Biblical Hebrew Forum

[waldo slusher <waldoslusher AT yahoo.com>]

Abram believed* the LORD.....

The NET Bible offers this for believed:
The non-consecutive vav is on a perfect verbal form.
If the composer of the narrative had wanted to show
simple sequence, he would have used the vav
consecutive with the preterite.

Is one way of understanding this perfect Hiphil verb,
partly due to its "non-consecutive vav" in narrative,
as an English PluPerfect, something like:

Abram HAD BELIEVED the LORD.....

A friend of mine argues that this is the only possible
passage in all of Scripture (both OT and NT) where
Abram's initial faith in YHWH is alluded to. He
contends that no other passage references Abram's
initial faith that must have occured while Abram was
in Ur.

I was at first rather taken back with his comment but
have found it most thought provoking. All references
that I can find do seem to reference Abram's (or
Abraham's) subsequent believer-faith (not his
"conversion-faith" in Ur (Even Romans 4!). What
bothers me in this passage in Genesis is that it ALSO
seems to be a faith in what the LORD had just
promised, not a past faith (had believed) that reaches
back to his "conversion-faith."

I certainly am NOT trying to engage anyone in some
theological discussion. I provided some additional
information to let other list participants know what I
am looking for, if not in this verse. (I assume
theological discussion is prohibited as in B-Greek.)



=====
Waldo Slusher
Calgary, AB

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