Isaac Fried wrote:
R.J. Furuli wrote
In Hebrew there are a great number of examples showing that wayyiqtol represents the imperfective aspect: conative, ingressive, progressive, egressive, and resultative events are expressed by wayyiqtol. In my doctoral dissertation there are more than 200 examples of this.
Some actual Hebrew wayyiqtol examples would go a long way towards helping explain all these claims. It is not easy to argue with sweeping generalities and abstractions.
Dear Isaac,
In many cases, it is not possible to see which side of the action a
wayyiqtol makes visible. Therefore, we need examples where we on the basis of the context or of our knowledge of the world can understand what is made visible. Here comes a few examples indicating that the
wayyiqtols represent the imperfective aspect:
CONATIVE. EXODUS 8:14:
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֨ן הַחַרְטֻמִּ֧ים בְּלָטֵיהֶ֛ם לְהוֹצִ֥יא אֶת־הַכִּנִּ֖ים וְלֹ֣א יָכֹ֑לוּ
And the magic-practicing priests tried to do (
wayyiqtol) the same by their secret arts, in order to bring forth gnats, but they were unable (
qatal).
The text explicitly says tha the priests were not able to bring forth gnats. Therefore, the
wayyiqtol is conative. This means that a portion before the beginning of an event is made visibe; RT intersects ET before the beginning.
INGRESSIVE 1 Kings 6:1:
וַיְהִ֣י בִשְׁמוֹנִ֣ים שָׁנָ֣ה וְאַרְבַּ֣ע מֵא֣וֹת שָׁנָ֡ה לְצֵ֣את בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל מֵאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם֩ בַּשָּׁנָ֨ה הָרְבִיעִ֜ית בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ זִ֗ו הוּ֚א הַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י לִמְלֹ֥ךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּ֥בֶן הַבַּ֖יִת לַיהוָֽה׃
And it happened (
wayyiqtol) in the 480th year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt…Solomon… began to build (
wayyiqtol) the house of Yehowa.
Our knowledge of the world tells us that it took more than one year to build the temple. Therefore, the beginning and a small part of progressive action is made visible; RT intersects ET at the beginning, and the situation is ingressive.
PROGRESSIVE 2 Samuel 16:13:
וַ
יֵּ֧לֶךְ דָּוִ֛ד וַאֲנָשָׁ֖יו בַּדָּ֑רֶךְ ס וְשִׁמְעִ֡י הֹלֵךְ֩ בְּצֵ֨לַע הָהָ֜ר לְעֻמָּת֗וֹ הָלוֹךְ֙ וַיְקַלֵּ֔ל וַיְסַקֵּ֤ל בָּֽאֲבָנִים֙ לְעֻמָּת֔וֹ וְעִפַּ֖ר בֶּעָפָֽר׃
With that David and his men kept going (
wayyiqtol) on in the road, while Shimei was walking (
participle) on the side of the mountain, walking abreast of him that he might call down evil (
wayyiqtol); and he kept throwing stones (
wayyiqtol) while abreast of him, and he threw (
qatal) a lot of dust.
While David and his men continued to go, Shimei was walking on the other side and kept throwing stones. RT intersects ET in the middle of the acts of going and throwing stones, and progressive action is made visible.
EGRESSIVE Genesis 47:29:
וַיִּקְרְב֣וּ יְמֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֘ל לָמוּת֒
Gradually the days were approaching (
wayyiqtol) for Israel to die (
infinitive).
The RT intersects ET immediately before its end, and egressive action is seen; the days were progressing towards the end.
RESULTATIVE Joshua 7:6:
וַיִּקְרַ֨ע יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ שִׂמְלֹתָ֗יו וַיִּפֹּל֩ עַל־פָּנָ֨יו אַ֜רְצָה לִפְנֵ֨י אֲר֤וֹן יְהוָה֙ עַד־הָעֶ֔רֶב
At this Joshua was ripping (
wayyiqtol) his mantles and fell (
wayyiqtol) upon his face to the earth before the ark of Yehowa until the evening.
The end of the action of falling upon his face to the earth was completed, and the resultant state of Joshua lying on the earth until the evening is made visible by the
wayyiqtol. Thus, RT intersect ET after the end of the action and in the resultant state,
Best regards,
Rolf J. Furuli
Stavern
Norway