Let’s talk about commands—those direct, no-nonsense instructions we all recognize: “Sit down.” “Listen carefully.” “Go!” In English, we hear imperatives all the time, but in Greek, they come with a little extra punch. Greek imperatives don’t just tell you what to do; they can also hint at urgency, ongoing action, or even the best way to follow through.

But here’s the thing—imperatives in the Bible don’t usually stand alone. They often come paired with participles—those handy little words that add nuance and clarity. Think of participles as the extra instructions on a recipe card: they tell you how to obey, when to act, or why the command is even given in the first place.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make in Bible study is deciding what a command means before letting Scripture define it for us. It’s tempting to impose our own ideas onto a passage, but participles help keep us honest. They show us exactly how God intended those commands to be understood—so there’s no need for guesswork!

Participles pop up all over the New Testament, shaping and clarifying biblical commands. They reveal how to pray, why to act, and what attitude to have while obeying. Without them, many biblical instructions would lose their depth.

So, in this article, we’re going to break down how participles work alongside imperatives and dig into real examples from Scripture. If you’ve ever felt like there’s “more” behind a biblical command, or you just love diving deeper into God’s Word, understanding participles will open up a whole new level of insight!

Matthew 28:19 – The Great Commission and the Power of Participles

Let’s start with a well-known passage: Matthew 28:19. You’ve probably heard it quoted a hundred times—“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” But what if I told you that, in Greek, “go” isn’t actually the main command here?

That’s right! In the original Greek, poreuthentes (“going”) is not an imperative but a participle, while matheteusate (“make disciples”) is the true imperative. But poreuthentes isn’t the only participle in this verse—there are two more: baptizontes (“baptizing”) and didaskontes (“teaching”).

So what does that mean?

It means that the real command Jesus gives here is “make disciples”, and the three participles—going, baptizing, and teaching—help describe how that should happen. In other words, we make disciples as we go, by baptizing, and by teaching. This shifts the emphasis from “Go!” (as if the command is just about traveling) to the bigger mission—making disciples wherever you are by bringing people into the faith (baptizing) and helping them grow in knowledge (teaching).

Think of it like this: If I say, “Grabbing your coffee, heading to work, and answering emails, finish your project,” you understand that the real command is to finish your project, and the other actions describe what you’re doing along the way. That’s exactly what’s happening in Matthew 28:19! The command isn’t simply to leave—it’s to actively disciple people as you go, by baptizing, and by teaching.

Understanding this participle-imperative relationship keeps us from misinterpreting Scripture and helps us follow God’s commands the way He intended. Now that we’ve seen it in Matthew 28:19, let’s explore more examples and see how participles shape other key biblical commands!

The Example of Colossians 3:16 – Teaching and Admonishing Through Worship

Next, let’s look at Colossians 3:16, a verse packed with participles that clarify an important command:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

At first glance, it may seem like there are multiple commands in this verse—teach, admonish, sing—but in Greek, the only imperative here is “let dwell” (enoikeito). The other verbs—teaching (didaskontes), admonishing (nouthetountes), and singing (adontes)—are participles.

So what does this mean?

It tells us how to fulfill the command to let Christ’s word dwell in us richly. We do this by teaching, admonishing, and singing. This shifts our understanding from seeing these actions as separate commands to recognizing them as the means by which we obey the command.

In other words, if we want the word of Christ to dwell in us richly, we need to actively teach it, admonish one another with wisdom, and worship together through song. The participles make it clear that these aren’t just random good practices—they’re essential steps to obeying the imperative.

This passage beautifully illustrates how participles define imperatives. If we neglect teaching, fail to admonish one another, or remove singing from our worship, we’re missing key ways in which God has designed for His word to dwell in us. This isn’t just a checklist—it’s an invitation to a life filled with the richness of God’s truth through learning, encouraging, and praising together.

Now that we’ve seen this in Colossians 3:16, let’s continue exploring how participles clarify biblical commands in one more key passage!

The Example of Luke 6:36–37 – Showing Mercy and Avoiding Judgment

Now let’s turn to Luke 6:36–37, where Jesus issues a powerful command that is deeply connected to how we treat others:

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

At first glance, it seems like Jesus is listing multiple commands: be merciful, do not judge, do not condemn, and forgive. But when we look at the Greek structure, we see that “be merciful” (ginesthe oiktirmones) is the main imperative, while the rest of the verse explains how we fulfill this command.

The participles in the surrounding context—not judging, not condemning, and forgiving—help define what mercy actually looks like in action. In other words, we obey the imperative “Be merciful” by choosing not to judge, by refusing to condemn, and by actively forgiving others.

Think of it like this: If someone tells you, “Be a good friend,” you might ask, “What does that look like?” If they respond, “By listening, encouraging, and being patient,” now you have a clear picture of how to follow through. That’s exactly what’s happening here in Luke 6:36–37. Jesus isn’t just giving a vague command to “be merciful”—He’s spelling it out through participles that define what true mercy involves.

This passage challenges us to examine our own attitudes. Mercy isn’t just about feeling compassion—it’s about the daily, intentional choice to withhold judgment, let go of condemnation, and extend forgiveness. When we see how participles function in this passage, we realize that Jesus isn’t giving four separate instructions—He’s giving one command with a clear blueprint on how to carry it out.

How to Identify Imperatives and Participles Without Knowing Greek

If you’re not familiar with Greek and don’t have access to expensive Bible study software, don’t worry—there are free tools that can help you identify imperatives and participles in Scripture. Here’s a simple way to do it:

1. Use Blue Letter Bible (blueletterbible.org) – This free online tool lets you look up any verse and see the original Greek words. Click on the “Interlinear” tab for a breakdown of each word, including its parsing. Participles will be labeled as “Participle” and imperatives as “Verb-Imperative.”
2. Step Bible (stepbible.org) – Another user-friendly tool, Step Bible highlights different parts of speech, allowing you to hover over words and see their grammatical function. Look for words labeled as “Imperative” (commands) and “Participle” (modifying actions).
3. Bible Hub (biblehub.com/interlinear/) – This resource provides an easy-to-read interlinear Bible where you can find verb forms and their parsing details. It’s a great way to quickly check if a word is an imperative or a participle.

By using these tools, you can deepen your study of Scripture even if you don’t know Greek. Simply look up a verse, find the imperatives, and see what participles are connected to them to better understand how the commands are meant to be carried out.

Bringing It All Together

As we’ve seen in these examples, participles aren’t just grammatical details—they are essential to understanding how we are meant to obey God’s commands. Whether it’s making disciples in Matthew 28:19, letting the word of Christ dwell in us in Colossians 3:16, or practicing mercy in Luke 6:36–37, participles guide us in living out these imperatives with clarity and purpose.

Instead of simply reading a command and making assumptions about what it means, we can let Scripture define itself. The participles that accompany imperatives provide practical steps to obedience, making it easier for us to apply biblical truth to our daily lives.

So next time you come across a command in Scripture, take a closer look—are there participles giving you insight into how to obey? When we take the time to study these structures, we gain a richer, deeper understanding of God’s word, and we can follow His commands with confidence, knowing we are walking in obedience as He intended.

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Kristy Huntsman

Kristy is Come Fill Your Cup's Editor-in-Chief. She is the author of Sanctified (A Study of 1st and 2nd Peter) , Redeemed (A Study of Hosea), and Appointed (A Study of Judges & Ruth) . Kristy and her husband, Lance live in Stonewall, OK where they attend the Stonewall Church of Christ. Kristy is a stay-at-home-mom who homeschools their two daughters Taylor and Makayla.

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