From Linguistics to Text-Criticism and Back: WayyiqṮōl Constructions with Long Prefixed Verbal Forms in Biblical Hebrew

This article, taking as its starting point the notion that the Biblical Hebrew wayyiqṭōl construction includes a short prefixed verbal form originating in the Proto-Semitic perfective conjugation yaqṭul, deals with a problem raised by this notion—namely, with those instances in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible, where wayyiqṭōl constructions include long prefixed verbal forms which appear on morphological grounds to belong to the Proto-Northwest Semitic imperfective conjugation yaqṭulu. The article argues for the solution of this problem on the following lines. In 1 sg. and pl., wayyiqṭōl- like constructions with long prefixed verbal forms (belonging to the Proto-Northwest Semitic conjugation yaqṭulu), as well as similar constructions with cohortatives (belonging to the Proto-Northwest Semitic conjugation yaqṭula), are to be understood as resulting from an analogical development, brought about by the use of different prefixed verbal forms in the modal system. In 2 m. sg., 3 m. sg., and 3 f sg., the apparently long prefixed verbal forms in wayyiqṭōl constructions result probably from corruption of the biblical text by late Second Temple period scribes or from its misvocalization by the Masoretes; it is thus justifiable to suppose that the original text employed wayyiqṭōl constructions with short prefixed verbal forms. Finally, those few wayyiqṭōl constructions in 2 m. pl. and 3 m. pl., which include prefixed verbal forms appearing morphologically as long (i.e., with the ending -ūn rather than -ū), are to be attributed to the attempts of the authors of biblical books to produce archaic-looking verbal forms without due regard for the original morphological restriction on the use of the ending -ūn only with verbal forms belonging to the imperfective conjugation yaqṭulu.