Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lewis Reich" <LBR AT sprynet.com>]

On 14 Feb 99, at 13:27, Vincent DeCaen wrote:

> this involves crucially the use of hebrew qatal, otherwise a
> past/perfective/realis form. if the system **only** encodes aspect,
> then we are free to read crucial texts as future and irrealis.
> so.... at a really basic level, the tenseless approach is highly
> functional for christian apologists. 

I'm not sure I understand why this tactic would be so tendentiously helpful;  
it 
sems to me that there are certainly enough prophetic utterances that clearly 
look to the future that it should not be necessary to manufacture more, 
unless some particularly suggestive passages were at stake.

Lewis Reich
LBR AT sprynet.com