Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Joseph Justiss <jljustiss AT msn.com>]

John

I'm not sure if it amounts to an emerging consensus, but there are more and 
more works which are departing from the traditional historical comparative 
explanations of the waw consecutive forms and depending rather upon a purely 
text-linguistic approach to the verbal forms which seeks to explain their 
function in BH texts. I think the newer approach is logically more sound 
because it doesn't start with any presuppositions about function and then 
assign those functions to a BH verbal forms. Rather it begins with BH forms 
and seeks to describe their function in the text. Here is a very manageable 
article defining the issue and comparing Niccacci's approach to describing 
wayyiqtol's function with Waltke O'connor's approach. I found it most helpful 
and I think you will for what you're looking for.

http://www.reference-global.com/doi/abs/10.1515/ZAW.2009.028

Joe Justiss