Title: The qatal verb form and the conjunction אוֹ in Biblical Hebrew
Abstract: When the disjunctive conjunction או ''(or)'' connects two verbal clauses, the form of the verb in the second clause seems to vary according to its proximity to the conjunction. This article examines all instances of clauses coordinated by או in the Hebrew Scriptures and discusses the observation that, when a verb immediately follows the conjunction, it is almost invariably a qatal form regardless of the form of the verb in the preceding coordinating clause. I argue that when a qatal verb immediately follows the או conjunction, it functions as a type of a default verb and that the tense and aspect of the או + qatal verb is derived from the tense-aspect of the previous coordinate clause to which it is conjoined. This conclusion naturally leads one to reflect on how או + qatal forms should be translated.
Publication Year: 2007
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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