Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>]

> In my data base I have many examples of verbs with pre-past ("pluperfect")
> and future perfect reference, which are relationships that others would
call
> "relative tense",  In 1) below a YIQTOL has pre-past reference. The
deictic
> center of the WAYYIQTOL is speech time, but in the case of the YIQTOL the
> deictic center is the return of Joram.  Thus, his infliction is pre-past
> related to speech time.  In 2) the deictic center of the YIQTOL is speech
> time, and the deictic center of the WAYYIQTOL is the reaching point. Thus,
> the WAYYIQTOL is pre-past related to speech time. References with deictic
> centers other than speech time are often more difficult to pinpoint than
> those with speech time as deictic center. And different interpretations
are
> often possible.
>
> 1) So king Joram returned (WAYYIQTOL) to Jezreel to recover from the
wounds
> the Arameans had inflicted (YIQTOL) upon him.  2 Kings 8:29
>

Not exactly. "recover" is qatal (hitqatel). So, we have wayiqtol past tense,
qatal past tense, yiqtol future tense. These are either grammatical errors -
few are present in ancient manuscripts in any language - or the author
violently shifts in the events he describes.
Past tense of "to recover" would be possible in colloquial (or, perhaps,
archaic, though I am not sure) Russian, and yiqtol perhaps returns the
narration back to the event. This is not grammatically correct, but
understandable.

> 2) and before he reached (YIQTOL)  them, they (had) plotted (WAYYIQTOL) to
> kill him. Genesis 37:18
>

"Before he *would reach* them, they plotted..."

Vadim Cherny