Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

[snip]
> << If he intended to say what i think he is saying, how else would he say 
> it? 
> You seem to have the idea that "I am: I-AM" should be communicated in 
> Hebrew 
> with a "verbless" (!) clause like this:
>   
>  )aNI EHYEH
>  
>  OOPS! Big problem don't you think? Hardly a verbless clause, but just "I 
> myself am...." Maybe you have something else in mind--i can't imagine what 
> though. >>
> 
> 
> It's quite simple. You are taking 'EHYEH as a nominal, hence, the verbless 
> clause would be perfect, even as we find in 'ANI YHWH. TBy verbless clause 
> we 
> do not mean that the subject or predicate does not have any verbal idea 
> attached to it, but that predication is acheived without a verb (other than 
> either the subject or predicate).

Excuse me?  Dan isn't taking 'ehyeh as a nominal.  His whole 
point is that it's a verb, and hence can't be part of a verbless 
clause.  'ehyeh is more than a word with a "verbal idea attached to 
it," it's an actual verb.  By definition, this precludes 'ani 'ehyeh from 
being a verbless clause.  I get the feeling somebody missed Dan's 
point here.

[snip]

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"You just keep thinking, Butch.  That's what you're good at."