Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dr. Dale M. Wheeler" <dalemw AT multnomah.edu>]

Ken Penner wrote:


> S. R. Driver wrote in 1874. The first English edition of Gesenius' grammar
> appeared in 1898.
> GKC's second English edition (1910) refers to Driver's third edition (1892)
> in footnote 2, section 106.
> The direction of influence is from Driver to GKC, not the reverse.

> No, the earliest use of the word "aspect" I know of for Hebrew was Kennedy's
> 1879 translation of Ewald: "But the simplest distinction of time in an
> action is, that the speaker first of all merely separates between the two
> grand and opposite aspects under which every conceivable action may be
> regarded" (1). Where Kennedy has "aspects" Ewald (1870) had "unterscheide"
>
> It was Rodiger who imported Ewald's terms "imperfect" and "perfect" into his
> revision of Gesenius' grammar.


Ken:

All my books are in my office...and I'm on vacation...but this peaked my 
interest...

In your checking of the history of these grammars, did you look at the 
German precursors of Gesenius 1st English edition, eg., when was Rodiger's 
edition done (this is not the first English edition you are referring to, 
is it?)? How did the editions before Rodiger (or is it Roediger, ie., 
o-umlaut) discuss this issue?  Also, do you have any idea where Kennedy got 
the term "aspect"?

BTW, if you have easy access to it, it would be nice to see the German of 
the quote from Ewald, since the verb "separates" would most likely be from 
the same root as "Untersheid(e/en)", and it seem strange to translate the 
verb one way and the noun a different way in the same sentence.

Thanks...


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Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D.
Prof., Biblical Languages/Bible      Multnomah Bible College
8435 NE Glisan St.                       Portland, OR 97220
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