Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Title: RE: Hebrew Syntax.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Rolf Furuli [mailto:furuli AT online.no]
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 10:27 AM
To: Biblical Hebrew
Subject: RE: Hebrew Syntax.
 

**clipped** 

 

The only restrictions I have found after analysing the 60.000 finitie and infinite forms of the Tanach is that conative situations (something is attempted but not carried out) and situastions where one verb intersects another verb (as in "when John entered, Peter was reading the paper") can only be expressed by the imperfective aspect (YIQTOL, WEYIQTOL and WAYYIQTOL), and not with the perfective aspect (QATAL and WEQATAL). (BTW. In most states expressed by a WAYYIQTOL, the state is intersected in the middle (imperfective aspect),and not at the end, as in (1). The point in (1) is not that the slave "had loved" but that he "does" love. Even when the reference of a state is past, the intersection is usually in the middle.

(1) Deuteronomy 15:16 And it must occur (WAYYIQTOL) that in the case he says (YIQTOL) to you, "I will not go out (YIQTOL) from your company" because he does love (QATAL) you and your household

Dear Rolf,

I am not sure that I understand your point above, but I would point out that Deut. 15:16 does not begin with Wayyiqtol; it begins with Weqatal (WeHaYaH).  May I ask clarification? Which verb in Deut 15:16 is intersecting and which is being intersected? Thanks.

Lee R. Martin