Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>]

Dear list-members,

So far, nobody has answered my question about the function of the Hebrew
conjunction "and" and if it, without any mystical extra force, can move a
narrative forward. I would just like to use some Aramaic examples where
this is the case. So again I ask if there need to be more to the wa(yy) of
wayyiqtol than the force of a simple conjunction.


Dan. 6:15 Then these men came (qatal) by agreement to the king, and said
(we+qatal) to the king,  "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and
Persians that no interdict or ordinance which the king establishes can be
changed."
Dan. 6:16 ¶ Then the king commanded (qatal), and Daniel was brought
(we+qatal) and cast (we+qatal) into the den of lions. The king said (
participle and we+participle) to Daniel,  "May your God, whom you serve
continually, deliver you!"
Dan. 6:17 And a stone was brought (we+qatal) and laid upon the mouth of the
den, and the king sealed (we+qatal) it with his own signet and with the
signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.
Dan. 6:18 Then the king went (qatal) to his palace, and spent (we+qatal)
the night fasting; no diversions were brought (qatal) to him, and sleep
fled (qatal) from him.
Dan. 6:19 ¶ Then, at break of day, the king arose (yiqtol) and went (qatal)
in haste to the den of lions.

In Aramaic we have the particle bedayin ("then") which is often used in
narratives. In these verses we find 6 qatals, 1 yiqtol and 6 we+qatals, all
with past meaning and occurring in a narrative sequence. In the cases of
the qatals there are other elements before the verb, preventing the author
from using we, and there is even one yiqtol of qwm in the sequence (there
are several other yiqtols with past meaning in Daniel). The we's occurring
together with the qatals are simple conjunctions moving the narrative
forward. Provided that the element "wayy" in wayyiqtol can be explained on
phonological grounds, why must this (wa(yy) be more than a simple
conjunction, which moves the narrative forward, just as is the case of
Aramaic?


Regards
Rolf


Rolf Furuli
Lecturer in Semitic languages
University of Oslo