Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Vadim,
Do you mean Exo 20:24-25? I am guessing that adamah can include stone.

Sincerely,
-Steve Miller
Detroit
www.voiceInWilderness.info
Thou hast seen it; for their mischief
and spite Thou wilt repay:
The wretch commits himself to Thee.
Thou art the orphan's stay. (Ps10:14)


-----Original Message-----
From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Vadim Cherny
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 2:57 PM
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [b-hebrew] Future anterior tense in Tanakh

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