ἐνεφύσησε (enephusesen) in John 20:22: Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative

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

Aorist: 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.

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

Third 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.

καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησε καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Λάβετε

The sequence of actions in John 20:22

ἐνεφύσησε is a Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative within "καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησε καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Λάβετε". The finite verb states that Jesus breathed on them before saying, receive the Holy Spirit.

The verb does not by itself resolve every canonical question about Spirit reception.

High: The form matters because it functions as predicate in John 20:22.

Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative. states Jesus' action in the narrative. Attached to the narrative action before Jesus speaks about the Holy Spirit. Governed by the sequence of actions in John 20:22. The syntax should be explained from the clause, not isolated from the passage.

What action does Jesus perform before speaking of the Spirit? The finite verb states that Jesus breathed on them before saying, receive the Holy Spirit.

Direct: The aorist active indicative directly supports rendering the action as breathed on them.

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. single narrative verb settles a whole doctrine: The verb is important in this scene, but broader doctrinal conclusions must account for the full canonical witness. grammatical gender proves theology: Grammatical gender is a language feature and should not be pressed beyond the verse.

The Textus Receptus witness for John 20:22 reads ἐνεφύσησε with the morphology label Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative.

The lemma is ἐμφυσάω. The guide uses the gloss "I breathe into, breathe upon" only to orient this occurrence.

ἐνεφύσησε appears in the phrase "καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησε καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Λάβετε". The finite verb states that Jesus breathed on them before saying, receive the Holy Spirit.

John 20:22 describes Jesus breathing on the disciples and speaking the command to receive the Holy Spirit.

The form fits John's resurrection scene, where the risen Jesus commissions and provides for his disciples.

When teaching John 20:22, use this form to keep the enacted sign tied to Jesus' spoken command about the Holy Spirit.

Do not make the verb by itself settle every question about Pentecost or Spirit chronology. The verse describes this resurrection-scene action and command.