Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

Alviero,
Good stuff!  I just have one question that has surfaced already
several times in this discussion, and would greatly appreciate your
input:

[snip]
>       I analyze Gen 1:1-3 as follows: "In the beginning of (the fact
> that) God created heaven and earth, i.e. When God began to create
> heaven and earth [sentence 1], the earth was chaos and void
> [sentence 2], darkness was on the surface of the abyss [sentence
> 3], and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the
> water [sentence 4]. Then God said [sentence 5] etc."  Sentences 2-4
> are coordinated one to the other; they are main with regard to
> sentence 1, which depends on them.  Taken together, sentences 1-4
> constitute a syntactic unit that depends on sentence 5, which
> contains narrative wayyiqtol, "Then God said." This wayyiqtol
> begins the mainline of the narrative. What precedes gives the
> setting of the story.

I think I follow this, but could you elaborate on the nature of the
coordination, especially what effect the WAW at the beginning of
verse 2 (sentence 2 in your layout) has on the clause itself?  This
has been a sticking point in the discussion, and I don't really have
an answer, at least not using the Gesenius/W&O approach.

Thanks!

[snip]

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"Éist le glór Dé."