Attendant Circumstance Participles

Participles can function as either an adjective, adverb, or noun (depending on context [and technically a gerund in English speak]), which allows for various endings (e.g., -ing, -ed, -en,-d, -n, -t). Attendant circumstance is a special scenario where the participle contains an action that is dependent on the main verb semantically, but the two actions cannot be separated. If the participle can be categorized as another type of adverbial participle, then it cannot be attendant circumstance. For more thorough discussion, see Wallace, Greek Grammar, 640-644.

According to Dan Wallace, attendant circumstance participles usually (90% of the time) have these five characteristics:

• tense of participle is aorist
• tense of main verb is aorist
• main verb is imperative or indicative
• participle precedes main verb in word order
• usually in narrative genre

A clear example is found in Matthew 9:13: πορευθέντες δὲ μάθετε τί ἐστιν· ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν, "Go and learn what it is: I desire mercy, not sacrifice." 

Another good passage to discuss would be the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28:19-20:

19  πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος,  20  διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.

All five characteristics are present in the opening participle and the main verb. It would be difficult to see a mere temporal idea in this participle. Translating as "while going," is ok, but there is certainly more force to the "Go," idea. Wallace concludes removing imperative force from "Go" turns this into more of a suggestion.

However, the final two participles "baptizing" and "teaching," would not be attendant circumstance. Not only do they follow the main verb, but "Means" would be a much more appropriate function for them. They answer how the disciples were commanded to "make disciples."

This category of participles may not be the most obvious choice, but knowing these five characteristics will help the student from mislabeling a participle and allow for more accurate understandings of debatable passages.