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  • From: "Rolf" <rolf.furuli AT sf-nett.no>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Tense
  • Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:55:42 +0100


Dear List-memebers,

The concluding words John Cook's review of my dissertations are:

"Although Furuli's study of the Hebrew verb is novel, it is little more than
a novelty. His theory rests
on a faulty linguistic understanding of tense-aspect- mood, he has conflated
semantics, pragmatics, and
contextual clues, and he misunderstands many of the Hebrew examples he cites."

In contrast with John's words, Elizabeth R. Hayes in her review says
(http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+New+Understanding+of+the+Verbal+System+of+Classical+Hebrew%3A+an...-a0186861761):

"While not all will agree with Furuli's conclusions regarding the status of
the wayyiqtol as an imperfective form, his well-argued thesis contributes
towards advancing methodology in Hebrew scholarship."

And John Kaltner said:
http://www.google.no/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEYQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bookreviews.org%2Fpdf%2F5564_5860.pdf&ei=DvHKUJS0GeuL4gTUrIHYBA&usg=AFQjCNHi0y6Tylwg2XOFKNprX770CstPhg&bvm=bv.1355325884,d.bGE

"Semantic considerations have long dominated in treatments of the Hebrew
verbal system, and Furuli’s call to take into account pragmatic factors is an
important one that is worth considering. How his alternative model will be
received remains to be seen, but at the very least his work might encourage
some to think of more than just semantics when trying to understand the
Hebrew verb."

It is worth comparing these two reviews with John's review; particularly
their tone is different, and that is true with the presentation and
conclusions as well.


Now I will compare YIQTOLs with WAYYIQTOLs. I argue that the element that
carries the action forward in the sequence of events that constitue a
narrative, is not the verb, but the prefixed conjunction of the verb: AND he
did that.. AND she did that, AND... Further I argue that WAYYIQTOL is a
YIQTOL with prefixed WAW, and therefore we expect that YIQTOLs can be used
in past settings when they are preceded by a word element that prevents the
YIQTOL to have a prefixed WAW. This is exactly what we find!


SOME EXAMPLES WITH PAST SETTING:


2 Kings 3:24-26: 4 YIQTOLs, 1 WEQATAL, 7 WAYYIQTOLs

1 KIngs 13:33: 1 QATAL,2 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 YIQTOL, 1, 1 WEYIQTOL

Hosea 12:5: 3 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 QATAL, 2 YIQTOLs

Nehemiah 9:27: 2 WAYYIQTOLs, 2 YIQTOLs, 1WEYIQTOL

1 Samuel13:17, 18: 1 WAYYIQTOL, 3 WAYYIQTOLs

2 Chronicle 25:14: 3 WAYYIQTOLs, 2 YIQTOLs

2 Samuel 12:3: 1 QATAL, 3 WAYYIQTOLs, 3 YIQTOLs

2 Kings 8:22: 1 WAYYIQTOL, 1 YIQTOL (same root)

Judges 9:38: 1 WAYYIQTOL, 1 YIQTOL

Isaiah 39:3 1 WAYYIQTOL, 1 YIQTOL, 1 QATAL (of BW() and 1 WAYYIQTOL, 1 QATAL

1 Kings 3:15, 16: 5 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 YIQTOL

Joshua 10:11, 12: 2 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 QATAL, 1 YIQTOL

2 Kings 16:4,5: 3 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 YIQTOL

2 Samuel 12:31: 2 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 QATAL, 1 WEQATAL, 1 YIQTOL

2 Samuel 15:6: 2WAYYIQTOLs, 1 YIQTOL

Genesis 48:17 3 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 YIQTOL

1 Chronicle 1:8: 2 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 YIQTOL

Genesis 29:2. 1 WAYYIQTOL, 1 YIQTOL

Genesis 37:7: 1 WAYYIQTOL, 1 YIQTOL

2 Samuel 17:17. 3 WAYYIQTOLs, 2 YIQTOLs

Judges 6:4: 2 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 YIQTOL

Daniel 12:8: 1 QATAL, 1 YIQTOL, 1 WAYYYIQTOL

2 Samuel 22:39. 3 WAYYIQTOLs, 1 YIQTOL

2 Samuel 2:28: 2 WAYYITOLs, 1 YIQTOL

Ezra 10:8: 2 YIQTOLs

1 Samuel 1:13: 1 YIQTOL, 1 WAYYIQTOL

I argue that the WAYYIQTOLs and the YIQTOLs represent the same form, and that
the prefix-difference is pragmatic, that is, the reason why the YIQTOLs do
not have a prefixed WAW is in most cases that they are preceded by another
element that prevents a WAW from being prefixed.

Conclusion: When the same Ugaritic verb form (conjugation) can have both past
and future reference ( as shown in my last post), why cannot the same Hebrew
verb form have both past and future reference?


Best regards,


Rolf Furuli
Stvern
Norway











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