The future

The tense of promises

She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21

The angel's words to Joseph are full of futures. She τέξεται "will bear" a son, you καλέσεις ("kaleseis") "will call" him Jesus, and He σώσει ("sōsei") "will save". The future looks ahead, and the Gospels use it for promises, predictions and commands. The panel labels it simply "future".

Two details in this verse are worth a look. The BSB translates καλέσεις "you are to give", not "you will call": Greek sometimes uses the future like a gentle command. And λαὸν "people" is λαός, a word that occurs more than 140 times and often means God's own people.

Look for the σ

The clearest marker of the future is a σ after the stem, followed by the same endings as the present (-ω, -εις, -ει, -ομεν, -ετε, -ουσι). There is no augment, because the future is not a past tense. When you hesitate between an aorist and a future, check: no ε- in front, and σ plus present-like endings, points to the future.

You do not need to memorise the table. If you see a σ and no augment, think "future". Sometimes a long η shows up before the σ. ζάω "live" gives ζήσομεν ("zēsomen") in Romans 6:2, "shall we live", the question Paul asks of those who died to sin. In John 8:32 the truth ἐλευθερώσει "will set you free". The same verb also takes -εται endings: Jesus says that man ζήσεται ("zēsetai") "will live" not by bread alone. Both mean "will live".

The future of εἰμί "be" can be given in one line: ἔσται ("estai"), "will be", as in "there your heart will be also".

A word on what the future does and does not tell you. It points forward from the speaker's moment, so "will" is the usual translation, and in the indicative it carries real time. It does not say how certain the event is or how soon it comes; that depends on who speaks and what is said. A promise from the Lord and a forecast about tomorrow's weather are both futures. Read the context to know which you have.

Reading Matthew 7:7

Here, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pairs commands with promises. The commands are present tense (αἰτεῖτε, ζητεῖτε, κρούετε); the promises are all future.

The three futures look slightly different. εὑρήσετε ("heurēsete"), "you will find", is the plainest: stem εὑρ-, then η and σ, then -ετε. Its verb εὑρίσκω occurs more than 170 times.

δοθήσεται "it will be given" is a passive: the subject receives the action. The piece -θησ- is the passive marker you will meet properly in the next lessons. Last, ἀνοιγήσεται ("anoigēsetai") "it will be opened" is also a passive future, but the panel calls it a 2nd future. A 2nd future is usually a passive future without the θ, and it is rare (about 35 times in the New Testament), so when you see -ησ- on a verb whose meaning is "will be …", think passive. Its dictionary form is ἀνοίγω "open".

Middle form, active meaning

Some verbs have futures with -ομαι/-εται endings but a plain "will do" meaning. γνώσεσθε ("gnōsesthe") "you will know", πορεύσομαι "I will go" (the prodigal's resolve), and the τέξεται and ζήσεται above are examples. The panel calls these "middle deponent", which the lesson on middle and passive voice explains. For now, recognise the σ and read "will".

Summary

The future is marked by σ after the stem and present-like endings, with no augment. A passive future shows -θησ- or, in the 2nd future, a bare -ησ-. A few common verbs have futures that look middle but mean "will do". The promises of the Gospels are mostly told in this tense.

Words in this lesson

• εὑρίσκωheuriskōto find/meet176 times in the NT
• ἀνοίγωanoigōto open77 times in the NT
• καλέωkaleōto call: call140 times in the NT
• λαόςlaosa people141 times in the NT
• ζάωzaōto live139 times in the NT

Practice