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  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 1:2 - And the earth was without form, and void
  • Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:55:08 -0500

Dear Herman,


The view may be called "newer", but still Rashi and Ibn Ezra gave
their syntactic views hundreds of years ago. The fact "that the whole
construction seems very complicated and drawn out in Hebrew" as you
claim it, is unconvincing. Hebrew is capable of the same complexities
as any other language; it is simply our lack of knowledge of Biblical
Hebrew syntax. After all, the academic study of Biblical Hebrew
started relatively recently.


HH: But we've been reading the Bible a long time, and this sentence is the first one in the Bible. One does not expect any need for convolution in the first sentence.

The idea that bara would be expected to be an infinitive is indeed an
objection, but it is not necessary. A verbal clause as the second part
of a construct is possible in Hebrew.


HH: It's possible, but I don't see one like this. The rare cases can be translated according to a normal meaning for the verb. They don't require that one shift "he created" to "his creating." It does not even seem possible to render the words in Gen 1:1 using a normal sense for the perfect verb according to your model. Let me give some of the examples to show you what I mean, putting the relevant words in caps:

Lev 14:46: And the one entering into his house all THE DAYS HE HAS SHUT it UP will be unclean until evening.

HH: The same sort of thing occurs in 1 Sam 25:15.

Is. 15:1 The burden of Moab. Indeed in the NIGHT Ar of Moab IS LAID WASTE, it is ruined; indeed, in the NIGHT Kir of Moab IS LAID WASTE, it is ruined;

Is. 29:1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, THE CITY DAVID ENCAMPED. Add year to year. Let feasts come round.

Jer 48:6b because THE RICHES HE MADE have perished.

HH: Can you do something similar in Gen 1:1?


About the perfect tense: syntactic study has shown that the perfect
tense is quite often used in subordinate clauses in similar situations
as here in Gen 1,1-3. It is not misleading to say that we would here
expect an imperfect consecutive to be the first predicate.


HH: But that's not what you said. Here's what you said:

The words "[b-reshit] bara" can't
really be the first predicate of the Tora, because it's a perfect (in
smichut), not an "imperfect consecutive"- form.

HH: Yes, they really can be the first predicate of the Torah. A perfect verb is the first predicate in Ezra.

The imperfect consecutive does not necessarily mark continuation,
because the "and" part here is not a temporal marker, it only plays a
syntactic role.


HH: That's questionable. The syntactic function probably relates to the basic function of the imperfect consecutive, while involves consecution.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard




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