To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Gen 26:13
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 22:14:11 -0400
Dear Dave, You wrote:
>
> In Gen 26:13 we seem to have a rogue weqatal, W:GFD"L.
The
> two preceding clauses are both wayyiqtol, the following
one
> (subordinated with a preposition) is qatal. I can't see
any reason
> why a weqatal would be between these. BHS suggests
repointing
> to W:GFDOL to make conjunction + adjective, but I'm not so
sure.
> It looks to me like this may be an example of qatal with
the simple
> conjunction rather than a weqatal, but I'm wondering what
others
> think. How does your approach to the verb system treat
this word?
>
It seems to be the week for Longacre! I mentioned him in my
discourse analysis of a chapter of Isaiah this week, and
Randall Buth mentioned him on the functions of pronominal
constructions. I'll mention him again on your question. He
has come up with a discourse function for a isolated weqatal
that interupts a wayyiqtol string. He says it marks a
pivitol/climactic event. See "Weqatal Forms in BH Prose: A
Discourse-modular Approach" in _BH and Discourse
Linguistics_ ed. Bergen.
I can also offer another exlanation for your particular
question. vegadel is not a weqatal at all; it is a m.s.
adjective. It is used as a substantive in conjunction with
halok so that we might "translate" vayelek halok vegadel `ad
ki gadal me'od very literally: "And he went a going and a
great(ness) until that he was very great." In standard
English I might say "He continued to increase until he was
very great."
Shalom,
Bryan
B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206