Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

B-Haverim,

My student's little story begins like this:

> 1. (title) hatsitsah le'ariyel
> 2. 'ariyel halak:t `al haderek
> 3. vatishax lareyx 'et tsitsah

Ariyel was on a walk when she bent to smell a flower.  Both
Randal Buth and Peter Kirk have suggested holeket for a verb
in the second clause rather than a qatal (never mind for now
that the qatal should have read halekah.)  A participle
strikes me as inappropriate in such a case.  I don't think a
participle would appear in a narrative, in series with a
wayyiqtol *having the same subject*.  I would predict such a
series given my understanding of the verbal system, but I
just don't recall any examples.  Am I right?  I don't know
enough about my computer to search for examples.

In other words, I don't think the ancient Hebrew would use a
participle to say, "While (when, as) Shlomo was ---ing,
he ---ed," for instance, "While Shlomo was reading, he
sipped the tea."   Keep in mind that I am thinking of a
participle and a wayyiqtol clause that *have the same
subject*.  I think the construction of choice for such a
notion would be the infinitive prefixed with the particle
bet.  Or might the ancient simply opt for two wayyiqtols to
express such a notion as in Gen 2:21 vayapel yhvh 'elohim
tardemah `al ha'adam vayishan vayiqax...  "And YHVH God put
a deep sleep on the man, and (when) he slept, He took..."?

Thanks for your help.

Bryan


B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
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