Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryan Rocine" <brocine AT earthlink.net>]

Hi Randy, You wrote:

> again, take those verbs vv. 6-9 out of their context and
they are plain
> past references, even though tense is not absolutely
grammaticalized.

Maybe not.  A high percentage of the clause structures are
not typical Historical Narrative.  For instance, we have a
high percentage of clause-initial qatals.  The constellation
of clauses is not typical Historical Narrative.  I think the
passage may lend itself to more of an exposition than a
narrative.  Maybe my feel for the language is faulty, but I
may lean toward a present reference.  At least a present
perfect.  ;-)

> just the way the language works, hundreds of thousands of
times.
> when nothing else is around, we still have the verb forms.
i know you don't
> like that. sorry. you may call it pragmatics, though, and
find something of
> a middle ground.
> we extract real-world reference out of those
minimally-differentiated
> forms.

Great point. todah rabah.

Bryan


B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
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