Βόσκε (Boske) in John 21:15: Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Imperative

Verb: the form names an action, state, or verbal idea. The verse determines how strongly the verbal form should be pressed.

Present: tense and aspect describe how the action is presented in this form, but context decides the exact force.

Active: voice describes how the subject relates to the verbal action in this form.

Imperative: the form's mood helps explain how the verbal idea functions in the clause.

Second Person: the form marks who is involved in the verbal assertion, command, or clause.

Not applicable: this finite verb form is not using noun case to mark its sentence role.

Singular: the form is marked for grammatical number and should be tied to the subject or clause it serves.

Not applicable: this finite verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.

φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ, Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου.

Jesus' imperative in John 21:15

Βόσκε is a Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Imperative within "φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ, Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου.". The imperative commands Peter to feed Jesus' lambs.

The verb does not make the lambs Peter's possession. The possessive language keeps them belonging to Jesus.

High: The form matters because it functions as command in John 21:15.

Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Imperative. issues the commission to feed Jesus' lambs. Attached to Jesus' commission to Peter after his confession of love. Governed by Jesus' imperative in John 21:15. The syntax should be explained from the clause, not isolated from the passage.

What does Jesus command Peter to do after his answer? The imperative commands Peter to feed Jesus' lambs.

Direct: The imperative directly supports rendering the command as feed my lambs.

The same morphology label can function differently in another verse. The immediate wording should decide the contextual force. Grammar identifies the form's role; the passage supplies the interpretive weight. Grammatical gender is not a separate theological claim.

Grammar alone proves doctrine: The form supports interpretation only as it serves the verse and its context. imperative turns restoration into mere task assignment: The command is real, but it follows Jesus' searching question and belongs to restoration under Jesus' ownership of the flock. grammatical gender proves theology: Grammatical gender is a language feature and should not be pressed beyond the verse.

The Textus Receptus witness for John 21:15 reads Βόσκε with the morphology label Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Imperative.

The lemma is βόσκω. The guide uses the gloss "I feed" only to orient this occurrence.

Βόσκε appears in the phrase "φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ, Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου.". The imperative commands Peter to feed Jesus' lambs.

John 21:15 joins Peter's confession of love to Jesus' commission to care for his lambs.

The form fits John's restoration scene, where love for Jesus is joined to care for those who belong to him.

When teaching John 21:15, use this form to show that restoration is not abstract. Jesus turns Peter toward entrusted care.

Do not use present imperative alone to build a full ministry theology. The command belongs to the restoration dialogue and Jesus' ownership of the lambs.