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  • From: Vadim Cherny <vadimcherny AT gmail.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Future anterior tense in Tanakh
  • Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:57:20 +0200

Genesis 20:20-21 has always bothered me. How come that God cannot make his mind on the most important issue, whether the altar should be of earth or stone? Just after explicitly commanding to make the altar of earth, he says, "And if you would make an altar of stone." That makes no sense.

One possibility is that Gen20:20 employs future anterior tense ("I shall have done the job when you arrive"). In such structure, weqatal would be past participle. With suitable ellipse, the text would mean that WHEN Hebrews start bringing sacrifices (near future), they must build an altar of earth to accommodate for those ad hoc offerings. And when (later) they will build a stone altar, it must be made of unhewn stones.

Vadim Cherny



  • [b-hebrew] Future anterior tense in Tanakh, Vadim Cherny, 02/27/2010

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