Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Hi John,  You wrote:

> How could you get more clear than Gen 19:22-24?
> v. 22 - I can do nothing until you [Lot] arrive there [at
> Zoar].
> 
> v. 23 - hashshemesh yatsa' `al ha'arets, weLot ba' Zo`arah
> 
> v 24 - wYhwh himtir . . .
> 
> If you treat the three qatals in vv. 23-24 as simultaneous,
> or nearly so, then yatsa' in v. 23 has to be chronologically
> after v. 22 (unless the angel wasn't telling the truth).
> 

Since we are once again talking about how BH clause types work in series,
we may want to throw the issue of paragraph boundaries into this
discussion.  I suggest a paragraph boundary at the end of v. 22, the reason
being that the preceding material is about the dialogue between Lot and the
angel, and the following is about the actual fate of the wicked cities. 
That means the X-qatals of vv. 23 and 24 connect downward to v. 25 rather
than upward to 22.  I.e., the three X-qatals are paragraph-initial.  So
yeah, the three X-qatals are chronologically after v. 22, but not by virtue
of the grammar or a series of clauses, wayyiqtol--->X-qatal.  Any clause
series between vv. 22 and 23 is severed by the paragraph boundary.  It's by
virtue of world knowledge and the effect of "reading time" that I mentioned
in my previous post that we deduce sequence fron v. 22 to 23.  

The grammar of vv. 23 and 24 bends over backwards to indicate that three
situations represented by the X-qatals are simulataneous as well as
antecedent to the wayyiqtol of v. 25.  The grammar therefore depicts a
stunning fulfillment of the angel's words.  

Shalom,
Bryan


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

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