A Look at the Text

Having presented the grammatical reasons for challenging the present tense argument, this paper will now turn to a textual study to find out if the theory holds true in practice. Based on a simple examination of the Gospel of Matthew, we are going to see if one can accurately conclude from the fact alone that a verb is present indicative that it means "keeps on" doing whatever the verb indicates.

This writer found 168 different words used in the present indicative in Matthew. These are all listed alphabetically at the conclusion of this chapter. These words are used a total of 719 times in Matthew, and each of these occurrences is also noted in the chart.

As attention is turned to these words, it should be remembered that English has a simple verb form (I walk), and a progressive form for (I am walking), in the indicative mood of all tenses. The latter form implies duration, the former does not. But unfortunately, Greek does not have two separate forms, thereby creating a question in regard to which form to employ when translating a Greek present indicative into English. This can be seen in Robertson's treatment of the indicative mood, for he includes the indicative mood both in his section on punctiliar action and durative (linear) action.

It is also noteworthy that in describing the linear feature, he points out that the "descriptive present," with its graph being (____), is the most frequent usage in the linear category. Of the other nine less used types of linear action which he notes, one which best fits the "present tense" argument would be the "iterative" present, which has a graph (....) which indicates action which keeps on being repeated. ¹Thus the "keeps on" idea is not even the chief characteristic of linear action, let alone of the entire present indicative.

It should be further noticed that if those using the present tense argument suggest that, rather than being repeated, the action involved in their use of the linear idea is a "state" of doing whatever the verb signifies, ²they have again missed a vital dis-tinction. Robertson lists "state" as a separate category from "linear" within the present tense, ³and thus, to argue for linear action is not to argue for a "state."

Therefore, if this study agrees with the grammatical principles set forth herein, the most frequent usage should prove to be in our NUC (Not Under Consideration) category, including the possibility of action in progress at the time of writing or speaking, but with reference to "keeping on" or being repeated later. This category is explained in the last paragraph of this page.

This is another illustration that, as was demonstrated in the previous chapter, one must be careful not to make broad sweeping generalizations about the present indicative.

But if the argument we are examining is true, (The present tense argument), then the preponderance of present indicatives should unquestionably mean "keeps on." In fact, it has been frequently argued that the stressing of continuous action is the key factor and represents the norm, and therefore any occurrence which does not mean "keeps on" is the exception rather than the rule. We have already seen from a grammatical study that this is not the case. Now from a sample examination of the text we shall see if indeed most present indicative occurrences would fit that rule, as the argument demands.

For reasons of practicality, the various occurrences of each word in a present indicative form will be placed in one of three categories. The first category is labeled "Definitely not" (hereafter cited as DN), and includes those instances where the meaning clearly does not suggest repeated action or "keeps on." The second category is labeled "Not Under Consideration" (hereafter cited as NUC) and includes every instance which either obviously does not consider the question one way or the other, or which might allow the "keeps on" idea but clearly does not demand it.

It should be remembered that the present tense argument contends, not that the present indicative may allow the idea of "keeps on," but rather that it must mean that unless something in the text requires otherwise. The statistics of this chapter will demonstrate that in fact, the exact opposite is true. But the third category is labeled "Must Be" (hereafter cited as MB) and includes those instances where the occurrence clearly demands that the action "keeps on," as well as those instances where the meaning is highly probable.

This discussion will not include every occurrence, but will select examples from each category showing how it is used. However, the chart at the end of this chapter lists each word alphabetically and where it is located in the present indicative in the Gospel of Matthew. The category of each occurrence is also noted. To indicate the DN category, the verse is underlined with a solid line, such as ἀγοράζω – (13:44). To indicate that a verse belongs in the MB category, it is underlined with a dotted line, such as ἀκολουθέω – (10:38). All those verses not marked in either of these two ways belong in the NUC category, such as ἀποκρίνομαι– (26:62). The methodology of the categorizations of this list will be demonstrated by the examples on the pages following. Obviously, not every occurrence could be discussed here, but each was investigated carefully in detail.

