Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges

PECULIARITIES IN THE USE OF THE VOICE-FORMS, ETC.

[*] 801. Outside of the present some active verbs show middle forms especially in the future, as βήσομαι shall go, ἀκούσομαι shall hear (805); and some verbs exclusively or chiefly deponent show active forms especially in the perfect, as γίγνομαι become γέγονα, μαίνομαι rage μέμηνα, δέρκομαι poet., 2 aor. ἔδρακον, perf. δ<*>δορκα.

[*] 802. For the passive voice the middle forms sufficed in most cases; many middle futures are still used passively (807, as ἀδικήσο- μαι shall be wronged; and traces of the passive use of the aorist middle appear in Hom., as ἔβλητο was hit. This use was largely abandoned when -ην and -θην came to be used as special marks of the passive. Originally neither -ην nor -θην was passive in meaning.

[*] 802 D. Hom. has ἐκτάμην was killed, ἐσχόμην was stayed. Cp. also ᾐδεσάμην and αἴδεσθεν (αἰδέομαι respect), ὀἱ_σατο and ὠίσθην (οἴομαι think), ἐχολωσάμην and ἐχολώθην (χολόω enrage).

[*] 803. The second aorist in -ην is primarily intransitive and shows active inflection (as ἔστην stood). Many so-called passive forms are in fact merely intransitive aorists of active verbs, as ἐρρύην from ῥέω flow, κατεκλίνην from κατακλί_νω lie down, and do not differ in meaning from the aorists of deponent verbs, as ἐμάνην from μαίνομαι rage.

[*] 804. The aorists in -θην that are called passive are often active or middle in meaning, as ἥσθην took pleasure in from ἥδομαι, ᾐσχύνθην felt ashamed from αἰσχύ_νω disgrace, αἰσχύ_νομαι am ashamed; ὠργίσθην became angry from ὀργίζω anger.