An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

pointing. For example, there is an important difference between ‘he was reigning’ and
‘he was being made king’ with regard to the internal structure of the situation. In the
second case, there eventually comes a point at which the subject enters the state
described by ‘being made king’ (cf. Dan 9:1). One can inspect the first situation at
any point and find the same action occurring, but inspecting the second at selected
intervals before the terminal point would reveal different actions in progress. The first
situation (‘was reigning’), in contrast to the second, has no goal in view. Situations
like ‘was reigning’ are named atelic, those like ‘being made king,’ telic. Bernard
Comrie comments, “A telic situation is one that involves a process [within a
perfective situation] that leads up to a well-defined terminal point, beyond which the
process cannot continue.” 5 The perfective form may signify the attainment of the
terminal point of the telic situation.
7. ׃ךָיר֫ ֶ ָבד ְבּ
ִ יתא ִ ָ֫ב־ינִ אֲ וַ And I came in response to your words.
Dan 10:12
30.2.2 Syntactic Variation
a The perfective form, representing a situation as a single whole, cannot by itself
represent internal structuring; however, by means of modifiers a single event can be
unfolded into parts.
1. הז־ל ֶ א ֶ הז ֶ ברַ ק־אֹ ָ לוְ ׃ה ָלְי ָלּה־ל ַ ָכּ
And the one did not approach the other all night long.
Exod 14:20
The single situation in which the pillar of cloud stood between the two opposing
armies of Israel and Egypt is broken up in space by הז . . . הז,
and in time by
ֵ ִ֫ ֵ ֵ ְ
ֶ ֫ ֶ ֫ ָ ְ
הלילה־לכּ. Similarly, רקבבּ רקבבּ. in the next example extends the action in view.
2. דוֹע וי ָלא וּאיבה םהו ׃רקֹבּ ַבּ רקֹבּ ַבּ ה ָבד נ
And they continued to bring to him freewill offerings
every morning.
Exod 36:3
[Page 483] b Sometimes a perfective situation is represented by a point (.) in contrast
to an imperfective situation, which is represented by either a series of points (…) or a
line (_____). Comrie suggests rather that we view the perfective situation as a blob:
Since the notion of a point seems to preclude internal complexity, a more helpful metaphor
would perhaps be to say that the perfective reduces a situation to a blob, rather than to a point:
a blob is a three-dimensional object, and can therefore have internal complexity, although it is
nonetheless a single object with clearly circumscribed limits. 6
30.2.3 Stative versus Fientive
5 Comrie, Aspect, 45.
6 Comrie, Aspect, 18.