Verse in Greek
καὶ ὁ τελώνης μακρόθεν ἑστὼς οὐκ ἤθελεν οὐδὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν ἐπᾶραι, ἀλλ’ ἔτυπτεν εἰς τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ λέγων· ὁ Θεός, ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ.
Focus Topic: Periphrastic Construction and Emotional Imperfects
This verse uses vivid tense and mood choices to emphasize humility, unworthiness, and heartfelt prayer. Key features include the perfect participle with stative force, the imperfect for durative emotional action, and a rare optative of entreaty in the prayer.
Perfect Participle with Stative Aspect: ἑστώς
ἑστώς is a perfect active participle, nominative masculine singular, from ἵστημι (“to stand”). It describes the tax collector’s position as a settled state — he had taken his stand and remained at a distance (μακρόθεν).
Emotive Imperfects: ἤθελεν and ἔτυπτεν
Both verbs are in the imperfect indicative, showing continuous or repeated past action:
| Greek Word | Tense | Meaning | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ἤθελεν | Imperfect | “he was willing” / “he wanted” | Ongoing unwillingness |
| ἔτυπτεν | Imperfect | “he was beating” | Repeated or ongoing emotional action |
Infinitive of Result or Potential: ἐπᾶραι
ἐπᾶραι is an aorist active infinitive from ἐπαίρω (“to lift up”). It complements ἤθελεν, forming an infinitive construction meaning “he was not willing to lift up even his eyes to heaven.” The aorist infinitive presents the action as a whole (not even a single act).
Optative of Entreaty: ἱλάσθητί
ἱλάσθητί is aorist passive imperative, 2nd person singular, from ἱλάσκομαι (“to be propitiated, to show mercy”). Though formally imperative, it is used here as a petition or entreaty — a heartfelt plea for divine mercy.
Grammatical Alignment in the Prayer: μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ
- μοι — dative singular of the personal pronoun: “to me”
- τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ — articular adjective, masculine dative singular: “the sinner” (emphatic placement)
The dative of indirect object with the article gives the phrase a solemn, self-identifying force: “Be merciful to me, the sinner.”
Key Observations
- μακρόθεν emphasizes both physical and spiritual distance — a posture of humility.
- οὐδὲ strengthens the negation — “not even” — intensifying the tax collector’s reverence.
- Repeated action and imperfect tenses depict sincere, humble contrition — not a one-time performance, but a pattern of the heart.
Grammatical Portrait of Humility
The grammatical choices in this verse paint a deeply humble and reverent scene. The participial posture, ongoing verbs of contrition, and personal plea through the imperative express a theology of repentance. This man does not justify himself; he seeks mercy with a grammar of dependence and brokenness.
