Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au>]

Hi Mark.

I just had a few comments on your explanation of the use of waw
consecutive in Gen 2:19. Waw Consecutive verbs serve to advance events
in a narrative. They are not to be translated as pluperfects. They are
the next event in a narrative. You would normally use a waw consecutive
form to say, "X had happened." You would use a waw consecutive to say,
"Then X happened."

As such, the waw consecutive in Gen 2:19 is no different. The formation
of the wildlife by YHWH God (yes, Lloyd, I'm sticking to a capital G
<g>) is definitely subsequent to the formation of the man.

Now, to the examples you cited in your post.

The problem with taking the waw consecutive of Num 1:48 as a pluperfect
is that no such words are actually spoken before that verse in YHWH's
instructions to Moses. It appears that YHWH speaks these words when
Moses and Aaron came to number the Levites. So, we can't take this as a
pluperfect.

With Exo 4:19, there is no indication in the context that demands a
pluperfect explanation. It is better to see this for what a waw
consecutive really is - a verb form which advances the events of a
narrative.

In I Ki 7:13, Huram the expert bronze craftsman is sent for, not to
build the temple just described, but to build the two pillars, Boaz and
Yakhin, which are made of bronze. So, the context demands us to
translate this as an event successive to the building of the temple.
This, again, exemplifies the force of the waw consecutive as a verb
advancing the narrative to the next event.

In Jdg 2:6, nothing is there to suggest that event of Joshua dismissing
the people is a pluperfect event in the time of the narrative. In fact,
it doesn't make sense if the Angel of YHWH arrives and speaks to the
people *after* Joshua had dismissed them. This, too, shows the use of
waw consecutive as a narrative advancing verb form.



--
GEORGE ATHAS
Dept of Semitic Studies,
University of Sydney
- Email: gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au
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