Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: Et (Genesis 1:1)

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>
  • To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Et (Genesis 1:1)
  • Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 07:19:30 -0700


> Although I have been endeavoring to learn Biblical Hebrew in my spare
> time, I have as yet had no formal instruction beyond interacting with my
> computer program (this will hopefully change when I leave for college) and
> so this question may be simplistic. Forgive me, the program I am using
> seems to be good for vocabulary but not so great on teaching me grammar.
>
> I recently purchased a Hebrew Bible and began to peruse it, starting at
> the beginning. I recognized most of the words in Genesis 1:1 and I now
> understand each except for the word "et" that appears to be used twice,
> once by itself and the second time with a vav prefix, I assume indicating
> the "and." My question is this: what is the function of this word? It
> doesn't seem to me to have any word-for-word correspondence with the
> English translations, so what is the idea behind it?
>
It's a grammatical marker indicating that the next word is the direct
object of the verb.

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
You know you're a lousy artist when you can't
draw a straight line on an Etch-a-Sketch.





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page