The largest of these three categories is NUC. A few examples will suffice to demonstrate this usage. For example, the context of 11:25 makes it obvious that repetition is not involved in the word ἐξομολογέω, where Jesus said, "I thank thee, O Father.. not "I keep on thanking thee." Similarly, when the blind men in 20:30 " ..heard that Jesus passed by..." παράγω, no reference to a continual passing by is intended. Again, in 22:43,45 the context of καλέω is obvious. Jesus asked, "If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?" - not if David "keeps on" calling him Lord. The word λέγω has many occurrences within this category, for it often simply means "I say," with no reference to a continual or repeated action, such as in 5:18, 20, 26; and 6:2, 5, 16, 25, 29 (from the sermon on the mount).

βαπτίζω (3:11) is another example from this category. In the parallel account in Mark 1:8, Mark used an aorist form for this word, and of course, an aorist does not stress continued action. Another word in this category is μετρέω, as used in 7:2, where Bauer explains it as meaning "the measure you give will be the measure you get." ⁵It does not rule out "keeps on" but neither does it emphasize it. It is a general truth, like Galatians 6:7: you will reap what you sow. Thus, according to the definition of Brooks and Winbery, which points out that such a general truth is "gnomic" and expresses "punctiliar action," ⁶this word may possibly belong in the DN category rather than NUC. But this aspect of the present indicative will be discussed further in the discussion of the next category, DN.

Many other examples could be cited in which it is not mandatory to think in terms of "keeps on," but the point is clear. However, it should be remembered that though many of the words within the NUC category may allow the linear idea, that does not require that they be viewed as being continually re-peated. The question is not whether the action could possible involve repetition, but whether the present indicative form demands only that translation.

The second largest category in this study is DN (Definitely Not). The reasons for placing these occurrences within this category are quite varied. Of course, context is often the determining factor, such as is the case with agorazo. in 13:44. When the text says the man goes out and sells all he has, and buys the field, surely it is not saying he "keeps on" buying the field. So likewise, the meaning of ἀναβαίνω in 20:28 is obvious from the context, for when Jesus said, "we go up to Jerusalem," He clearly was not suggesting repeated trips to Jerusalem.

Rienecker suggests that ἀναπληρόω, fulfilled, in 13:14, may be an aoristic present. Similarly, Robertson lists several examples of the "Specific present," which he calls the simplest form of the aristic present. He cites ἐξορκίζω in Matthew 26:63, and λέγωin 5:22, 28, etc. ⁸

Another type of present indicative indicating punctiliar action is the "futuristic present," such as γίνομαιin 26:2. ⁹In studying this DN category, it should also be remembered that, simply because an instance remains true is no reason to classify it as iterative (repeated), for under "punctiliar present" Robertson lists the "gnomic present," which "is the aorist (emphasis mine, COH) that is timeless in reality, true of all time." ¹⁰The very term "aorist" shows that it is not stressing "keeps on." Therefore, passages such as Matthew 6:26, where the birds are said not to sow, reap, or gather into barns, are put in this category. Robertson gives πoλέω in 23:3 and 6:2 as examples of gnomic presents, and Mussies similarly categorizes Matthew 5:45, "God makes His sun to rise." ¹²

Parallel passages can also be a factor in categorizing words in the DN category, such as μοιχῶμαι (19:9), one of the words very frequently used in the present tense argument. A comparison of the parallel passage found in Luke 16:18 will help in categorizing this controversial occurrence. Luke used present participles for "putting away" and for "marrying." Matthew used aorist subjunctives for the same two expressions. So obviously, Luke is not saying "keeps on" putting away and "keeps on" marrying another, since aorist subjunctives most certainly do not stress linear action. ¹³But the key emphasis of the participle is that it "...represents an action as going on at the same time as the action in the leading verb, ¹⁴in this case "commits adultery." Thus the "committing adultery" in this context is not referring to something which "keeps on" occurring later, but rather refers to something which takes place during the same time frame as the two participles, that is, the time of "put away" and "marry." Whether or not the people involved "keep on" committing adultery, the present indicative form does not prove that they do. This point has also been acknowledged by Harvey Floyd of David Lipscomb University, who is also one of the few brotherhood leaders who has completed doctoral work in the Greek language. For further information on the forum where Floyd and Raymond Kelcy commented directly on this point, conceding that the Greek form here does not mean "keeps on," see footnote. ¹⁵

Another phenomenon within the present indicative which has a totally different emphasis than "keeps on" is the historical present. These are placed within the DN category because they obviously are not used to stress "keeps on" but to add vivid-ness, (or perhaps, as Reynolds suggested, simply as a routine substitute for the past tense). ¹⁶If one desired to stress repeated action in past time the perfect indicative would serve that purpose. Hawkins, in his well known book, Horae Synopticae, lists the historical presents which he found in Matthew in the following chart. ¹⁷

HISTORIC PRESENTS IN MATTHEW

Again, many other examples could be cited, but these are sufficient to demonstrate that the present indicative is frequently used in a punctiliar sense, which fact is documented, as has been shown, in the grammars.

