Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Studium Biblicum Franciscanum <sbfnet AT netvision.net.il>]

On  04/26/99 (RE: To Niccatti. Job 1: 5) Moon-Ryul Jung wrote:


> Dear Prof Niccatti,
> I enjoyed your analysis of Job 1.
>
> Here I quoted part of your analysis:
> [Niccatti]
> 10 wayyiqtol *narrative* among antecedent constructions = it happened
> once
>
> 11 ki+qatal, protasis
> 12-13 wayyiqtol, apodosis + continuation wayyiqtol = ... and sanctified
> them.
> 14 weqatal, habitual--shift to description = He would rise
> 18 weqatal, habitual--circumstantial to the preceding = because they
> used to 'bless' God (it expresses a possibility)
>
> [Moon]
> Several "official" translations seem to interpret the whole of
> Job 1:5 as habitual. But your analysis seems to treat line 10-12 (above)
> as a concrete one-time happening.  Is this interpretation of your
> analysis correct?
>
> If so, could you explain why ?


Dear Moon,

Thanks for your interest, and for your message of Mon, 26 Apr 1999 Re:
Sequential?.
The above analysis of Job 1:5 derives from my understanding of the usual
function of wayyiqtol versus weqatal and x-yiqtol in narrative texts.
Narrative wayyiqtol indicates mainline information and is perfective, i.e.
it conveys a single event, while both weqatal and x-yiqtol indicate offline
information and are frequentative, i.e. they convey a repeated action, or a
description.
It may be appropriate to recall here an observation that I made in the
previous posting on the subject, i.e. Job 1:1-5 (= 1-19) conveys antecedent
information with secondary-level constructions--x-qatal, nonverbal clauses,
weqatal and x-yiqtol. Weqatal and x-yiqtol are used to describe habitual
actions. Inside this antecedent, a narrative develops twice--in 4 and in
10. However, the text basically remains antecedent because the wayyiqtols
are framed by weqatals. This *narrative* inside an antecedent is what
Schneider in his grammar calls *Sprosserzaehlung*.
In Job 1:6 the main narrative line starts.

In other words, there is a tension between customary action, i.e. what Job
does every day, and single event, i.e. what did one specific day.

It seems that BH does not handle this tension as we would expect because we
find a similar case in 1Sam. 1:3-7. Here is a translation and short
analysis of it:

«(3) Now this man (Elkanah) used to go up (we`alâ = weqatal = as usual)
from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh,
where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.
(4) It happened (wayehî = wayyiqtol = single event) that one day Elkanah
offeref a sacrifice. Now he would give (wenatan = weqatal = as usual)
portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters, (5) while
he would  give Hannah (ûleHannâ yitten = x-yiqtol = background of previous
weqatal = as usual) one portion (+ appayim???) because he loved Hannah
although the Lord had closed (kî sagar = anteriority = single event) her
womb. (6) Now her rival used to provoke her sorely  (weki`asattâ = weqatal
= as usual), to irritate her, because the Lord had closed (kî sagar, the
same) her womb. (7) Thus he used to do (weken ya`aSeh = x-yiqtol, emphasis
on X = as usual) year by year; as often as she went up (middê `alotah =
protasis) to the house of the LORD, thus she used to provoke her (ken
tik`aSennâ = x-yiqtol = apodosis = as ususal). Therefore Hannah wept
(wattibkeh = wayyiqtol = single event) and did not eat (welo' to'kal =
negative wayyiqtol = single event). »

The mainline of narrative goes on with wayyiqtol in 1:8, etc.

Usually, translators do not care much about BH verbforms and chose their
own way of telling a story by using the tenses they like. However, it is
advisable to try to understand the way the narrator shaped his narrative on
the basis of the verforms he uses.

Peace and all good.
Alviero Niccacci
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