Further Enrichment of Understanding
    The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1950
See More
Glossary
nwtstg

Aorist

A verb form in Biblical Greek that, though called a tense, usually conveys the kind of action taken rather than the time when the action takes place. Verbs in the aorist tense may be rendered in a variety of ways according to their context. For example, the aorist may denote a single action or actions that are momentary rather than an action or actions that are habitual or continuous.

At 1 John 2:1, the aorist tense of the Greek verb “to sin” is rendered “commit a sin.” The aorist here evidently expresses momentary action, referring to just one act of sin. The present tense of a Greek verb, by comparison, often denotes ongoing action. For example, at 1 John 3:6, the present tense of the same verb is rendered “practice sin.” At Matthew 4:9, the use of the aorist evidently indicates that Satan asked Jesus to “do an act of worship” to him, not to offer continuous worship.

A command may also be in the aorist. Unlike a prohibition in the present tense, which may often denote a command to stop doing something (Lu 5:​10; 23:28; Joh 2:​16), a prohibition in the aorist could be understood as a command against doing something at any given time or moment. One example is recorded at Matthew 6:​34: “Never be anxious about the next day.” Here the aorist conveys the idea of not being anxious at any given time or moment.

    English Publications (1950-2023)
    Log Out
    Log In
    • English
    • Share
    • Preferences
    • Copyright © 2023 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Settings
    • JW.ORG
    • Log In
    Share