The smallest of the three categories of this study is "Must Be" (MB), but there are a number of examples where the "keeps on" idea is obviously intended. For instance ἀκολουθέω, in 10:38, speaking of the need to take up one's cross and follow Christ, probably refers to a continuing way of life. In 11:12, the phrase

"from the days of John the Baptist until now" probably indicates that βιάζω, suffereth violence, involves continuous or repeated action, although "the meaning.. is not... clear." ¹⁸

Again, ἔρχομαι, in 7:15, is in this category, as Jesus was warning His followers to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing, and the warning "beware" is a present imperative. ¹⁹Of course the word itself can indicate "a state" or "repeated" action, such as βασιλεύω, reigning, in 2:22, although even here the emphasis seems to be on the "fact" that Archelaus was reigning more than its duration. And πίπτω, 17:15, is a good example where the iterative seems clear, as the boy "often" falls into the fire.

Thus it has been clearly demonstrated that the present indicative, as used in Matthew's Gospel, has a wide variety of uses. Several points should be noted here. First, if a word, such as ἔρχομαι, is used in the same tense and the same mood, yet involves "keeps on" in one instance while obviously not involving such a thought in other instances, then it should be clear that one cannot accurately contend that a verb must involve continuous action solely because it is used in that tense and mood, in this case, present indicative.

Second, a number of occurrences have been noted in which the thought of repeated action is definitely not involved, which fact would argue against the idea that one ought to automatically assign the meaning "keeps on" to any verb found in the present indicative. Third, a very large number of cases throughout this study cannot be categorized either as clearly meaning "keeps on" or "definitely not" having that meaning. These, of course, are in the NUC category, but it should be remembered that this category also is contrary to the argument under con-sideration, for the argument demands that the normal usage - the rule - requires the "keeps on" meaning. Thus, according to this approach, categories DN and NUC would be exceptions to the rule and should constitute the minority of occurrences.

This writer, having carefully worked through every occurrence of the present indicative that he found in Matthew, in a similar fashion to that demonstrated throughout this chapter, has compiled the following statistics, based upon that study: Of the 719 occurrences, 448 (62.3%) were in the NUC category, 226 (31.4%) in the DN category, and only 45 (6.3%) were in the MB category.

These figures harmonize with what we discovered in our section on grammatical concerns. It was noted earlier in this chapter that "keeps on" is not even the chief characteristic of linear action, (in the sense of "repetition" or a "state"), let alone the whole of the present indicative mood.

It was also pointed out that if this study agreed with this grammatical fact, the most frequent usage would be in the NUC category, which would allow action in progress at the time of writing or speaking, but clearly does not demand "keeps on" to make sense. That is indeed how the statistics have turned out.

Robertson, then, was correct in saying, "It is not wise therefore to define the pres. ind. as denoting 'action in progress'...²⁰As he suggested in his discussion of the linear aspects, (which we have already seen does not most frequently mean "keeps on", which are the more common meaning, still, "The verb and the context must decide." ²¹

On the other hand, if the "present tense" argument were true, categories DN and NUC should have been the exceptions, and the largest category should have been MB, for the argument requires that the normal usage - the rule - requires the meaning "keeps on." But instead, in reality, Matthew only used the present indicative in that category 6.3% of the time, whereas the other two categories make up over 93% of his uses of the present indicative.

Therefore, the facts prove to be exactly the opposite of the argument examined in this study, at least in regard to Matthew's usage. Of course, the grammatical rules, which this study con-firmed, would be true in the other New Testament books as well. If ever there has been an abuse of the Greek language with a totally unfounded generalization, this argument is such. In fact, this one has several such generalizations. One cannot, there-fore, prove solely from the fact that a verb is present indicative that it must mean "keeps on."

We now proceed to list all of the verbs in the book of Matthew which are in the present tense, indicative mood.

PRESENT INDICATIVE OCCURRENCES IN MATTHEW