B-Greek: The Biblical Greek Forum

What is the relationship between these two verbs?

καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ πιστεύοντες λήμψεσθε. (Matt. 21:22, Westcott and Hort.)

Aiteste is an active voice aorist tense verb in the subjunctive mood, and pisteuontes is an active voice present tense verb in the participle mood, and I'd like to know what this indicates about the time of the action?

Does the believing follow the asking, or must it be concurrent?

Hi Mike,

Let's pick this sentence apart, starting with the main verb, which is λήμψεσθε - you shall receive. πιστεύοντες modifies λήμψεσθε - believing, you shall receive. But I think this is a conditional use of the participle: if you believe, you shall receive. The object of λήμψεσθε says what it is that you shall receive: πάντα ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ - whatever you should ask for in prayer.

The aorist expresses absolute time only in the indicative, not in the subjunctive. I do think this implies that the asking in prayer happens before receiving, and that believing is a condition for receiving, but I don't think it establishes a relationship between the time of asking and the time of believing.

Thank you.