ἠρώτησαν (erotesan) in John 1:21: Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative

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

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.

Indicative: presents the verbal idea as an assertion or statement in the clause.

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.

Singular: this label does not apply to a verb form, so it should not be read as a singular noun ending here.

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

It is attached to the clause fragment and its object, "αὐτόν" in "καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν".

The verb is governed by the surrounding narrative and is followed by a direct object that marks whom they questioned.

It states the reported action of the speakers: they asked him, setting up the specific questions that follow.

It does not itself identify the exact content of the question, and it does not by itself decide motive, tone, or result.

Moderate: The verb introduces the delegation's next question to John.

Narrative asking verb. reports the action that sets up the next identity question. Attached to the clause they asked him. Governed by the narrative dialogue sequence. The verb marks the speech action; the quoted question supplies the content.

What action moves the dialogue forward? They asked him, setting up the next question in the exchange.

Direct: The verb directly supports the rendering "they asked."

The verb reports asking but does not itself supply motive, tone, or question content.

Speech verb supplies motive: The verb reports the act of asking; motive must come from context.

The witness reads ἠρώτησαν in John 1:21, within the sequence "καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν, Τί οὖν;".

The lemma ἐρωτάω commonly means to ask or question, and in context it can also carry the sense of making a request.

Here the form supports a straightforward report of inquiry: a plural group questioned a man before specific claims and denials are named.

The verse describes an interview-like exchange in which the speakers press John with identity questions, and the verb frames that probing conversation.

Across the New Testament, this lexeme often introduces direct questioning, so this occurrence fits a normal narrative pattern of interrogation.

For readers and translators, the form signals an initiated, completed question event, so the sentence should read as active questioning rather than vague speech.

Do not infer from the verb form alone who the speakers are, whether the questions are hostile or respectful, or any theological conclusion beyond the narrated inquiry.