Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com>]

Cherny katav
>I don't see anything questionable about those verbs,
>...
>Veshavti should be read literally, "and + past tense", and denotes a
>highly assured prediction, which is practically done. >


(Without discussing whether or not veqatal has grammaticalized into
its own form within the BH system)
this particular form is quite peculiar. Here is a footnote from
Living Biblical Hebrew, v. 3, p.103:

 וְשַׁבְתִּי  This form is technically the sequential future tense of
לָשׁוּב "to return" and would mean "and I will return".
        However, such a verb would not be expected to be used with the
following preposition ב "in, within". לָשׁוּב expects אֶל to. The
natural and expected verb with ב "in" is וְיָשַׁבְתִּי and "I will
stay, sit". The consonants are also identical with another
possibility: וְשִׁבְתִּי and my sitting, from the infinitive לָשֶׁًבֶת
"to sit" plus the suffix "my". This may be an example of a mixed
vocalization. That is, the consonantal text refers to וְשִׁבְתִּי "and
my sitting" but the vocalization is intended to recall the full finite
verb וְיָשַׁבְתִּًי "and I will sit".
        RECOMMENDED: memorize the text as is, but interpret וְשַׁבְתִּי as
equivalent to both וְשִׁבְתִּי and וְיָשַׁבְתִּًי. See Paul Joüon, A
Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, 2 volumes, translated and revised by
Takamitsu Muraoka (Rome, Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1991), par. 16g,
on “mixed readings”.



-- 
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
randallbuth AT gmail.com
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