Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Matthew Anstey" <manstey AT portal.ca>]

GDay all,

Comrie, Dik, de Groot and other linguists say that a very good criterion for
determining whether a verbal form is perfectiveor not is whether the
situation presented can be interrupted by another situation. For example:

1a.     While I was reading the paper, John entered.
1b.     I was reading the paper when John entered.

In languages like Hungarian where perfectivity is grammaticised it is
impossible to have the perfective verb form for 'was reading' in the above
sentences.

My question is if anyone can find an uncontroversial case of a wayyiqtol
(excluding wayhi) in BH narrative that is used in an Imperfective use (ie
'was reading' use). By uncontroversial I mean that it is not possible to
modify the Aktionsart to turn a stative wayyiqtol into a bounded
accomplishment to account for an supposedly "interrupted" wayyiqtol. Let me
illustrate:

An uncontroversial non-wayyiqtol case is Gen 38.28, "While she was giving
birth (wayhi + inf. cnst), he put out his hand." The event of the hand being
put out must occur during the larger event of the birthing process (which is
+telic).

A "supposed" interrupted wayyiqtol however in Num 25.1 "While Israel was
dwelling in Shittim, the people began to adulterate with Moabite women." can
be modified to make it uninterrupted by interpreting an ingressive aspect
operating on the unbounded verb yashab to give, "And Israel settled in
Shittim and the people began to adulterate...". These sort of sentences
should be ruled out as potential wayyiqtol imperfectives for this reason.

So does anyone know of an uncontroversial case of wayyiqtol presenting a
situation that is then interrupted?

With regards,
Matthew Anstey