Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Michael Abernathy <mabernathy AT conwaycorp.net>]

Tense and aspect
After reading some of the recent comments concerning the Hebrew tenses 
it occurred to me that even American English is not as clearly tense 
related as we generally think. For example, the simple present does not 
refer to time as much as it does to habitual action. Consider the 
following sentences:
I play hockey.
I shop at the mall.
I drive to work.
In the second person, the simple present either indicates habitual 
action or the imperative.
Using any of these phrases to mean that the action is current would be odd.
“I am playing hockey,” usually indicates present action but it could be 
used in narrative to indicate a past action, incipient action, or 
determination to play hockey.
“I will” or “I shall” can indicate a simple future tense or emphatic.
It seems reasonable to assume that Hebrew has both tense and aspect and 
that either one may be the dominant feature due to the context or the 
time it was used.
Instead of debating which view is correct, it may be more profitable to 
see what if any factors may be most consistent with aspect and what 
suggests tense.
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy