Paul Himes, «The Use of the Aorist Imperative in the Pastoral Epistles», Vol. 23 (2010) 73-92
In light of recent developments in the study of Koine Greek, this paper proposes to examine the difference between the aorist imperative and the present imperative in the Pastoral Epistles. The first section of the paper surveys the various scholarly positions on the imperative mood (including the prohibitory aorist subjunctive). The second portion of this paper examines every use of the aorist imperative and the aorist prohibitory subjunctive in the Pastoral Epistles, while the third section draws some conclusions based on this analysis. This paper concludes that the aorist tense should be regarded as the default, generic tense (but not necessarily the “background tense” as verbal aspect theory argues), and that its only significance lies in its insignificance. In contrast, however, the present tense does seem to possess a durative/habitual sense.
The Use of the Aorist Imperative in the Pastoral Epistles 81
3. The Imperatives of the Pastoral Epistles
The Pastoral Epistles, with their personal nature and propensity
of imperatives, offers a fertile testing ground for the various theories.
The following chart lists every imperative and every prohibitory aorist
subjunctive in the PE:
(fig. 1: all the imperatives of the Pastorals, including μὴ with the aorist subjunctive. Complied
using Accordance [see fn 1]).
1 Tim 2,11 (present) 2 Tim 1,8 (x2, both aorist) Titus 1,13 (present)
3,10 (x2, both present) 1,13 (present) 2,1 (present)
3,12 (present) 1,14 (aorist) 2,6 (present)
4,7 (x2, both present) 2,1 (present) 2,15 (x4, all present)
4,11 (x2, both present) 2,2 (aorist) 3,1 (present)
4,12 (x2, both present) 2,3 (aorist) 3,9 (present)
4,13 (present) 2,7 (present) 3,10 (present)
4,14 (present) 2,8 (present) 3,12 (aorist)
4,15 (x2, both present) 2,14 (present) 3,13 (aorist)
4,16 (x2, both present) 2,15 (aorist) 3,14 (present)
5,1 (x2, aorist then present) 2,16 (present) 3,15 (aorist)
5,3 (present) 2,19 (aorist)
5,4 (present) 2,22 (x2, both present)
5,7 (present) 2,23 (present)
5,9 (present) 3,1 (present)
5,11 (present) 3,5 (present)
5,16 (x2, both present) 3,14 (present)
5,17 (present) 4,2 (x5, all aorist)
5,19 (present) 4,5 (x4, one present, then 3 aorist)
5,20 (present) 4,9 (aorist)
5,22 (x3, all present) 4,11 (present)
5,23 (x2, both present) 4,13 (present)
6,1 (present) 4,15 (present)
6,2 (x4, all present) 4,19 (aorist)
6,11 (x2, both present) 4,21 (aorist)
6,12 (x2, present then aorist)
6,17 (present)
6,20 (aorist)
3.1. First Timothy
In 1 Tim, Paul uses forty-four different imperatives (both 2nd person and
3 person), one of which is the prohibitory μὴ with the aorist subjunctive
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