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  • From: "Peter Kirk"<peter_kirk AT sil.org>
  • To: <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re[2]: Ariyel's Flower
  • Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 12:50:24 -0500


We have here a classic issue of discourse analysis. The problem here
is that we have the beginning of a story without any anchoring in
time, indeed without any setting except perhaps for "Ariyel was
walking down the road". How does BH start a story? Perhaps we need to
look at some examples of stories.

In general we have some sort of introduction of the characters before
the action starts, and then the main narrative starts with the
equivalent of "One day". This is a common pattern in many languages.
For example:

Job 1:1 )IY$ HFYFH B:)EREC-(UWC )IY.OWB $:MOW...
Job 1:6 WAY:HIY HAY.OWM WAY.FBO)UW...

The book of Ruth and Nathan's parable in 2 Samuel 12:1-4 follow a
similar pattern.

But there are at least two cases of stories, both fables or parables,
which start without this sort of introduction:

Judges 9:8 HFLOWK: HFL:KUW HF("CIYM...

2 Kings 14:9 HAXOWAX ):A$ER BAL.:BFNOWN $FLAX )EL-HF)EREZ...

Both use X-QATAL; in both cases this is the first event in a narrative
and is followed by an event with WAYYIQTOL. (But the function of HLK
in the discourse of the former is rather different here from its
function in "Ariyel's Flower".) So the structure is similar to
"Ariyel's Flower". Can anyone find any more examples like this?

So what can we write? We could do something like:

NA(:ARFH HFYFH ):ARIY)"L $:MFH. WAT."LEK: ... WAT.F$OAX ...

or maybe better still

NA(:ARFH HFYFH ):ARIY)"L $:MFH. WAY:HIY B:LEK:T.FH. ... WAT.F$OAX ...

(I am using the attested forms for the WAYYIQTOL of $XX Qal)

for surely the latter is the construction which "the ancient Hebrew
would use... to say, "While (when, as) Shlomo was ---ing,
he ---ed". I guess these longer forms would have seemed more natural
to the Hebrews, who were no doubt in no hurry when they told stories
around the fire on a dark night. A form like Judges 9:8 would also
work, it seems, but that might suggest something fabulous. Well, maybe
the intended genre here is a fairy-tale rather than a realistic story.

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Re: Ariyel's Flower
Author: <brocine AT earthlink.net> at Internet
Date: 26/01/2000 17:50


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
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206

(office) 315.437.6744
(home) 315.479.8267


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