An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

Vanoni has studied the two most common existential verb forms. He alleges that יהְי ִ ו ַ
does not ordinarily introduce an independent temporal sentence in itself but is rather
synchronic with what follows, while הָיהָ ְ
ו usually has a deictic temporal function. 39
In this use the time is often specified by a temporal adverbial construction and
followed by another wəqataltí or by yqtl. In this construction wəqataltí signifies either
future time (## 6–9) or, in past time, imperfective aspect (## 10–12).
6. הזָ ח ָ ר ֶשׁ א ֲ ר ָבדּ ָ הַ
הָיהָ וְ
. . . וּהָי֫ ְע ַשְׁי
ןוֹכ ָנ םימָ ִ יּה ַ תירִ חֲ אַ ְבּ
הוהי־תיבּ ֵ רה ַ הֶיהִי ְ
7. ןנָ ָע ינִ ְנ ַע ְבּ הָיהָ וְ
התָ אֲ רְ ִנו ְ ץרֶ א֑ ָ֫
ה־ל ָ ַע
יתִּ ֫ רְ ַכזָ ו ְ ׃ןנָ
ָע ֶבּ ת ֶשׁ קֶּ֫ הַ
יתי ִ רִ ְבּ־תא ֶ
8. הוהי חי ַ נִ ה ָ םוֹיבּ ְ הָיהָ וְ
ל ָשׁ מָּ ה ַ תא ָ ָשׂ ֫ נָ וְ
. . . ךָ ְל
הזֶּ ה ַ
9. ןי ֵע־ל ַע ב ָצּ ִנ י ִכֹנ א ָ ה ֵנּהִ ה ָמ לְ ַעה ָ הָיהָ ו ְ םִימּ ֑ ָ֫
הַ
תא ֵצֹיּ ה ַ
10.
וֹל אֹ ל י ִכּ ןנָ וֹא עדַ ֵיּ֫ וַ
הָיהָ ו ְ ערַ זּ֑ ָ֫ה
ַ הֶיהִי ְ
ת ֶשׁ א־ל ֵ֫
א ֶ א ָבּ־םאִ תחֵ ִשׁ ו ְ ויחִ א ָ
11. ה ֶשֹׁמ תא ֵצ ְכּ הָיהָ וְ
וּמוּקָי ֫ להֶ ֹא֫ ה־ל ָ אֶ
ם ָעה־ל ָ ָכּ
The word which Isaiah saw…: It will be in the last days
that the mountain of YHWH’s temple will be established.
Isa 2:1–2
It will be whenever I bring clouds over the earth and a
rainbow appears in the clouds, that I will remember my
covenant…
Gen 9:14–15
It will be when YHWH gives you relief…that you will
take up this taunt.
Isa 14:3–4
I am standing by a spring of water; and it will be that the
˓almâ who comes out…
Gen 24:43
But Onan knew the offspring would not be his. So it
would be that when (i.e., whenever) he went to his
brother’s wife, he would destroy…
Gen 38:9
And it would be that when (i.e., whenever) Moses went
out to the tent, all the people would rise.
Exod 33:8
39 Gottfried Vanoni, “Ist die Fügung HYY + Circumstant der Zeit im Althebräischen
ein Satz?” Biblische Notizen 17 (1982) 73–86. On these forms in Chronicles, see R.
Polzin, Late Biblical Hebrew: Toward an Historical Typology of Biblical Hebrew
Prose (Missoula: Scholars Press, 1976) 56–58.