I was looking at 1 Sam 19:1 this morning and came across DBR followed by an
Infinitive Construct with L. My first inclination was to read the
infinitive clause as an indirect discourse clause (where the original
statement was an imperative or cohortative), but I couldn't remember any
grammars ever listing such a function for the infinitive construct (I later
checked W-O'C, GKC, DHS and found nothing).
The NIV, and most others evidently (!?!) understand it as an indirect
discourse clause: "Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to
kill David.", but I'm not exactly sure what the NRSV thinks is going on
syntactically: "Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants
about killing David."
Would Deut 1:14; 19:8; 2Ki 14:27 be other examples of Indirect Discourse
after DBR ?
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Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D.
Research Professor in Biblical Languages Multnomah Bible College
8435 NE Glisan Street Portland, OR 97220
Voice: 503-251-6416 FAX:503-251-6478 E-Mail: dalemw AT teleport.com
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Indirect Discourse Infinitive,
Dale M. Wheeler, 02/10/2000