21st Century Bible Hebrew -- imperfect aspect examples part 1

The uses of imperfect aspect are as follows.

1.                  vav plus imperfect in VS order is “narrative past”, used within an episode to track the progress of the plot.

2.                  vav plus subject plus imperfect is a relative or coordinate clause.

3.                  without vav in SV order is possibly a true future tense usage.

4.                  without vav may also be an imperfect of process; this first turns up in Leviticus and may be a clue to the relationship between imperfect and progressive aspects.

5.                  vav plus imperfect in the 2nd singular or plural define the generalized or definitional envelope of commandments or refer to a known cultural feature.

6.                  in the 3rd person, in portions about sacrificial ritual, imperfect provides the framework for the ritual actions like the generalization envelope for a k’lal u-prat [u-k’lal] structure.

7.                  Preceded by ki or im is the “if” clause in a law, usually a tort. Again, this is an envelope to a klal uprat [uklal] structure.

8.                  part of a parallel structure in poetry and prophecy following a perfect verb as a parallel. They will not use the same verb root and sometimes not the same binyan.

You’ve had examples of narrative past already but in case you have forgotten where they were, go to Mechon Mamre’s free online copy of Tannakh and go through the first five chapters of Genesis looking for them.

The relative or coordinate clauses (#2) include Genesis 2:5-6 about the difference between the world before man’s creation, and the ordinary world known to the audience of the narrator.

Genesis 4:14 had an example of a future use of imperfect, in Qain’s yahargeni. 

The first time we get an imperfect of process is Leviticus 1:9.

ט וְקִרְבּ֥וֹ וּכְרָעָ֖יו יִרְחַ֣ץ בַּמָּ֑יִם וְהִקְטִ֨יר הַכֹּהֵ֤ן אֶת־הַכֹּל֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה עֹלָ֛ה אִשֵּׁ֥ה רֵֽיחַ־נִיח֖וֹחַ לַֽיהוָֹֽה:

Translation: Its innards and organs he washes in water; the kohen makes every thing smoke on the altar, it is an olah, isheh reach nichoach l’****

This verse is part of a paragraph that starts with a bunch of imperfect aspects that define what is happening so that everybody knows where they are as far as the sacrificial ritual. Then later material can just say olah for other offerings that are processed the same way.

Verses 4-8 contain a number of perfect aspect verbs showing what actions have to be completed to perform the ritual acceptably.

Verse 6 says to cut the animal up; at this point the innards and organs can actually be reached, taken out, and washed in water while the other actions, like flaying the carcass, are on-going.

It’s important to know that the basics of the olah sacrifice are covered in Exodus 29. That’s in the middle of the instructions for making the tabernacle. It’s also in the middle of the instructions for the consecration ceremony. Why isn’t this covered in Leviticus?

I have a discussion about that on the Fact-Checking blog. It’s based on something a rabbi said in some audio lectures on Talmud, which I took and ran with. It’s part of Torah being an oral tradition.