Τετέλεσται· (Tetelestai) in John 19:30: Verb Third Person Singular Perfect Passive Indicative

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

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

Passive: 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.

ὄξος ὁ Ἰησοῦς, εἶπε, Τετέλεσται· καὶ κλίνας τὴν κεφαλήν,

The finite verb in Jesus' statement in John 19:30

Τετέλεσται· is a Verb Third Person Singular Perfect Passive Indicative within "ὄξος ὁ Ἰησοῦς, εἶπε, Τετέλεσται· καὶ κλίνας τὴν κεφαλήν,". The perfect passive indicative declares that the appointed work is finished.

The verb does not need speculative expansion beyond the narrative's own focus on Jesus' completed mission.

High: The form matters because it functions as predicate in John 19:30.

Verb Third Person Singular Perfect Passive Indicative. states the completed condition named by Jesus. Attached to Jesus' climactic statement from the cross. Governed by the finite verb in Jesus' statement in John 19:30. The syntax should be explained from the clause, not isolated from the passage.

What does Jesus declare from the cross? The perfect passive indicative declares that the appointed work is finished.

Direct: The perfect passive indicative directly supports rendering the declaration as it is finished.

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. perfect tense proves every theological detail: Perfect tense supports completion language here, but the doctrine must be drawn from the passage and canon, not the tense label alone. grammatical gender proves theology: Grammatical gender is a language feature and should not be pressed beyond the verse.

The Textus Receptus witness for John 19:30 reads Τετέλεσται· with the morphology label Verb Third Person Singular Perfect Passive Indicative.

The lemma is τελέω. The guide uses the gloss "I end, accomplish, pay" only to orient this occurrence.

Τετέλεσται· appears in the phrase "ὄξος ὁ Ἰησοῦς, εἶπε, Τετέλεσται· καὶ κλίνας τὴν κεφαλήν,". The perfect passive indicative declares that the appointed work is finished.

John 19:30 presents Jesus' death with the climactic declaration that it is finished before he gives up his spirit.

The form fits John's presentation of the cross as the completion of Jesus' mission rather than an accidental defeat.

When teaching John 19:30, use this form to show completion in the verse while letting the passion narrative define what has reached its goal.

Do not make perfect tense alone carry the full theology of atonement. The form supports the declaration, and the whole Gospel supplies the mission context.