The Optativewishes & remote possibility (rare)
The optative is the rarest NT mood (about 68 times) — the mood of wishes and remote possibility. This lesson is built for recognition, not production: it explains the optative’s rarity, the two forms worth memorizing (εἴη and γένοιτο), the wish/prayer and potential uses, the fixed Pauline idiom μὴ γένοιτο ("May it never be!"), and the optative’s occasional appearance in Lukan indirect questions. You will not be asked to form optatives — only to read them.
- Explain why the optative is rare in the NT and why recognition (not production) is the goal
- Recognize the two key forms εἴη (from εἰμί) and γένοιτο (from γίνομαι)
- Read the fixed idiom μὴ γένοιτο as an emphatic denial
- Recognize the volitive (wish/blessing) and potential (with ἄν) uses
- Recognize the optative in Lukan indirect questions
- Recognize an optative form on sight and read the wish or remote possibility it signals
- Optative = wish or remote possibility (rare).
- μὴ γένοιτο = “May it never be!” (fixed idiom).
- Know εἴη and γένοιτο on sight; recognition only.
- Do only the first 2–3 trainer sets today.
CorePart 1: The Optative — a Rare but Recognizable Mood
The optative is the fourth and rarest mood, appearing only about 68 times in the NT. Your goal here is recognition, not production — you do not need to memorize full paradigms.
Where the indicative asserts and the subjunctive projects, the optative expresses a wish or a remote possibility — one further step removed from reality than the subjunctive. In Classical Greek it was common; in Koine it was already fading, which is why the NT uses it sparingly and in a few fixed patterns.
Its visual signature is the vowel οι / αι / ει in the ending, often with -ι-: e.g., εἴη ("may it be"), γένοιτο ("may it happen"). When you meet one, recognize the mood and read the wish/possibility; you will rarely if ever need to form one yourself.
CorePart 2: The Two You Must Know — εἴη and γένοιτο
A handful of optatives carry most of the NT’s usage. Two are worth memorizing as fixed forms.
εἴη — present optative 3 sg of εἰμί, "may it be / might be." Common in Luke’s indirect questions: "[he asked] who this might be."
γένοιτο — aorist optative 3 sg of γίνομαι, "may it happen / let it be." Paul’s emphatic μὴ γένοιτο ("May it never be!" / "By no means!") is a fixed expression that appears about fifteen times, almost always after a rhetorical question in Romans and Galatians.
CorePart 3: The Optative’s Uses
Three uses cover what you will meet.
Volitive (wish/prayer): expressing a wish, often a blessing or curse. αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς ... ἁγιάσαι ὑμᾶς — "may the God [of peace] himself sanctify you" (cf. 1 Thess 5:23).
Potential: a remote possibility, usually with ἄν. πῶς γὰρ ἂν δυναίμην; — "for how could I [be able]?" (Acts 8:31).
In indirect questions (Luke-Acts): Luke sometimes uses the optative in reported questions. τὸ τίς ἂν εἴη μείζων — "[a dispute] as to which of them might be greatest" (Luke 9:46 area). [Preview: indirect discourse, Lesson 30]
PracticeWorked Recognition Examples — Optatives
Because the optative is rare in the NT, this set is for recognition, not production. Most items are attested NT optatives; a few are clearly-labeled NT-style forms built on NT vocabulary to show the pattern. Your job is to recognize the mood and read the wish or remote possibility — not to form optatives yourself. Attestation checked against the Greek NT.
PracticeTranslation Exercises
Read for the wish or remote possibility. Treat μὴ γένοιτο as a fixed idiom.
- μὴ γένοιτο.
- αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἁγιάσαι ὑμᾶς.
- πῶς γὰρ ἂν δυναίμην, ἐὰν μή τις ὁδηγήσει με;
- χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη.
- διελογίζετο ποταπὸς εἴη ὁ ἀσπασμὸς οὗτος.
2. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you. (volitive optative; 1 Thess 5:23.)
3. For how could I, unless someone guides me? (potential optative; Acts 8:31.)
4. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (volitive optative; 1 Pet 1:2.)
5. She was considering what sort of greeting this might be. (optative in indirect question; Luke 1:29.)
ReferenceVocabulary Notes
The optative forms worth recognizing on sight.
| γίνομαι | γένοιτο | I become/happen; may it happen (μὴ γένοιτο = “by no means!”) |
| εἰμί | εἴη | I am; might be (optative) |
| δίδωμι | δῴη | I give; may he grant (optative) |
| ἁγιάζω | ἁγιάσαι | I sanctify; may he sanctify (optative) |
| πληθύνω | πληθυνθείη | I multiply; may it be multiplied |
| δύναμαι | δυναίμην | I am able; could I be able (potential) |
Deep DiveOptional Deep Dive — A Cultural Note — A Mood on Its Way Out
The optative is a window onto language change. In Classical Athens it was a workhorse — wishes, potential statements, indirect speech after past verbs. By the Koine of the NT it had largely receded, surviving mostly in fixed expressions and in writers with literary aspirations (Luke uses it more than the others).
This is why a beginner needs recognition, not mastery: you will meet μὴ γένοιτο and a scattering of blessing-wishes, and little else. Knowing the mood exists — and what it signals — is enough to read those passages well. The grammar flags a wish or a remote possibility; the context tells you whose wish and why.
- The optative is the rarest NT mood (~68x): a wish or a remote possibility, one step beyond the subjunctive.
- Aim for recognition, not production. No full paradigms required.
- Know two forms: εἴη ("might be," from εἰμί) and γένοιτο ("may it happen," from γίνομαι).
- Treat μὴ γένοιτο as a fixed idiom — "By no means! / May it never be!"
- Uses: volitive (wish/blessing), potential (with ἄν), and indirect questions in Luke-Acts.