Question about γινώσκω

[Mark Nigro]

Trying to remember all there is to know about γινώσκω and its irregularities. Isn't γνῶναι a 2nd Aorist Infinitive, and if so, why is the ending αι and not ειν as is usually the case with a 2nd Aorist? Not important, but a curiosity of a student and I can't recall nor find the specific reason for the morphology.

 

 

[Λύχνις Δαν]

Hey Mark,

 

  I thought I understood this better than I did - not an uncommon experience alas

  So I checked in MBG and if I'm reading this correctly it's an athematic ending on a root aorist. Mounce has the following to say about this :

 

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§35.1    Most verbs use a thematic vowel immediately before the personal endings (“thematic” conjugation). The “thematic” vowel is also called a “connecting” or “variable” vowel. Other verbs join the personal endings directly to the stem (“athematic” = α privative + “thematic”).

§35.1a    A verb that uses the athematic conjugation in a certain tense will use that conjugation consistently throughout [p. 78] that tense. But a verb can alternate between thematic and athematic conjugations from tense to tense.

§35.1b    The athematic conjugation was in the process of dropping out of use in Hellenistic Greek. We even find the same verb in multiple conjugations (e.g., ἵστημι, ἱστάν

 

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(§44.2c) Root aorists

When the personal ending is added directly to the verbal stem in the aorist, it is called a “root aorist.” μι verbs in the active and middle are root aorists (e.g., ἵστημι → ἔστην), as are βαίνω (*βα → ἔβην; v-3d), γίνωσκω (*γνο → ἔγνων; v-5a), δύω (*δυ → ἐδύην; v-1a[4]), and ἐπιπέτομαι (*πετ → ἔπτην; v-1b[3]).16  Cf. Funk §411 and §44.5e. Root aorists are easily confused with second aorists, which however use a connecting vowel.

 

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Following is an overview of the infinitival system. It lists the tense formative (if used), connecting vowel (if used), infinitive morpheme, and final form. The μι form is indicated when different.

 

tense                          active                       middle/passive

1st aorist            σα        ι     → σαι              σα        σθαι     → σασθαι

[p. 149]

2nd aorist                ε     εν     → ειν               ε       σθαι     → εσθαι
     (athematic)                εναι     → εναι                   

William D. Mounce, The Morphology of Biblical Greek, Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 148-149.

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Now if I had to explain γνῶναι, which having ventured to answer in the first place I suppose it's incumbent upon me to try, I would say this :

 

γίνωσκω  (present active indicative) -> *γνω (root aorist stem) -> +εναι -> γνωεναι -> contracting -> γνῶναι

 

Well that's the best I can do anyway.

 

Thx

D

[Mark Nigro]

Daniel, thank you for the careful and diligent work to answer this. I really appreciate it.

[Mark Nigro]

Oh, I thought I should add that Mounce has γίνωσκω listed as a 2nd Aorist in his BBG Grammar. Koine Greek, regularly irregular

[Λύχνις Δαν]

Yes that's interesting. I noticed even in the charts on the athematic in MBG that the athematic is indented apparently suggesting some sort of sub-classification of the second aorist. I don't know if that is what is intended or not. It's also not clear to me exactly why εναι is not considered to be theme vowel plus ending ε + ναι. Something for another day I'm afraid.

 

thx

D