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  • From: "B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Verbs, text-segmenting and clause-types
  • Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2005 13:49:42 -0400



Rolf Furuli wrote:

I have acouple of questions:

I thought it was the job of everyone on the list to ask *you* questions! ;-)


1. Do you view the whole text as referring to the future, i.e. do you see each action as an action where reference time comes after the deictic center?

Interpretively, of course. That is, it is prophetic. But linguistically, no. The vision is "right there," "right in front of them," so to speak.

I think, in both the translation and interpretation of Hebrew poetry, not enough value is given to the text as a libretto. I use the term libretto loosely. What I mean is that the style of a lot of Hebrew poetry reflects an oral or performance tradition, perhaps as the writers' unconscious preservation of a text's oral origin or as a conscious attempt to honor the oral tradition.

I suspect many of these texts, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, were first performed and later written. It is often challenging to understand libretti in a written-only medium. They are stripped of tone of voice, facial expression, gesture, musical or dramatic accompaniment, and all the context that the performance arena can bring to a performance. The Slavic _guslar_ (bard) Halil Bajoric said of his story, "It has to be said like that." What he means is that the delivery of the song is inseperable from its message. The _guslar's_ story is never only the words; it is also the performance.

When it comes to Hebrew poetry, I think we need to explore the idea of re-constructing the performance. I think a text like the one we are examining in Isaiah is begging us to reconstruct the performance by its use of verb forms that are stringed together in a somewhat unusual way.

A skillful Hebrew _guslar_, as I believe the prophets and poets of the Hebrews were, could deliver sections of our passage from Isaiah that use a preponderance noun sentences and X-qatal clauses, such that he describes a vision that is before him and his audience at the moment he speaks but tells of things to come. "hinneh!" he says to his audience. Do they see what he sees? He will help them.


2. You imply that sentence initial YIQTOLs do not always express the sentiments of the speaker. If my understanding is correct, is there a way to know when it does and when it does not?


Actually, I would say that sentence-initial yiqtols rather reliably express sentiments of the speaker. It is the X-yiqtols that are ambiguous. If you would like to hear some ways to eliminate the ambiguity with X-yiqtols, I will do it in another post.

Sometimes in Hebrew poetry, an element in a sentence has elided. (The elided element may be found in the parallel clause.) As a result, a yiqtol form may surface as the first word in its clause when notionally it is actually preceded by an (elided) element. In other words, even though such a yiqtol appears to be first in its clause, it is not.

Shalom,
Bryan Rocine


Best regards

Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo

----- Original Message ----- From: "B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2005 3:39 AM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Verbs, text-segmenting and clause-types



Dear B-Haveray,

We have seen that Rolf has translated Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as mostly
future tense in English. As a result, we see a readable English
translation that is disinterested in the Hebrew verb forms at least as
touching tense.

I think we can salvage our interest in the Hebrew verb forms with a more
careful examination of text segmenting and by recognizing clause types
rather than merely verb forms.

First text segmenting:
52:13-15 are the words of YHWH that are +projection, expressing YHWH's
desire and predictions concerning His servant. Accordingly, the yiqtol
verb form in both the clause-intial and clause-medial positions plays
heavily, particularly in main clauses.

53:1-6 Here Isaiah is addressing his audience intimately and 1st plural
forms run throughout. The section is to answer the questions that it
starts with. It is neither telling a story nor making a prediction. It
is establishing the identity of the special man. It is a type of text
that I refer to as expository discourse. It defaults for the present in
tranlsation. As is characteristic of expository discourse, this section
uses heavily noun sentences as well as qatal verbs that come in the
second position of their clauses (some grammarians consider a sentence
with a verb in the second positon to be be a noun sentence of a sort).
Even the yiqtol forms in v. 2 fit in this context. They express the
modal concept of what "we could" or "we might" do.

53:7-11a This is also Isaiah, but he has stepped back from his
audience. There are no more references to "we." He is taking the role
in this passage of commentator. Again we have a lot of expository
material communicated, as is typical, with noun sentences, irrealis
clauses, and x-qatal clauses. These all default for present tense in
expository discourse. The yiqtols of vv. 10-11a finish the commentary
with predictive material.

