Biblical Hebrew Forum

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 On  04/28/99 (Deut.6--Alviero Niccacci) Lee R. Martin wrote:


> Professor Niccacci and others,
> Please advise me regarding my analysis of Deuteronomy 6:4-20
> 
> 1  imperative,  command =Hear, O Israel:
> 2  nominal , description  =The LORD is our God; the LORD is one:
> 3  weqatal , instruction = You shall love the LORD thy God
>                                        with all thine heart,
>                                         and with all thy soul,
>                                          and with all thy might.
> 4  weqatal , instruction = And these words . . .  shall be in thine
>    heart
> 5  asher+ptc.  , relative clause =  which I am commanding thee this day
> 6  weqatal , instruction = And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy
>    children,
> 7  weqatal , instruction = and shalt talk of them
> 8  infinitive , temporal  =  when thou sittest in thine house,
> 9  infinitive , temporal  =  and when thou walkest by the way,
> 10 infinitive , temporal  =  and when thou liest down,
> 11 infinitive , temporal  =  and when thou risest up.
> 12 weqatal, instruction = And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine
>    hand,
> 13 weqatal, instruction = and they shall be as frontlets between thine
>    eyes.
> 14 weqatal, instruction = And thou shalt write them upon the posts of
>    thy house, and on thy gates.
> 
> 15 weqatal, new parag. = And it shall be,
> 16 ki+yiqtol, protasis  = when the LORD thy God brings thee into the
>    land
> 17 asher+qatal,  relative cl.=   which he sware unto thy fathers,
>                                apposition =   to Abraham, to Isaac, and
>    to Jacob,
> 18 infinitive , obj.compl. =   to give thee great and goodly cities,
> 19 asher+qatal , relative cl. =    which thou buildedst not,
> 20        =   And houses full of all good things,
> 21 asher+qatal , relative cl. =    which thou filledst not,
> 22    ,    =   and wells digged,
> 23 asher+qatal , relative cl. =    which thou diggedst not,
> 24        =   vineyards and olive trees,
> 25 asher+qatal , relative cl. =    which thou plantedst not;
> 26 weqatal ,apodosis  = then you shall eat
> 27 weqatal ,hendiadys = and be satisfied;
> 
> 28 imperative , command=  Guard yourself
> 29 pen+yiqtol, future  =  lest thou forget the LORD,
> 30 asher+qatal,  relative cl.=    who brought thee forth out of the land
> of Egypt . . . .
> 31 x+yiqtol , instruction = The LORD thy God you shall fear,
> 32 x+yiqtol , instruction = and him you shall serve,
> 33 x+yiqtol , instruction = and on his name you shall swear.
> 34 lo'+yiqtol , neg.injunct. = Ye shall not go after other gods, of the
>    gods of the people
> 35 nominal , relative cl. =  which are round about you;
> 36 ki+nominal , reason  =  Because the LORD thy God is a jealous God
>    among you.
> 37 pen+yiqtol ,future   = lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled
>    against thee,
> 38 weqatal, future   = and he will destroy thee from off the face of the
>    earth.
> 39 lo'+yiqtol,  neg.injunct. = Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God,
> 40 kasher+qatal ,relative cl. =  as ye tempted him in Massah.
> 41 inf.+yiqtol, instruction = Ye shall diligently keep the commandments
>    of the LORD your God,
>                                            and his testimonies, and his
>    statutes,
> 42 asher+qatal,  relative cl.=   which he hath commanded thee.
> 43 weqatal, instruction  =And thou shalt do the right and the good in
>    the sight of the LORD:
> 44 lam`an+imf., purpose  =  that it may be well with thee,
> 45 weqatal , instruction = and you shall go in
> 46 weqatal , instruction = and you shall possess the good land
> 47 asher+qatal , relative cl. =  which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,
> 48 infinitive  , obj.compl. =   To cast out all thine enemies from
>    before thee,
> 49 asher+qatal , relative cl. =  as the LORD hath spoken.
> 
> **Notes**
> Line 3: The weqatals in lines 3-14 seem to be instructions (injunctions)
> that continue from the imperative in line 1.
> Line 15: The weqatal of HYH in line 15 is the macro-syntactic marker.
> Line 16 is the protasis and lines 26 and 27 form the apodosis of a
> double sentence.  However, all of the six English translations that I
> consulted rendered 26-27 as continuations of the protasis and gave 28 as
> the apodosis.  28-29 seem to demonstrate the same
> grammatical/syntactical structure as 34-37.
> Lines 18 and 48 are objects of the verb "swear".
> Lines 31-33 have emphasis on x
> Lines 45-46 are usually translated as continuations of 44.  I think they
> are more instructions on the same level as 43. I am not certain,
> however.
> 

============================REPLY========================================

Dear Lee Martin,

here is some comment on your analysis.

18 infinitive *latet lak* is governed by *ni$ba`*. What follows, **`arîm gedolot* etc. until *'a$er lo'-naTa`ta* is an apposition to, not object of, *latet lak*. Note that under  *lak* there is the Atnah.
21-25 a past tense is needed. Are these past tenses?
26-27 are still Protasis: "and then you shall eat and be satisfied." The apodosis begins with *hi$$amer* in the next sentence.
31-33 are emphatic x-yiqtols, as suggested by the rhetorical repetition: "The Lord your God ... and Him ... and in His name..."
34 lo'+yiqtol, neg. weqatal, the rest OK
38 weqatal, future = and thus He would destry you
39 lo'+yiqtol, neg. weqatal, the rest OK
41 inf. +yiqtol = x-yiqtol, the rest OK
49 lamed+infinitive, complement of the preceding "and you shall possess...", i.e. "by casting out all your enemies..."

By this i think I answered most of your **Notes**. A few words are in order:

Line 3: thw weqatals convey instruction; they are not injuctions if this term has a specific volitive nuance. Weqatal is found after an imperative or jussive but does not carry on the volitive force of it. This is affirmed on the light of the evidence gathered elsewhere.
Lines 28-29 have similar, not the same, grammatical/syntactical structure if it is true that weqatal is not volitive.

Peace and all good.
Alviero Niccacci
Please, in your reply put the addressee name in the subject
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