[b-hebrew] The tower of Babel and the Hebrew "tenses"

George Athas George.Athas at moore.edu.au
Wed Feb 11 18:22:35 EST 2009


Hi Sesamo(?).

We've discussed the meaning of the Qatal (also known as Perfect) many times on B-Hebrew. The classic definition, which proceeds along the lines of Aktionsart, is that the verb form indicates a completed action. An aspectual approach would see it in one of two ways: (1) an action being viewed as a whole from the outside; or (2) a definite action being viewed up close.

My preference is for the last of these options (the second aspectual approach). But this is clearly a case where the text does not really help us to understand the action rightly. It is ambiguous. As such, you will read this verse according to the definition of the Qatal/Perfect that you bring to the text. If you think it indicates a completed action, you will say that the city and tower were already complete when Yahweh came down to scatter the people. If you go for the aspectual approaches, you might argue this or you could argue that the building was still proceeding when Yahweh scattered the people. The context does not provide us with enough information to say one way or the other.



Regards,

GEORGE ATHAS
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
www.moore.edu.au




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