Biblical Hebrew Forum

["JAMES CHRISTIAN READ" <JCR128 AT student.apu.ac.uk>]

HH:
NRSV: Gen. 3:20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother
of all living.

JCR: Yes. Gen 3:20 is interesting and complicated
because on reflection it doesn't seem as though Eve
actually has any children yet at this moment in the
prose so neither was nor had become seem to fit the
context but rather 'would become' would seem to better
fit the context.

Even more worthy of not would be Gen 2:22
כב ויאמר יהוה אלהים הן האדם היה כאחד ממנו לדעת טוב ורע ועתה פן ישלח ידו ולקח 
גם מעץ החיים ואכל וחי לעלם

The context seems to clearly demand 'had become' in
this case.