Mood subjunctive¶

Glossary¶

The subjunctive mood indicates that the speaker is referring to the verbal action as a possibility or probability. (e.g., he may eat, he should eat, he could eat). The subjunctive mood is also used as a mild command (let’s eat).

Example: Table VMS-1 Subjunctive Example

Table VMS-1 Subjunctive Example¶
Mark 14:14
ποῦ	ἐστιν	τὸ	κατάλυμά	μου	ὅπου	τὸ	πάσχα	μετὰ	τῶν	μαθητῶν	μου	φάγω;
pou	estin	to	katalyma	mou	hopou	to	Pascha	meta	tōn	mathētōn	mou	phagō?
Where	it is	the	guestroom	of my	where	the	Passover meal	with	the	disciples	of me	I may eat?

Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?

Article¶

The subjunctive mood is used to portray a probable or desired action.

It is used when the action is viewed as being possible if certain conditions are met.

Dependent Clauses - The subjunctive in a dependent clause is the most common use of the subjunctive preceded with (ἐάν, ἐι, ἄν) [See Dependent Clauses]

Independent Clauses - The subjunctive may also be used in an Independent Clause either

in a real question or

in a question where an answer is not expected to be given.

Subjunctive of Purpose/Result – The subjunctive case is often used to show purpose or results of an action in a clause that is preceded with a ἵνα. [See Subjunctive of Purpose]

Exhortative Subjunctive - It is used in the first person as an exhortation (even to the point of being a mild command). {See Exhortative Subjunctive}

Prohibitive Subjunctive - It is used in prohibitions [See Prohibitive Subjunctive]

General Subjunctive - It may also be used if the action is viewed as probable, or possible (instead of the optative mood). [See General Subjunctive]

Verbs occur in the subjunctive mood 1,868 times in the New Testament.

Key words:¶

Verbs which are preceded by ἄν, ἐάν, ἕως, ὅταν, ὁς αν, or ὄπου ἄν will be in the subjunctive. This is a strong clue that a verb in the subjunctive is following.

Tense¶

Tense in the subjunctive mood refers to Aspect not time. Verbs in the subjunctive mood have no reference to time – past, present, or future.

Verbs in the present tense refer to continuous action.

Verbs in the aorist tense refer to an undefined aspect.

There are 10 perfect subjunctive verbs in the New Testament. These are all based on the verb οἴδα (to know) and would imply an ongoing effect based on the knowledge. See Perfect Tense

Form¶

The subjunctive is based on the present or aorist tense of the verb.

The connecting vowel is lengthened. This lengthened connecting vowel is a key indicator of the subjunctive case.

See Paradigms verb_subjunctive

			Present (or Continuous) Subjunctive
				Present tense stem +
				Lengthened connecting vowel (ω, η) +
				Primary personal endings
			active	λυ + ω + μεν > λύωμεν
			middle/passive	λυ + ω + μεθα > λυώμεθα

There is no augment for verbs in the aorist subjunctive as there is no reference to time.

There is no tense formative for verbs formed on the second aorist stem in subjunctive.

			Aorist (or Undefined) Subjunctive
				Unaugmented Aorist tense stem +
				Tense formative (for 1st aorist verbs only) +
				Lengthened connecting vowel (ω, η) +
				Primary personal endings
			first aorist	λυ + σ + ω + μεν > λύσωμεν
			second aorist	λαβ + ω + μεν > λάβωμεν

[Note: There is no augment in the aorist subjunctive]

Dependent Clauses¶

The most common use of the subjunctive is in dependent or conditional clauses. In fact, if the translator sees an ἐάν, ἐι, or ἄν they should start looking for a verb in the subjunctive case.

Example

Table VMS-2 Dependent Clause Subjunctive¶
Mark 8:35
ὃς	ἐὰν	θέλῃ	τὴν	ψυχὴν	αὐτοῦ	σῶσαι	ἀπολέσει	αὐτήν
hos	ean	thelē	tēn	psychēn	autou	sōsai	apolesei	autēn
whoever		continually wishes	the	soul	of him	to save	he will lose	it

whoever wants to save his soul will lose it.

[Note: the word for word translation picks up on the continual aspect of the present subjunctive.]

Independent Clauses¶

The subjunctive case may also be used in an independent clause that is

Asking a question or is seeking an answer, or in a
Rhetorical question that is asking a question for the purpose of directing the hearers thinking, but not expecting an answer.

