Qatal vs Wayyiqtol in Judges 18:17
Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 10:35 pm
What is the significance of the 2 qatals in Judges 18:17?
The verse starts with a wayyiqtol placing this in the common historical narrative discourse genre, i.e. the narrator recounting to us the reader some events that happened in the past. Then it’s followed by 2 phrases each starting with a qatal, בָּאוּ and לָקְחוּ respectively. Neither qatal is preceded by a waw. Also neither is preceded by an “X” element so nothing is being topicalized. So my question is why would the author NOT use wayyiqtols here? Or to put it another way, how would the sense be different if the author DID use wayyiqtols here in place of the qatals? All the English translations I could find translate the qatals in this verse the same way one would translate wayyiqtols, namely as two events that follow in sequence after the initial wayyiqtol, i.e. “they went up… they went in… they took…”. Does anyone know how we should read these qatals?
Note that in the following verse (Judges 18:18), the first clause is off-line with an X-qatal element, followed by 2 wayyiqtols and the verse gives us more detail about how the events of verse 17 occurred. I’m not sure if the recapitulation in verse 18 of the events in verse 17 would influence a writer’s choice of verb form in verse 17. Maybe there is no connection here but I thought I’d just point out the possibility.
Maniwaki, QC, Canada
http://www.animatedhebrew.com
The verse starts with a wayyiqtol placing this in the common historical narrative discourse genre, i.e. the narrator recounting to us the reader some events that happened in the past. Then it’s followed by 2 phrases each starting with a qatal, בָּאוּ and לָקְחוּ respectively. Neither qatal is preceded by a waw. Also neither is preceded by an “X” element so nothing is being topicalized. So my question is why would the author NOT use wayyiqtols here? Or to put it another way, how would the sense be different if the author DID use wayyiqtols here in place of the qatals? All the English translations I could find translate the qatals in this verse the same way one would translate wayyiqtols, namely as two events that follow in sequence after the initial wayyiqtol, i.e. “they went up… they went in… they took…”. Does anyone know how we should read these qatals?
Note that in the following verse (Judges 18:18), the first clause is off-line with an X-qatal element, followed by 2 wayyiqtols and the verse gives us more detail about how the events of verse 17 occurred. I’m not sure if the recapitulation in verse 18 of the events in verse 17 would influence a writer’s choice of verb form in verse 17. Maybe there is no connection here but I thought I’d just point out the possibility.
Verse 17
וַֽיַּעֲל֞וּ חֲמֵ֣שֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הַהֹלְכִים֮ לְרַגֵּ֣ל אֶת־הָאָרֶץ֒
בָּ֣אוּ שָׁ֔מָּה
לָקְח֗וּ אֶת־הַפֶּ֙סֶל֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣אֵפ֔וֹד וְאֶת־הַתְּרָפִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַמַּסֵּכָ֑ה
וְהַכֹּהֵ֗ן נִצָּב֙ פֶּ֣תַח הַשַּׁ֔עַר
וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵא֣וֹת הָאִ֔ישׁ הֶחָג֖וּר כְּלֵ֥י הַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃
Verse 18
וְאֵ֗לֶּה בָּ֚אוּ בֵּ֣ית מִיכָ֔ה
וַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־פֶּ֣סֶל הָאֵפ֔וֹד וְאֶת־הַתְּרָפִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַמַּסֵּכָ֑ה
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן מָ֥ה אַתֶּ֖ם עֹשִֽׂים׃
Charles Grebeוַֽיַּעֲל֞וּ חֲמֵ֣שֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הַהֹלְכִים֮ לְרַגֵּ֣ל אֶת־הָאָרֶץ֒
בָּ֣אוּ שָׁ֔מָּה
לָקְח֗וּ אֶת־הַפֶּ֙סֶל֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣אֵפ֔וֹד וְאֶת־הַתְּרָפִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַמַּסֵּכָ֑ה
וְהַכֹּהֵ֗ן נִצָּב֙ פֶּ֣תַח הַשַּׁ֔עַר
וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵא֣וֹת הָאִ֔ישׁ הֶחָג֖וּר כְּלֵ֥י הַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃
Verse 18
וְאֵ֗לֶּה בָּ֚אוּ בֵּ֣ית מִיכָ֔ה
וַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־פֶּ֣סֶל הָאֵפ֔וֹד וְאֶת־הַתְּרָפִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַמַּסֵּכָ֑ה
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן מָ֥ה אַתֶּ֖ם עֹשִֽׂים׃
Maniwaki, QC, Canada
http://www.animatedhebrew.com