Rolf,
I wonder whether you are accepting an assumption about Hebrew without subjecting it to scrutiny. Please correct me if I'm wrong in how I'm reading you:
You ask whether WAYYIQTOL represents past tense. However, in asking this, are you importing the standard convention of Indo-European languages, which tell stories in past tense? That is, how do you know that Hebrew tells stories with a basic past reference? How do you know that Hebrew doesn't tell stories in present tense, such that WAYYIQTOL is effectively a present tense?
Feel free either to answer, question, or go to town on me.
Regards,
GEORGE ATHAS
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
www.moore.edu.au
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