Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Brian Sullivan" <navillusbpi AT primus.com.au>]

Greetings fellow Students of Hebrew,

Am only a recent member of b-hebrew and hope I am not rehashing a topic 
regularly discussed.
I have recently read from J W Watts 'A Distinctive Translation of 
Genesis'and was interested to observe that in the Genesis 1 account the 
translator  does not follow the principle of waw consecutive (translating 
the phrase in the perfect)but uses the imperfect state eg "'Let their be 
light' and gradually light came into existance."(V. 3)
Does waw-consecutive hold true in all cases? If not, what are the parameter 
influencing translation? It was pointed out to me that O. L. Barnes 
(1965)stated that translation of the imperfect "has been needelessly 
complicated by slavish adherance" to the waw consecutive principle.
I would like to more clearly understand the parameters in correct 
translation of the waw consecutive in Gen 1 and ask if any one has any 
views on whether translating the this chapter in the imperfect impacts on 
the traditional understanding of this passage>

Thank you for your very kind consideration,

Brian Sullivan
BA Student
navillusbpi AT primus.com.au