ἐρωτήσωσιν (erotesosin) in John 1:19: Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Subjunctive

Verb: the form names an action or process, here the act of asking or questioning in the sentence.

Aorist: commonly views the action as a whole event. It should not be treated as automatically punctiliar or automatically past in every context.

Active: presents the subject as doing or carrying the action.

Subjunctive: often presents potential, purpose, exhortation, or contingency. The clause decides the force.

Third person: the form speaks about someone or something rather than directly as I/we or you.

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

Third person plural: the form refers to a plural group acting together, here the priests and Levites sent in the scene.

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

ἵνα ... ἐρωτήσωσιν αὐτόν

The form is governed by ἵνα and functions as the purpose clause for the sending of the priests and Levites.

It expresses the intended action: they were sent so that they might question John directly.

It is not a statement of completed action, and it does not by itself tell us that the questioning already happened.

Moderate: The form explains the purpose of the delegation sent to John and supports the investigative setting of the passage.

Third-person plural aorist active subjunctive in a purpose clause. states the intended action of the delegation, that they should question John. Attached to the sending of priests and Levites from Jerusalem. Governed by the hina clause that explains why they were sent. The plural form follows the delegated questioners and does not by itself decide John's answer.

What were the priests and Levites sent to do? They were sent to question John about who he was.

Direct: The form directly supports purpose renderings such as "that they might ask him."

The subjunctive is part of a purpose construction and should not be flattened into mere uncertainty. The aorist presents the questioning as a whole action, not as a technical statement about duration. The grammar identifies the purpose of the delegation, while the surrounding dialogue supplies the theological significance.

Subjunctive always means doubtful action: In this hina clause, the subjunctive marks the intended purpose for the delegation. aorist means point action only: The aorist views the questioning as a whole action and should not be reduced to a stopwatch claim.

The witness reads ἐρωτήσωσιν within the textus receptus of John 1:19, in the clause ἵνα ἐρωτήσωσιν αὐτόν.

The lemma ἐρωτάω can mean to ask, question, or request, and this context clearly uses the sense of questioning.

The aorist subjunctive after ἵνα marks intended action, so the grammar supports a purpose reading rather than a completed event.

John presents the delegation as sent from Jerusalem with the purpose of questioning John the Baptist about his identity.

This fits the wider narrative pattern in which John gives testimony and others investigate who he is and what he means.

In translation and teaching, the form can be rendered naturally as they were sent in order to ask him or so that they might question him.

Do not derive timing beyond purpose, do not overread the aorist as proof of simple past time, and do not make the plural form more specific than the nearby context allows.