Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Dear Rolf:

In general I agree with you in your methodology, looking at uses where one 
meaning is demanded by the context, and then applying that across other uses 
where the context is not so clear. I agree with other aspects, such as that 
mentioned below. In fact I use them when I analyse the definitions of words 
for lexicography.

But

I prefer not to innovate unless there are strong semantic and/or linguistic 
reasons to question earlier lexicography. Further, most of the times I do 
question, I find my questions deal more with the shading of meaning and not a 
completely different meaning.

Secondly, unless a lexeme, its root and other derivitives from that root are 
used less than five to ten times, one use is not enough for me to use it as 
defining the meaning for the lexeme. Nor would I make that one use sufficient 
to overrule a clear understanding of the lexeme from other contexts as that 
one use could be a typo, special use, mispointed, loan word from another 
language or I misunderstand the context.

You propose that we amend our understanding of Hebrew aspect based on less 
than 1% of verbal usage. I agree with Peter Kirk that this percentage is too 
low to convince. Further, there are too many times where the use seems to 
contradict your theory.

Based on reading Tanakh through a few times, I have come to the conclusion 
that the ancient Hebrews were more fluid in their use of aspect than what 
modern grammarians like to admit. Therefore, any theory based on less than 1% 
is going to be a tough sell, at the very least.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>

> Dear Dave,
> 
> …
> 
> I have striven hard to exclude as much as possible of preconceived ideas 
> from my study of Hebrew verbs, and my model is very simple: 1)  I assume 
> that the Semites of old used their language (verbs, substantives, 
> adjectives etc.) in a similar way as modern people do, and 2) I assume 
> that some parts of the Hebrew language will have the same meaning in any 
> context.
> 
> 
> Best regards
> 
> Rolf Furuli
> 
> University of Oslo
-- 
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