Biblical Hebrew Forum

[peter_kirk AT sil.org]

Dear Bryan,

I was surprised to read the following in your recent posting:

Shared meanings:
yiqtol and wayyiqtol (prefixed forms) = fientive
qatal and weqatal (suffixed forms)= attributive

Despite Rolf's persistent attempts, I still fail to grasp any shared 
meaning component (at least in prose) between (non-initial) yiqtol and 
wayyiqtol, or between (non-initial) qatal and weqatal. Perhaps, if you 
agree with Rolf on this, you can explain this more clearly to me. In 
what discourse types to you see these shared meanings? Are they seen 
in prose, or only in poetry?

Can this point be illustrated from Exodus 25-40, or is it obscured for 
some reason in these parallel descriptions? On the basis of these 
passages, I would have expected you to classify wayyiqtol and weqatal 
togther as fientive, and yiqtol and qatal together as attributive.

Peter Kirk