Biblical Hebrew Forum

[James Spinti <jspinti AT eisenbrauns.com>]

Barry,

In addition to John Cook's book, you might want to check out Joosten's new 
book on the Hebrew verb:
The Verbal System of Biblical Hebrew: A New Synthesis Elaborated on the Basis 
of Classical Prose
by Jan Joosten 
Jerusalem Biblical Studies - JBS 10
Simor, Ltd., 2012 

The Hebrew verbal system is the subject of a large amount of disagreement 
right now, so finding a consensus will be difficult…but I would say that 
most/all would agree with you that there is no "prophetic perfect" encoding. 
The context is what determines the interpretation.

HTH,
James
________________________________
James Spinti
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On Dec 2, 2012, at 2:03 AM, George Athas wrote:

> Barry,
> 
> I'm with you. I don't think there is such a thing as a prophetic perfect. 
> However, I think this because I do not believe that the Qatal is encoded 
> for perfective aspect. I would instead argue for it encoding a 'definite' 
> (as opposed to indefinite) aspect. Its functional usage usually refers to 
> the past, but this is not intrinsic to the verb form itself. Rather, it has 
> to do with its syntax and context. The Qatal breaks momentum in a 
> narrative, and this is usually caused by a break in the narrative to give 
> some significant information (usually something in the past). However, the 
> Qatal in and of itself doesn't preclude the possibility of the verb 
> referring to the future. However, given its functional usage, this would be 
> highly irregular.
> 
> You should check out the new book on the Hebrew verb by John Cook published 
> by Eisenbrauns (though I disagree with John's perfective–imperfective 
> aspect polarity), as well as articles by Alexander Andrason.
> 
> 
> GEORGE ATHAS
> Dean of Research,
> Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
> Sydney, Australia
> 
> 
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