Dear Isaac,
Thank you for the comments on the punctuation in Zech. 8:3. That is helpful.
I would appreciate hearing from others on the list, as well, regarding this
question: particularly with reference to Waltke and O'Connor, and Van der
Merwe, et al. (cited in my original post).
Regarding your point #3, that the acts of God represented by שבתי (shabtiy) and
ושכנתי (w-shakantiy) are "timeless":
How does this obtain? Compare, for instance the use of וְאָשׁ֣וּב in Zech. 1:3:
כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת
שׁ֣וּבוּ אֵלַ֔י
נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת
וְאָשׁ֣וּב אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם
אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃
"Thus says the L-rd of Hosts:
'Return to me (שׁוב imperative),
the Declaration of the L-rd of Hosts,
and I will return to you (waw + 1st person singluar IMPERFECT /שׁוב),'
says the L-rd of Hosts."
The use of וְאָשׁ֣וּב to directly report G-d's speech here is clearly used to
denote a FUTURE act because the L-rd's return is predicated upon the condition
that the "Fathers" return to Him.
Then, in Zech. 8:3 we see the same verb שׁוב in the direct reported speech of
G-d, again in first person, but this time as a perfect verb form. Thus, what
was promised in Zech. 1:3 ("I will return") has come to pass in 8:3 ("I have
returned"). (For this and other parallels in Zech. 1 and 8, I believe these two
chapters form an inclusio around this section, often referred to as "First
Zechariah" or "Proto-Zechariah.")
It doesn't seem logically consistent that the 1st-person perfect of שׁוב as the
action of G-d would be "timeless" in Zech. 8:3 when the 1st person imperfect of
שׁוב is used in Zech 1:3 to denote what appears to be a clearly "time-bound"
action of God. (This is not an indictment, Isaac, of your logical prowess
personally: I suspect that you may not have been specifically aware of Zech.
1:3 when you responded in reference to 8:3. So, when I say that it is "not
logical," I mean this in a general sense that the argument itself fails to
account for this additional piece of evidence that was not presented as part of
the original question.)
In light of the time-oriented use of שׁוב in Zech. 1:3 to describe divine
activity, does it not follow that שׁוב is likewise used in Zech. 8:3 to denote
time-oriented activity by G-d?
Cordially,
Chris Lovelace
_______________________________________________
b-hebrew mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
