The Nuance of the Perfect Tense in John 12:28-30: A Grammatical-Rhetorical Analysis
This exegetical study of The Nuance of the Perfect Tense in John 12:28-30 is based on a b-greek discussion from May 9th, 2014. The discussion initially noted a reference to Raymond Brown’s commentary on John’s Gospel, particularly concerning a potential appendix on the usage of the perfect tense, though subsequent checks confirmed its absence, with an appendix on Johannine vocabulary and synonyms being present instead.
The core exegetical issue under examination is the deliberate choice between the aorist and perfect tenses by the evangelist in John 12:28b-30, and the resultant semantic and rhetorical ‘feel’ conveyed. Specifically, the passage features an aorist verb (ἐδόξασα) that a notable commentator translates with an English perfect, while several perfect verbs (γεγονέναι, λελάληκεν, γέγονεν) describe past events whose ongoing effect seems limited to the observers’ memory or perception. This raises questions about the conventional understanding of the perfect tense as denoting a past action with continuing results, particularly when juxtaposed with the evangelist’s narrative choices and the potential pitfalls of simply calquing Greek tenses into English.
28b ἦλθεν οὖν φωνὴ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, Καὶ ἐδόξασα καὶ πάλιν δοξάσω. 29 ὁ οὖν ὄχλος ὁ ἑστὼς καὶ ἀκούσας ἔλεγεν βροντὴν γεγονέναι· ἄλλοι ἔλεγον, Ἄγγελος αὐτῷ λελάληκεν. 30 ἀπεκρίθη καὶ εἶπεν Ἰησοῦς, Οὐ δι’ ἐμὲ ἡ φωνὴ αὕτη γέγονεν ἀλλὰ δι’ ὑμᾶς.
Key differences with SBLGNT (2010):
- No significant textual variants affecting the verbal tenses under discussion (ἐδόξασα, γεγονέναι, λελάληκεν, γέγονεν) are found between the Nestle 1904 text and the SBLGNT (2010) in John 12:28b-30. The passage is textually stable in these respects.
Textual criticism (NA28), lexical notes (KITTEL, BDAG):
The textual apparatus of NA28 confirms the stability of the verbal forms in John 12:28-30, indicating no significant variants that would alter the tense or mood of ἐδόξασα, γεγονέναι, λελάληκεν, or γέγονεν. This reinforces the idea that the evangelist’s choice of tense was deliberate and widely attested.
- δοξάζω (from which ἐδόξασα is derived): KITTEL notes its primary meaning as “to glorify, praise, honor.” BDAG expands on this, defining it as “to praise, glorify, honor, extol” in relation to God’s inherent majesty or self-revelation. The use of the aorist here refers to a definitive act of glorification.
- γίνομαι (from which γεγονέναι and γέγονεν are derived): KITTEL defines it as “to come into being, to happen, to become.” BDAG offers similar definitions, including “to become, to happen, to be born, to come into existence.” In this passage, it consistently refers to the occurrence of the voice or thunder. The perfect form here emphasizes the *established reality* of the event, rather than its ongoing process.
- λαλέω (from which λελάληκεν is derived): KITTEL defines it as “to speak, talk, converse,” while BDAG specifies “to speak, say, declare.” The perfect tense here implies a completed act of speaking with a present result, namely that the message *has been delivered*.
Translation Variants
The passage presents fascinating challenges for translation, particularly regarding the Greek tenses. The aorist ἐδόξασα (v. 28), meaning “I glorified,” refers to a past, punctiliar action. However, as noted in the initial discussion, a prominent commentator renders this with an English perfect (“I have glorified”). This choice is grammatically and rhetorically defensible, as it captures the sense of a divine act of glorification that, while occurring in the past, carries ongoing significance and effect into the present moment. The divine utterance is a pronouncement of an accomplished glorification that is still fully operative.
Conversely, the perfect tense verbs γεγονέναι, λελάληκεν, and γέγονεν (vv. 29-30) describe events—the thunder, the angel’s speaking, the voice itself—that are distinctly past and completed. The conventional understanding of the perfect tense as a past action with ongoing results seems challenged if the “result” is merely the memory of an event. However, a deeper grammatical and rhetorical analysis reveals that the perfect tense here emphasizes the *established reality* or *current impact* of the past event on the observers. When the crowd says βροντὴν γεγονέναι (“that thunder *has happened*”), they are not merely stating a past fact (which an aorist could convey), but acknowledging the *present, undeniable truth* of what they heard. Similarly, Ἄγγελος αὐτῷ λελάληκεν (“An angel *has spoken* to him”) emphasizes that the communication is a completed, definitive event, the message of which is now present and established. Finally, Jesus’ declaration, ἡ φωνὴ αὕτη γέγονεν ἀλλὰ δι’ ὑμᾶς (“this voice *has come into being* for your sake”), asserts the present, established purpose and reality of the voice for the benefit of the crowd. The “result” is not necessarily a continuing state of the sound itself, but the *consequence* of its having occurred – its reality in the perception and understanding of the hearers. This avoids a simple calque of tenses and instead seeks to convey the intended rhetorical effect of the evangelist, which is to highlight the immediate and definitive nature of these events for the audience.
Conclusions and Translation Suggestions
The evangelist’s nuanced deployment of the aorist and perfect tenses in John 12:28-30 demonstrates that direct, one-to-one calquing of Greek tenses into English often fails to capture the full semantic and rhetorical force. The Greek perfect, particularly, can convey not just a past action with continuous results, but also an *established fact* or a *present state resulting from a past definitive act*, especially as perceived by the audience. This perspective acknowledges that the ‘result’ may not always be a physical continuation but can reside in the cognitive or existential sphere.
- “I have glorified and will glorify again.”
This translation of the aorist ἐδόξασα (v. 28) emphasizes the enduring reality and present efficacy of God’s past act of glorification, aligning with a common theological understanding of divine acts. - “The crowd… declared that thunder had occurred; others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.'”
This rendering for γεγονέναι and λελάληκεν (v. 29) highlights the immediate, established fact of the events, emphasizing their definite completion and present acknowledgment by the observers rather than merely an ongoing state. - “Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice has manifested itself not for my sake but for yours.'”
This translation of γέγονεν (v. 30) dynamically conveys the perfect tense’s force as indicating an event that has definitively come to pass and whose purpose or reality is now evident and established for the hearers.