Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yitzhak Sapir <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>]

Solomon Landers wrote:

> Interestingly, the Jewish Orthodox English translation of this same Bavli
> passage in Artscroll Mesorah's Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud (1997)
> reads: 
>   
> EHYEH ASHER EHYEH, - I Shall Be As I Shall Be. 

While their translation is interesting, my point was not the translation 
itself.
It was the Talmud's comments.  The Talmud relates ")HYH" to the current
subjugation and to the future subjugation.  It specifically uses past tense in
reference to the current subjugation.  Along with the response ")HYH sent
me to you" in response to the suggestion "Deal with each problem as it 
comes" this suggests an imperfect aspect reading of )HYH rather than
a future tense reading.  That is, the Talmud is specifically interpreting 
this 
as an imperfect aspect.

Yitzhak Sapir