Biblical Hebrew Forum

["B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>]

Dear Peter, see below:

Peter Kirk wrote:
> On 08/03/2007 15:08, B. M. Rocine wrote:
> > ...
> >
> > I see that David uses a string of qatals (or weqatals) in 1 Sam 
> > 17:34-36.  Traditionally, the string is considered to be repetitive 
> > action in the past for which weqatal is a conventional choice.  
> > However, In my book, I suggest that David is indeed telling a story 
> > (see _Learning BH_ pp. 345-347).  However, I suggest he is telling a 
> > story in an unconventional way in a very special circumstance.  
> > Essentially, he is telling a story using the conventions of 
> > expository discourse in order to apply for a job.  He is basically 
> > giving Saul his resume.  I am not ashamed for bringing such a 
> > literary consideration into a linguistic discussion.
> >
> >   
> Do you mean that David is telling what happened once but deliberately 
> making it sound as if this was commonplace, something which he did all 
> the time? I'm sure that sort of thing happens when people write resumes.
No.  There are actually enough technicalities in the text to disqualify 
it as a procedural discourse, one which recounts repeated action in the 
past.

David, rather than tell a story about the time he killed a lion using 
the conventional string of wayyiqtols, uses a string of weqatals 
referring to one-off events.  He does so to highlight the kind of person 
he is rather than what happened once with a lion (and again with a 
bear).   If you recall, I view the qatal and weqatal as a peculiar brand 
of perfective aspect, as attributive or adjectival.  For instance:

1 Sam 17:35 veyatsa'ti 'axarayv vehikkitiyv vehitstsaltiy mippiyv

READ:  I was a going-out-kind-of-guy after him and I was a 
smiting-kind-of-guy of him and I was a delivering-kind-of-guy from his 
mouth.

(I am *not* trying to translate here.  I am trying to represent a 
concept for the the b-hebrew list.)

David is speaking skillfully to secure a chance to challenge Goliath.  
IOW, he is applying for a job, and he wants to express that he is just 
the *kind of guy* that Israel is looking for. 

I likened David's speech to a "resume."  This is because in a resume in 
English, one might highlight that he is the right kind of guy for a job 
by describing  himself: "I am a team-player..." rather than recounting: 
"I teamed with..." 

Shalom,
Bryan

--
B.M. Rocine
Living Word Church
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