Example

Table csv-3 Independent Clause Expecting an Answer¶
Matthew 11:3
σὺ	εἶ	ὁ	ἐρχόμενος	ἢ	ἕτερον	προσδοκῶμεν?
sy	ei	ho	erchomenos	ē	heteron	prosdokōmen?
You	are you	the	one who is coming	or	another	shall we expect?

Are you the one coming, or are we expecting another?

[Note: In order to pick up on the continuous aspect of the present subjunctive, this could be translated; “Are you the one who is coming or are we to continue looking for another?”]

Example

Table VMS-4 Independent Clause Rhetorical Question¶
Romans 6:1
ἐπιμένωμεν	τῇ	ἁμαρτίᾳ	ἵνα	ἡ	χάρις	πλεονάσῃ?
epimenōmen	tē	hamartia	hina	hē	charis	pleonasē?
Shall we continue	in	sin	in order that	the	grace	may abound?

Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound?

[Note: πλεονάσῃ is an aorist subjunctive following a ἵνα clause. See Subjunctive of Purpose/Result below.]

Subjunctive of Purpose/Result¶

ἵνα + a verb in the Subjunctive mood may be used to express:

the purpose for or

the result from a course of action.

Approximately one-third (1/3) of uses of the subjunctive case in the New Testament fall into this category.

Example

Table VMS-5 Subjunctive of Purpose/Result¶
Acts 16:30
κύριοι	τί	με	δεῖ	ποιεῖν	ἵνα	σωθῶ?
kyrioi	ti	me	dei	poiein	hina	sōthō?
Sirs	what	I	is necessary	to do	in order that	I may be saved?

Sirs, what must I do in order to be saved?”

Exhortative Subjunctive¶

The Exhortative Subjunctive is also known as the Hortatory Subjunctive. It occurs almost always as a first-person plural expression. It is a polite way of encouraging others to join the speaker in a course of action. Sometimes it is also used as a command.

Example: Exhortative Subjunctive

Table VMS-6 Exhortive Subjunctive¶
1 John 4:7
ἀγαπητοί	ἀγαπῶμεν	ἀλλήλους
agapētoi	agapōmen	allēlous
Beloved	let us love	one another

Beloved, let us love one another

Example : Exhortative Subjunctive as a command

Table VMS-7¶
Matthew 26:46
ἐγείρεσθε	ἄγωμεν!	ἰδοὺ	ἤγγικεν	ὁ	παραδιδούς	με!”
egeiresthe	agōmen!	idou	ēngiken	ho	paradidous	me!”
Arise	let us go	look	he is approaching	the	one who is betraying	me

Get up, that we might go. Behold, the one betraying me has approached

[Note: In order to pick up on the imperatival force of the Exhortavie Subjunctive, this could also be translated, “Get up! Let us Go! Behold, the one betraying me has approached.”]

[Note: In this example ἐγείρεσθε is a second person plural imperative. Therefore the force of the imperative is carried over onto “Let us go.”]

Prohibitive Subjunctive¶

μή + a verb in the aorist subjunctive is used to indicate a prohibition.

οὐ μή + a verb in the aorist subjunctive is used to indicate an emphatic prohibition. Jesus uses this form to express that something will never happen. It adds extra strength to the prohibition.

Example of Simple Prohibition

Table VMS-8 Simple Prohibition¶
Matthew 1:20
μὴ	φοβηθῇς	παραλαβεῖν	Μαρίαν	τὴν	γυναῖκά	σου
mē	phobēthēs	paralabein	Marian	tēn	gynaika	sou
not	you should fear	to take	Mary	the	wife	of you

you should not fear to take Mary as your wife,

Example of Emphatic Prohibition

Table VMS-9 Emphatic Prohibition¶
Matthew 24:35
οἱ	δὲ	λόγοι	μου	οὐ μὴ	παρέλθωσιν
hoi	de	logoi	mou	ou mē	parelthōsin
the	but	words	of me	never	they will pass away

but my words may certainly not pass away.

General Subjunctive¶

The subjunctive may also occur without any of the key words (ἄν, ἐάν, ἕως, ὅταν, ὁς αν,or ὄπου ἄν) to indicate something that is possible or even probable.

Example - General Subjunctive

Table VMS-10 General Subjunctive¶
Matthew 13:29
ἐκριζώσητε	ἅμα	αὐτοῖς	τὸν	σῖτον.
ekrizōsēte	hama	autois	ton	siton.
you may uproot	together	with it	the	wheat

you might uproot the wheat along with them.