History of the Hebrew Language by David Steinberg

Edition 1.

20 September 2011

Observations on Tenses in Archaizing Poetry

by David Steinberg

David.Steinberg@houseofdavid.ca

Home page http://www.houseofdavid.ca/

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See Tenses or Aspects in Biblical Hebrew

Note that in most instances, in the following examples, the general context of meaning, together with the preceeding or succeeding SC_past[1] (sometimes also PC_pretWC) in the same verse make identification of verb as PC_{pret_sim}probable.

Table D

PC_{pret_sim}and SC in the Same Verse Referring to the Past

Chapt./Vs. of Hebrew Text	*PC and SC Verbs Indicating Time Reference* (Reconstructed JEH Style Spelling; */EBHP/⁺; n.b. EBHP PC_pret and PC_jus were identical.)	*English Translation(s)*[2]	*Masoretic* *Text*^{^[3]}
*A) Preterite and Jussive Distinguished from* *PC_imp* in **/EBHP/by the Placement of Stress***
Ex 15:16	PC_{pret_sim} - past תפל - ˈtippul (:tipˈpul PC_imp) ידמו - Stress not distinctive in this form. יעבר - ˈyi^cbur (:yi^cˈbur PC_imp) SC_past - past (קנת)	Terror and dread fell upon them; by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone until your people, O LORD, passed by, until the people whom you acquired passed by.	תִּפֹּל עֲלֵיהֶם אֵימָתָה וָפַחַד בִּגְדֹל זְרֹועֲךָ יִדְּמוּ כָּאָבֶן עַד־יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ יְהוָה עַד־יַעֲבֹר עַם־זוּ קָנִיתָ
Dt 32:27	PC_{pret_sim} - past אגר ˈʾagur (:ʾaˈguːr PC_imp) PC_jus – jussive (ינכרו יאמרו). Identical form in PC_{pret_sim} and PC_imp. SC_past - past (פעל)	but I feared provocation by the enemy, for their adversaries might misunderstand and say, "Our hand is triumphant; it was not the LORD who did all this."	לוּלֵי כַּעַס אֹויֵב אָגוּר פֶּן־יְנַכְּרוּ צָרֵימֹו פֶּן־יֹאמְרוּ יָדֵינוּ רָמָה וְלֹא יְהוָה פָּעַל כָּל־זֹאת
Ju 5:17	SC_past - past (שכנ ישב) PC_{pret_sim} - past יגר - ˈyagur (:yaˈguːr PC_imp) ישכנ - ˈyiškun (:yišˈkun PC_imp)	Gilead remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And remained by its landings.	גִּלְעָד בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן שָׁכֵן וְדָן לָמָּה [4]יָגוּר אֳנִיֹּות אָשֵׁר יָשַׁב לְחֹוף יַמִּים וְעַל מִפְרָצָיו יִשְׁכֹּון
2Sam 1:22	SC_past - past (נשג) PC_{pret_sim}- past - תשב - ˈtašub (:taˈšuːb PC_imp)	From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, nor the sword of Saul return empty.	מִדַּם חֲלָלִים מֵחֵלֶב גִּבֹּורִים קֶשֶׁת יְהֹונָתָן לֹא נָשֹׂוג אָחֹור וְחֶרֶב שָׁאוּל לֹא [5]תָשׁוּב רֵיקָם׃
*B) Preterite,* *PC_jus and PC_imp. Identical in* **/EBHP/*
Ex 15:5	PC_{pret_sim} - past (יכסימו). SC_past - past (ירדו)	The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.	תְּהֹמֹת יְכַסְיֻמוּ יָרְדוּ בִמְצֹולֹת כְּמֹו־אָבֶן
Ex 15:12	Table A SC_past - past – נטת. PC_{pret_sim}- past - תבלעמו - tiblaˈ^cimō. Identical form in PC_jus and PC_imp_.	You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.	נָטִיתָ יְמִינְךָ תִּבְלָעֵמֹו אָרֶץ