53:11b-12 Here YHWH speaks again. The x-yiqtol clauses are predictive.
The qatal clauses are dependent clauses, which give relative past
information.

Clause-types:
You will notice my designations of the verb forms are somewhat different
than Rolf's. While he counts qatals and yiqtols, I count sub-categories
of qatal and yiqtol according to their positions in their clauses. For
instance, I will usually consider yiqtols which come first in their
clause to be expressing the speaker's desire, whereas yiqtol's that come
elsewhere than first are ambiguous. X-yiqtols *may* express the
speaker's desire. However, unlike the clause initial yiqtol, they may
express a one-off event in the past. X-yiqtols usually express a
prediction, a habit, or gnomic truth.

So here is my translation, with special attention to the translation of
the verb forms (the vocabulary is mostly borrowed from the JPS Tanakh).
Key:
Y = yiqtol verb
Q = qatal verb
X = any element in a clause that preceded the yiqtol or qatal verb
DC = dependent clause (a relative is usually present
NS = noun sentence
? = interrogative clause
WQ = weqatal
W = wayyiqtol
Ir = Irrealis (usually a negatory woird is present)

52:13 Behold!

May My servant prosper (Y), be exalted (Y), and raised (WQ), and highly
exalted (WQ)! 14 Just as many are appalled at him (DCQ)--so marred is
his appearance, unlike that of a man, his form, beyond human
semblance--15 Just so shall he startle (XY) many nations. Kings shall
be silenced (XY) because of him, for they see (XQ) what has not been
told them (DCQ); behold (XQ) what they have never heard (DCQ).

53:1 Who can believe (Q?) what we have heard? Upon whom has the arm of
the Lord been revealed (Q?)? 2 So he grows (W), by his favor, like a
tree crown, like a tree trunk out of arid ground. He has no form or
beauty (NS), that we might look at him (Y); no charm that we might find
him well-pleasing (Y). 3 He is despised (Q), shunned by men, a man of
suffering, familiar with disease. Like one whose face is hid from us
(NS). He is despised (Q). We hold him of no account (IrQ). 4 Yet it
is our sickness he is bearing (XQ), our suffering that he endures (XQ).
We account (XQ) him plagued, smitten and afflicted by God. 5 He is
wounded (NS) because of our sins, crushed because of our iniquities. He
bears (NS) the chastisement that makes us whole, and by his bruises we
are healed (XQ). 6 We all have gone astray (XQ) like sheep, each one
going (XQ) to his own way. And YHWH visits (XQ) upon him the guilt of
all of us.

53:7 He has been maltreated (Q), yet he is submissive (XQ). He does
not open his mouth (IrY). Like sheep that might be led (XY) to the
slaughter, like a ewe, dumb before those who have sheared her (XQ), he
does not open his mouth (IrY). 8 By oppressive judgment he is taken
away (XQ). Who could describe his abode (XY?)? For he is cut off (XQ)
from the land of the living through the sin of my people who deserve the
punishment (NS). 9 So his grave is then made (W) among the wicked, and
with the rich in his death though he has done (IrXQ) no injustice and no
falshood is in his mouth(NS). 10 But the Lord chooses (XQ) to crush
him by disease that, if he might make himself an offering (DCY) for
guilt, he might see (Y) offspring and prolong (Y) life, and that through
him the Lord's purpose might prosper (XY). 11 Out of anguish he will
see it (XY). May he enjoy it to the full (Y) through his devotion.

May my righteous servant make many righteous (Y). It is their
punishment that he will bear (XY). Assuredly, I will give (XY) him the
many as his portion. He shall recieve (XY) the multitude as his spoil.
For he has exposed himself to death (DCQ) and was numbered (DCQ) among
the sinners. Whereas he bore the guilt of many (DCQ), he will make
intercesiion (XY) for sinners.

Shalom,
Bryan Rocine



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