Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Herman Meester <crazymulgogi AT gmail.com>]

Rolf, Karl,
That's an interesting observation; thank you. But then I suppose only Gen 2,4a
  אלה תולדות השמים ואת הארץ בהבראם
elle tol'dot hashshamayim w'ha'aretz b'hibbar'am
is the actual colofon?
In that case, the following, verse 4b beginning ביום b'yom, is still
largely parallel to Gen 1,1.

Karl, somewhere you said that we cannot compare Gen 2,4-7 to Gen 1,2
syntactically because the former is "poetic", if I understood you
correctly. However, it is very clear both are prose. Poetic prose is
still prose.

regards
Herman


2005/11/23, Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>:
> Dear Karl,
>
> Colophons in ancient times is found at the ends of the tablets or documents,
> as is the case in the cuneiform tablets.  So you have a good case for your
> view that this is the case of Genesis as well.
>
> Best regards
>
> Rolf Furuli
> University of Oslo
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
> To: "b-hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 4:48 PM
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] When God began to create...
>
>
> > Bryan:
> >
> > )LH TWLDWT at the ends or beginnings of the sections?
> > I have heard from different sources (unfortunately in
> > lectures, not on paper) that it was a literary style that went
> > out of practice mid second millennium BC whereby the
> > author and title were added onto the end of literary works.
> > Thus the sequential time frame of creation, which only
> > God would know, was given the title "These are the
> > bringing forths (This is the narration ...) of the heavens and
> > the earth, in the day YHWH God made earth and heaven."
> >
> > Thus Genesis 2:4 reflects a different document than 2:5,
> > and therefore cannot fit the pattern that you claim (unless
> > those lecturers I heard were wrong).
> >
> > That they are today at the beginnings of following sections
> > is the result of the relatively modern division of chapters
> > and verses, made by people who did not know that
> > ancient practice.
> >
> > Karl W. Randolph.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>
> > To: "b-hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] When God began to create...
> > Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 09:07:43 -0500
> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Karl Randolph wrote:
> >>
> >> > Genesis 2:4 is one of the poetic verses, with a mirror image
> >> > poetry loosely built into it. Therefore, the second part doesn't
> >> > split off to make a dependent clause.
> >> >
> >> > Further, Genesis 2:4 is the summing up verse that closes the
> >> > first chapter, it is not part of the second chapter at all.
> >> >
> >>
> >> Hi Karl,
> >>
> >> I think you will find that the _'elleh toledot_ statements are at the
> >> beiginnings of their respective sections of Gen, not the ends.
> >>
> >> It doesn't matter to me if you want to keep 2:4a together with 2:4b.
> >> 2:4b still grammatically depends on what follows, not what precedes.
> >>
> >> IOW, the _'elleh toledot_ statement is more like a heading than an
> >> integral part of the narrative.  The story really begins with 2:4b, and
> >> the plotline begins with 2:7.
> >>
> >> Shalom,
> >> Bryan
> >>
> >> --
> >> B. M. Rocine
> >> Living Word Church
> >> 6101 Court St. Rd.
> >> Syracuse, NY 13026
> >> (W): 315.437.6744
> >
>
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