Ex 15:14	Table A SC_past - past (שמעו אחז) PC_{pret_sim} - past (ירגזנ). Identical form in PC_imp.	The peoples heard, they trembled; pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.	שָׁמְעוּ עַמִּים יִרְגָּזוּן חִיל אָחַז יֹשְׁבֵי פְּלָשֶׁת׃
Ex 15:15	Table A SC_past - past (נבהלו נמגו) PC_{pret_sim}- past - יאחזמו - yôḫịˈzimō. Identical form in PC_jus and PC_imp.	Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; trembling seized the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.	אָז נִבְהֲלוּ אַלּוּפֵי אֱדֹום אֵילֵי מֹואָב יֹאחֲזֵמֹו רָעַד נָמֹגוּ כֹּל יֹשְׁבֵי כְנָעַן׃
Dt 32:17	PC_{pret_sim} - past (יזבחו). SC_past - past (באו ידעמ שערמ)	They sacrificed to demons, not God, to deities they had never known, to new ones recently arrived, whom your ancestors had not feared.	יִזְבְּחוּ לַשֵּׁדִים לֹא אֱלֹהַ אֱלֹהִים לֹא יְדָעוּם חֲדָשִׁים מִקָּרֹב בָּאוּ לֹא שְׂעָרוּם אֲבֹתֵיכֶם׃
Dt 32:18	Table A , Table C, Table E SC_past - past (ילדכ) PC_{pret_sim}- past תשי ˈtišy (:tiˈšê PC_imp) PC_pretWC[6] - past ( ותשכח ) - watˈtiškaḥ (:wạtišˈkaḥ PC_imp:wạˈtiškaḥ PC_jus)	You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.	צוּר יְלָדְךָ [7]תֶּשִׁי וַתִּשְׁכַּח אֵל מְחֹלְלֶךָ
Dt 33:8	Table A SC_past - past (אמר נסתה) PC_{pret_sim} - past (תרבהו).	Of Levi he said, "Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man, whom You proved at Massah, with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah	וּלְלֵוִי אָמַר תֻּמֶּיךָ וְאוּרֶיךָ לְאִישׁ חֲסִידֶךָ אֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתֹו בְּמַסָּה תְּרִיבֵהוּ עַל־מֵי מְרִיבָה
Dt 33:9	Table A SC_past - past (אמר נסתה) ינצרו could be read as either: PC_{pret_sim}_,OR PC_{imp_pdur} which are identical in form.	who said of his father and mother, "I regard them not"; he ignored his kin, and did not acknowledge his children. For they observed your word, and kept your covenant.	הָאֹמֵר לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמֹּו לֹא רְאִיתִיו וְאֶת־אֶחָיו לֹא הִכִּיר וְאֶת־ [בָּנֹו כ] (בָּנָיו ק) לֹא יָדָע כִּי שָׁמְרוּ אִמְרָתֶךָ וּבְרִיתְךָ יִנְצֹרוּ
Ju 5:6	Table A ילכו (/EBHP/ yiˈlịkū) could be read as PC_{imp_pdur}or as PC_{pret_sim} which are identical in form.	In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, caravans ceased and travelers kept to the byways.	בִּימֵי שַׁמְגַּר בֶּן־עֲנָת בִּימֵי יָעֵל חָדְלוּ אֳרָחֹות וְהֹלְכֵי נְתִיבֹות יֵלְכוּ אֳרָחֹות עֲקַלְקַלֹּות
Ju 5:17	Table A SC_past - past (שכנ ישב) PC_{pret_sim} - past יגר - ˈyagur (:yaˈguːr PC_imp) ישכנ - (:lō -taˈboːʾ PC_imp)	Gilead remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And remained by its landings.	גִּלְעָד בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן שָׁכֵן וְדָן לָמָּה [8]יָגוּר אֳנִיֹּות אָשֵׁר יָשַׁב לְחֹוף יַמִּים וְעַל מִפְרָצָיו יִשְׁכֹּון
Ju 5:26	PC_{pret_sim} - past (תשלחנה). Identical form in PC_jus and PC_imp. SC_past - past (מחקה ומחצה וחלפה)	She reached out her hand for the tent peg, and her right hand for the workmen's hammer. Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head and she shattered and pierced his temple.	יָדָהּ לַיָּתֵד תִּשְׁלַחְנָה וִימִינָהּ לְהַלְמוּת עֲמֵלִים וְהָלְמָה סִיסְרָא מָחֲקָה רֹאשֹׁו וּמָחֲצָה וְחָלְפָה רַקָּתֹו