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 makes identification of verb as PC_{pret_sim}probable.

Table F

PC_{pret_sim}[1]without PC_pretWC or SC in the Same Verse Referring to the Past

Chapter & Verse of Hebrew Text	*Comments and Time Reference* (Reconstructed JEH Style Spelling; */EBHP/⁺where stress phonemic)	*English Translation(s)*[2]	*Masoretic* *Text*^{^[3]}
*A) PC_{pret_sim} and Jussive Distinguished from the* *PC_imp* in **/EBHP/⁺by the of Stress*
Ex 15:6	PC_{pret_sim} (past) תרעץ - ˈtir^caṣ (:tirˈ^caṣ PC_imp)	Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power-- your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy	יְמִינְךָ יְהוָה נֶאְדָּרִי בַּכֹּחַ יְמִינְךָ יְהוָה תִּרְעַץ אֹויֵב
Ex 15:7	PC_{pret_sim} (past) תהרס - ˈtihrus (:tihˈrus PC_imp) תשלח - tạˈšallịḥ (:tạšalˈlịḥ PC_imp) יאכלמו - yôkịˈlimō - Stress not distinctive in this form.	In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries; you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.	וּבְרֹב גְּאֹונְךָ תַּהֲרֹס קָמֶיךָ תְּשַׁלַּח חֲרֹנְךָ יֹאכְלֵמֹו כַּקַּשׁ
Dt 32:8	PC_{pret_sim} (past) יצב - ˈyaṣṣib (:yaṣˈṣiːb PC_imp)	"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel.	בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיֹון גֹּויִם בְּהַפְרִידֹו בְּנֵי אָדָם יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
Dt 32:11	PC_imp(present) יער - yaˈ^ciːr (:ˈya^cir PC_jus/PC_{pret_sim}) ירחפ - yạraḥˈḥip (:yạˈraḥḥip PC_jus/ PC_{pret_sim}) PC_{pret_sim} יפרש - ˈyipruś (:yipˈruś PC_imp) ישאהו יקחהו - Stress not distinctive in this form.	1.[4] "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. 2. As an eagle stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young; as it spreads its wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on its pinions,	כְּנֶשֶׁר יָעִיר קִנֹּו עַל־גֹּוזָלָיו יְרַחֵף יִפְרֹשׂ כְּנָפָיו יִקָּחֵהוּ יִשָּׂאֵהוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתֹו
Dt 32:14	PC_{pret_sim} (past) - תשת - ˈtišt (:tišˈtê PC_imp)	curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs and rams; Bashan bulls and goats, together with the choicest wheat-- you drank fine wine from the blood of grapes	חֶמְאַת בָּקָר וַחֲלֵב צֹאן עִם־חֵלֶב כָּרִים וְאֵילִים בְּנֵי־בָשָׁן וְעַתּוּדִים עִם־חֵלֶב כִּלְיֹות חִטָּה וְדַם־עֵנָב [5]תִּשְׁתֶּה־חָמֶר׃
Ju 5:8	PC_{pret_sim} (past)יבחר - ˈyibḥar (:yibˈḥar PC_imp) יראה- yirˈraʾê (:yirraˈʾê PC_imp)	He (Israel) chose new gods chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel. (My translation)	יִבְחַר אֱלֹהִים חֲדָשִׁים אָז לָחֶם שְׁעָרִים מָגֵן אִם־יֵרָאֶה וָרֹמַח בְּאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
*B) PC_{pret_sim}not Distinguished from the* PC_imp in */EBHP/⁺by the Placement of Stress
Nu 23:7b, c	PC_{pret_sim} (past) - ינחני	"From Aram Balak has brought me, Moab's king from the mountains of the East, `Come curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!'	מִן־אֲרָם יַנְחֵנִי בָלָק מֶלֶךְ־מֹואָב מֵהַרְרֵי־קֶדֶם לְכָה אָרָה־לִּי יַעֲקֹב וּלְכָה זֹעֲמָה יִשְׂרָאֵל
Dt 32:10	PC_{pret_sim} (past) - ימצאהו, יסבבנהו, יבננהו, יצרנהו	"He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.	יִמְצָאֵהוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמֹן יְסֹבְבֶנְהוּ יְבֹונְנֵהוּ יִצְּרֶנְהוּ כְּאִישֹׁון עֵינֹו
Dt 32:12	PC_{pret_sim} or PC_{imp_pdur}[6] (past) - ינחנו	the LORD alone guided him; no foreign god was with him.	יְהוָה בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ וְאֵין עִמֹּו אֵל נֵכָר
Dt 32:38	PC_{pret_sim} or PC_{imp_pdur}יאכלו, ישתו PC_jus יקמו - Stress not distinctive in this form. יהי - ˈyihy (:yihˈyê PC_imp)	who ate the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their libations? Let them rise up and help you, let them be your protection!	אֲשֶׁר חֵלֶב זְבָחֵימֹו יֹאכֵלוּ יִשְׁתּוּ יֵין נְסִיכָם יָקוּמוּ וְיַעְזְרֻכֶם יְהִי עֲלֵיכֶם סִתְרָה
Ju 5:30	PC_{pret_sim} (past) or or PC_i_{mp_prfu}_t (present)[7] which were identical in these cases. ימצאו יחלקו	'Have they not found/Are they not finding and divided/dividing the spoil?-- A girl or two for every man; spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera, spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered, two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?'	הֲלֹא יִמְצְאוּ יְחַלְּקוּ שָׁלָל רַחַם רַחֲמָתַיִם לְרֹאשׁ גֶּבֶר שְׁלַל צְבָעִים לְסִיסְרָא שְׁלַל צְבָעִים רִקְמָה צֶבַע רִקְמָתַיִם לְצַוְּארֵי שָׁלָל