Verb linking

Glossary

Linking verbs “link” the subject of the sentence by showing a relationship with another noun, pronoun, or adjective. Most verbs show action. Linking verbs show relationship. [Example: David is King of Israel. The linking verb “is” shows a relationship between David and King of Israel.

VL-1 Linking Verb

Matthew 6:22

Ὁ

λύχνος

τοῦ

σώματός

ἐστιν

ὁ

ὀφθαλμός.

Hο

lychnos

tou

sōmatos

estin

ho

ophthalmos.

The

lamp

of the

body

is

the

eye.

The eye is the lamp of the body.

Article

Verbs may be classified as Transitive, Intransitive, or Linking.

Linking verbs “link” the subject of the sentence by describing a relationship between the subject and another noun, pronoun, or adjective. It is called a “linking verb” because it joins the subject of the sentence with a noun, pronoun, or adjective that tells something about the subject.

Transitive verbs require an object for the action of the verb. The object may be stated or implied. The action of the verb is carried over into (or onto) an object of the verb. Therefore, transitive verbs will always have an object for the verb. [ see Transitive ]

Intransitive verbs do not take an object. The verbal idea of the verb determines if a verb is transitive or intransitive. [See Intransitive ]

Because a participle is a verbal adjective, it can function as an adjective or as a noun. It can also be joined with a linking verb. ( See Table VL-3 below)

The verb εἰμί (to be) is the most frequently used linking verb.

There are 2,597 linking verbs in the New Testament.

  • 2,129 of the occurrences are with the verb εἰμί

  • 275 of the occurrences are with the verb γίνομαι

  • 59 of the occurrences are with the verb κάλεω

  • 39 of the occurrences are with the verb λέγω

  • 35 of the occurrences are with the verb ὐπάρχω,

  • And the remaining 60 occurrences are with 18 different verbs.

The reader should keep in mind; A verb may be transitive, intransitive or linking depending on its function in the sentence. For example εἰμί occurs 2,458 times in the New Testament, but only 2,129 times does εἰμί function as a linking verb. εἰμί occurs as an intransitive verb or as a transitive verb the other 329 times.

The following is an example of εἰμί (to be) used as a linking verb.

Table VL-2

John 6:35

εἶπεν

αὐτοῖς

ὁ

Ἰησοῦς

ἐγώ

εἰμι

ὁ

ἄρτος

τῆς

ζωῆς

eipen

autois

ho

Iēsous

egō

eimi

ho

artos

tēs

zōēs

he said

to them

the

Jesus

I

I am

the

bread

of

life

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life

The following is an example of εἰμί (to be) used as a transitive verb with a participle phrase ἔχων “one having” as the object of the subject of the sentence. This is also an example of how a verb may function one way in the Greek language and a different way in a different language.

In this instance ἦν (the imperfect active indicative 3rd person singular of εἰμί) serves as a transitive verb. It cannot be a linking verb because there is no separate noun for it to link. The participle ἔχων is the object of the verb. However, in the English translation. The pronoun “He” is a separate word. The sentence then becomes “because he was one who has many possessions.” The verb “is” in the English translation now becomes a linking verb linking the pronoun “he” to the participle phrase “one who had many possessions.”

Table VL-3

Mk 10.22

ἦν

γὰρ

ἔχων

κτήματα

πολλά

ēn

gar

echōn

ktēmata

polla

he was

for

one who has

possessions

many

because he was one who had many possessions.

The following are two examples of εἰμί as an intransitive verb.

VL-4 εἰμί as an intransitive verb

Jn 1:9

ἦν

τὸ

φῶς

τὸ

ἀληθινὸν

ēn

to

phōs

to

alēthinon

there was

the

light

the

true

There was the true light

Table VL-5 εἰμί as an intransitive verb

Jn 8:58

πρὶν

Ἀβραὰμ

γενέσθαι

ἐγὼ

εἰμί.

prin

Abraam

genesthai

egō

eimi.

Before

Abraham

was

I

I am.

before Abraham was, I AM.

The following is an example of a participle form of εἰμί (οὖσιν) being used as a linking verb.

Table VL-6

Mk 2:26

ἔδωκεν

καὶ

τοῖς

σὺν

αὐτῷ

οὖσιν

edōken

kai

tois

syn

autō

ousin

he gave

also

to (those)

with

him

being

he even gave (some) to those who were with him