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
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