need help on inflection

Greek Learning Greek
1

While working my way very slowly through Mastronarde’s textbook, I study one verse a day from the gospel according to John. This is in book one. The context is that Jesus has met somebody, and they ask him where he is staying.

39 λέγει αὐτοῖς · Ἔρχεσθε καὶ ὄψεσθε. ἦλθαν οὖν καὶ εἶδαν ποῦ μένει, καὶ παρ’ αὐτῷ ἔμειναν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην · ὥρα ἦν ὡς δεκάτη.

Text copied from: https://www.biblestudytools.com/sblg/john/1.html

I request help on: ἦλθαν

I cannot account for this inflection.

2

Hi Hugh,
This may be a Friday Afternoon Job of an answer, but here goes:
I’m almost certain that it’s 3 rd person plural aorist for both ἦλθαν and εἶδαν.There are a number of morphological changes in Koine and this would be one of them.

3

Yes, ἦλθαν = ἦλθον and εἶδαν = εἶδον, 3 pl.
It’s a matter of linguistic leveling. The –α –ας –εν –αμεν –ατε –αν endings of the “weak” aorist (as in ἔμειναν here) gradually drive out the original “strong” aorist endings –ον –ες etc (which coincide with the imperfect endings). So you will find εἶπα “I said” (for εἶπον), etc. etc.
The process continued: modern Greek has only the one set of aorist endings.

Similarly –μι verbs are replaced by –ω verbs (with the telling exception of εἰμί).

It’s good to see your Greek is coming along!

4

Hi, Hugh. Let me ditto Michael’s congrats on your progress in Greek. You did something I really like with your Latin, which is, you read substantial portions of Augustine’s ‘City’ and Erasmus’s ‘Folly’, and you read them for content and meaning, not just language-acquisition practice. Therefore I’m curious if you have an analogous author or work in mind in Greek?!

Randy

5

Many thanks to Aetos and mwh for those helpful replies, and especially for placing the matter in the perspective of the evolving language.

6

Thanks for the question, Randy. I have a Greek New Testament, and a Greek student text of Plato’s Apology, which dazzled me when I read it in English as a college student. I have put aside Plato until I get stronger. I’m still advancing in de natura deorum (Cicero), but that’s another forum.

Hugh.