The Injunctive Future and Existential Injunctions in the New Testament

Abstract

Expanding on previous treatments of commands and prohibitions in Greek, often limited to discussion of aorist and present imperatives and subjunctives, New argues for inclusion of the future indicative as a positive imperative and (when negated) a prohibition. He disputes that the usage is a Semitism or Hebraism, although he concedes that it may reflect Septuagintal language. He concludes regarding the reason for its use that the imperatival future is a command which purports to be fact, while the imperative inclines to a wishful command. Hence he suggests the label 'injunctive future' to convey that the command is issued by one having authority such that the command has almost the force of fact.