A Grammar of Mishnaic Hebrew

154 SYNTAX
rise, Ber. i. i; nitS^jK? nD K^K; ib^D.njK? ns, &c., except there be
sufficient time that they be soaked, heated, &c., Sab. i. 5, 6;
.TH^I D^lpni vbv^ K^ipa seek for him (God's) mercy that he hve,
Ber. 32a. Also in questions: ^^Vi. np what shall they do?
§ab. 26 a; ^P^HT HD? how far shall they go ? Toh. x. 2 ; nsaK ^h]
shall I not weep? Ber. 28b; ^3D^;5« fc^bl shall I not fulfil it?
Yo. 19b. So even of a past act: ^i>V ^^1] "^J?? ^9 what can
(could) I do, when they were a majority against me ? (L, edd.:
'by 'Wf).
316. The futurity of an act is sometimes emphasized by peri­
phrasis with n^ny, especially in the later Agadic style: HTng
ibriK^ n^N a woman will bear; «'?rtnK? b«-jbj "T^S the land of
Israel will bring forth, Sab. 30 b; nsn^^HK? nnin nTnj; the Torah
will be forgotten, ib. 138 b.
316. The imperf. is used to describe a series of consecutive acts
in the future, where BH would use the perf. consecutive: ^3^nn
^n^DM . . . D>n^p!)nn ^r\f>) D^jrjn D^pn Dipob ^bani n^ba nain you
Mill incur the guilt of exile and you will be exiled to the place
of the evil waters, and the disciples will drink and die, Ab. i. 9 ;
bbsnxi ... «np« ^ nnw) if w •.. nn^Kj •.. bpixi w?b ?|.b«
I shall go home and eat. . . and drink . . . and sleep and after that
I shall read §ema' and pray, Ber. 4 b.
317. The imperf. is used of hypothetical acts, the performance
of which lies in the future : njn« ^bs« «i3nK?Db I shall feed her
when she comes to me, K^t. xii. i; bgnk^^ nyn; if the Israelite
should wish, 'AZ. iv. 12; if thou wilt provoke me,
Sab. 17 a.
318. As a subjunctive: "V^^f 'i?'?! ^b] I was not able to prove
that it should be said, Ber. i. 5; nnnn fc^b; ^nT fc^b should it not,
should they not push away (override) ? P^s. vi. 2; IJn ng^J^ np
^l^^t can that son do that he might not sin ? (he cannot
hel committing sin), Ber. 32 a.