Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

> From: Harold Holmyard
> Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 11:40 PM
> 
> HH: Yes, the verb can mean "was" or "became," but the best current
> scholarly thinking discounts the Gap Theory. One reason for this is that
> the sentence starts with the noun subject, which suggests that the
> statement is giving attendant circumstances. The second clause seems
> clearly to be doing this. It is verbless, implying "and darkness was
> over the surface of the deep." The third clause is the same way. It,
> too, is verbless, except for a participle, saying that "the Spirit of
> God was hovering over the surface of the water." In Hebrew when the
> clause starts with a noun and is verbless, it often is giving attendant
> circumstance. Here the attendant circumstances are to the fact that God
> created the heavens and earth. Since the last two clauses seem to be
> circumstantial, it is natural if the first clause is also
> circumstantial: "the earth was empty and void." This general description
> shows the starting point from which God's actions will develop the
> world. Other scholars may take a different position, but that is what I
> understand it to be saying.

[Steve Miller] When a sentence starts with "and <noun>" as in Gen 1:2, it
often indicates a break in the narrative as in Gen 2:5; 3:1; 4:1. The vast
majority of the sentences in narrative begin "and <verb>".

I thought that the 2nd and 3rd clauses of Gen 1:2 being verbless, just meant
that they inherit the verb from the 1st clause. I thought this was very
common in Biblical Hebrew.
 
Sincerely,
-Steve Miller
Detroit
www.voiceInWilderness.info
But when One stronger than Satan comes upon him and overcomes him, He takes
away his whole armor in which he had trusted and distributes his spoil.
(Luke 11:22)