Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Henry Churchyard <churchyh AT ccwf.cc.utexas.edu>]

> Subject: pausal forms, matthew
> From: Vincent DeCaen <decaen AT chass.utoronto.ca>
> Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 11:05:28 -0400 (EDT)

> also, re consonantal text. ever notice in the earlier materials the
> striking pattern

> long/nonpast    YQWM     YQWMW          YQYM     YQYMW
> short/modal     YQM      YQMW           YQM      YQMW
> consec          WYQM     WYQMW          WYQM     WYQMW

> not 100%, but close enough to warrant investigation.

In the singular, this is the result of shortening of long vowels in
jussive/preterite forms in what would be CVVC syllables before early
word-final short vowel loss (e.g. -CVVC# -> -CVC#), as reflected in
the Masoretic text, and discussed in Chapter 4 of my dissertation,
GKC p. 131, etc.  As for the plural, I have no idea at all, unless
the distinction between imperfect yaquum and jussive yaqum in the
singular was carried over into the plural as yaquumuu vs. yaqumuu
(where shortness of the vowel of the second syllable of jussive
yaqumuu is due to analogy), and similarly with the consecutive
imperfect.  But such hypothetical analogous forms as *yaqumuu are not
reflected in the masoretic text.

--
Henry Churchyard   churchyh AT ccwf.cc.utexas.edu   http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/