Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lee R. Martin" <lmartin AT vol.com>]

Dear Peter,
Temporal indicators are often followed by a clause beginning with Waw.
Lee R. Martin

Peter Kirk wrote:

> I don't know if NPL was on this list at the time, but it's not many
> months since we had an exhaustive discussion of the syntax of Genesis
> 1:1. My conclusion was that Lee Martin's interpretation of this verse
> cannot be syntactically correct, as this would leave it as a hanging
> prepositional phrase linked to nothing else, for verse 2 (starting
> with WAW) is clearly a new sentence. So I agree with NPL that the
> literal meaning of BERE'SHIT is "at a beginning" with no construct
> chain. But this cannot mean "one of many beginnings" but in this
> context can only mean "in the beginning" in an absolute sense.
>
> Peter Kirk
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator 
> _________________________________
> Subject: Re: SV: Gilgamesh
> Author:  <lmartin AT vol.com> at Internet
> Date:    17/01/2000 11:24
>
> Niels Peter Lemche wrote:
>
> > One of the basic parts of the training at universities is to tell people 
> > to
> > read a text in context. You cannot isolate one verse from it context and
> > claim that you can interpret it out of context.
>
> Dear Niels,
> Your statement above is condescending.  We all know that texts must be read 
> in
> context.
>
> > Gen 1:1 can be translated in
> > several different ways, e.g. because the first word does not say in the
> > beginning but as it stands in the Leningradiensis (and Aleppo for that
> > matter) 'at a beginning'.
>
> Gen. 1:1 does not say "at a beginning."  The reason BeReShiTH does not have 
> the
> article is that it is in construct.  It takes its definiteness from the word
> following.  The construct used with a finite verb is attested many times in 
> the
> HB and
> it is always definite.  Thus, Gen. 1:1 says, "In the beginning of God's 
> creating
>  the
> heavens and the earth."  The statement may be interpreted in several ways, 
> but G
> od's
> creation of heaven and earth cannot be excised from verse one or from the 
> whole
> chapter.
> --
>
> Lee R. Martin
> Pastor, Prospect Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee
> Instructor in Hebrew and Old Testament
> Church of God Theological Seminary
> http://earth.vol.com/~lmartin/
>
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--

Lee R. Martin
Pastor, Prospect Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee
Instructor in Hebrew and Old Testament
Church of God Theological Seminary
http://earth.vol.com/~lmartin/