Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryan Rocine" <596547 AT ican.net>]

Dear Randall,
correct me if i'm wrong.  when we're in search of the meanings of the verb
forms, what we, as students of "perfect" BH, are *not* allowed to
do is more telling than what we *are* allowed to do.  because i am allowed
to use the participle in perfectly clear present time contexts does not
mean it is a present tense, right?   especially if the participle is the
imperfective instead, because imperfectivity is so compatible with present
time. what is most difficult for me and the study BH verbal semantics is
the lack of one good native speaker of BH to interview.  if we had just one
guy, and could read him about fifty carefully written constructions that he
could label tsodeq 'o lo' .  of course, you, Randall, are the next best!  
;-)

You wrote:

>>"I see the cows over there."
        a. ereh et ha-parot sham.
        b. ani roeh et ha-parot sham.
        c. ra'iti et ha-parot sham.
        d. ??

 how about d.:  hineh sham haparot  does that sound funny in Modern H: 
"here, there are the cows"?  where are we?????   ;-)

>>"I am speaking to you right now."
        a. adabber elexa `ata 
        b. ani medabber elexa `ata
        c. dibbarti elexa `ata
        d. ani dover elexa `ata
        e. ??

none are BH.   i don't think `atah is *really* a BH temporal adverb so much
as it is a pragmatic marker of culmination, either of a series of events or
of an arguement or exhortation.

>>"I am going to destroy the cities"
        a. ani ashHit et he-`arim.
        b. ani mashHit  et he-`arim.
        c. ani holex lehashHit  et he-`arim.
        d. hineni mashHit  et he-`arim.
        e. ani `omed lehashHit et he-`arim.
        f. ??

>>"I am about to vomit"
        a. ani meqi'
        b. ani qarov lehaqi'
        c. ani `omed lehaqi' 
        d. hineni meqi'
        e. ani meqi' beqarov
        f. ??

holek(or `omed or qarob)-lamed-infinitive is not BH.  it is Modern.  i'm
not saying the construction can't be found with a computer search.  i'm
saying that in BH,  'ani holek ledaber does not mean "i am about to speak";
 it means "i am going (someplace) in order to speak."

shalom, ax,
Bryan


B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13208

315-437-6744(w)
315-479-8267(h)