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  • From: Studium Biblicum Franciscanum <sbfnet AT netvision.net.il>
  • To: "Joe A. Friberg" <JoeFriberg AT alumni.utexas.net>
  • Cc: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: <wayyiqtol> again
  • Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 10:09:57 +0200


Professor Niccacci:

Could it be that the distinction between the historical narrative and the
direct speech in these cases is because of the relative contemporaneity of
the direct speech narratives in each case? In each of the above examples,
the narrative is first person; perhaps the initial qatal indicates the
relative proximity, in time and perhaps personal interest, of the events
narrated. Conversely, if a native BH speaker was narrating a story that was
generations removed, might they begin with a wayyiqtol?

Thanks, and God bless you!
Joe A. Friberg


Dear Dr. Joe A. Friberg,

Thank you for your comment. It may be that, as you say, the choice of qatal indicates the relative proximity in time and personal interest.
In my previous post, I pointed out a fact that seems to me highly relevant. The appearance of first-second person depends on the situation of the oral narrative in direct speech--in historical narrative only the third person appears. Unlike modern narrators, the Biblical narrator never shows up in the first person and never addresses the reader in the second.
I doubt that the use of qatal versus wayyiqtol is a question of proximity versus removedness. Actually, I think that whatever is narrated orally comes into proximity with the narrator and with the listener/reader irrespective of its chronological distance.
The fact remains that we do not have any evidence of an oral narrative beginning with wayyiqtol.

Thanks, and peace and all good for the New Year 2000.

Alviero Niccacci


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