Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ken Penner" <pennerkm AT mcmaster.ca>]

Hi George,

The system you describe below refers only to narrative; what do you tell
your students about the conjugations in other genres? Or even in LBH
narrative such as Esther?

What are your thoughts on the conjugations when it is impossible to prefix a
waw to the verb (e.g., because another word must be clause-initial:
negation, asher, ki, im, etc.). Is there anything other than focus (for
qatal) or background (for yiqtol) that determines the choice of verb form?

How often does a weqatal follow a wayyiqtol? How often does it follow a
qatal? Some examples would be helpful.

How often does a yiqtol follow a wayyiqtol? Again, some examples would be
helpful. I can think of one off the top of my head; I wonder if it's the
same one you are thinking of.

Ken Penner
McMaster/Hebrew

> WAYYIQTOL: Adds narrative momentum and creates a new 
> narrative reference point. The plot moves forward. It doesn't 
> necessarily denote the next consecutive action, but merely 
> the next point in the plot. It's like taking a step with an 
> actor as he moves across the stage.
> 
> QATAL: Halts narrative momentum and causes the reader to 
> focus on a particular action. It's a bit like stopping and 
> zooming in on something.
> 
> WEQATAL: Sustains the focus at the current narrative 
> reference point. It's meaning is derived from an antecedent 
> verb/clause.
> 
> YIQTOL: Indicates background action -- it's the backdrop in 
> which you view the actions denoted by other conjugations. 
> It's like verbal scenery -- te set on which the actors are performing.