21st Century Bible Hebrew -- aspectless verbs

Aspectless verbs refer to things happening, like progressive does, but instead of going with adverbs for place or time, like progressives, some forms of aspectless verbs can be adverbs, with the right prefix.

1.         With a b’ or k’ prefix, and often an object suffix, serves as an adverb of timing, either “at the time of Xing” or “as soon as Xing happened”.

2.         With a l’ prefix, purposive, “for Xing, so that Xing happens”. This uses a different form than the adverbials. The purpose generally is to achieve a state or result relating to the action.

3.         Resultative complement of yakhal, yasaf, or maen.

4.         Commandment to X “on demand” or in response to some situation.

5.         Substitute for an aspected verb, usually perfect aspect, when the aspect would create the wrong impression.

6.         Insulate gam from a verbal expression.

You saw an example of #1 in Genesis 2:4.

Examples of #4 include the Shabbat commandments in Exodus 20:8

ח זָכ֛וֹר אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת לְקַדְּשֽׁוֹ:

Bring to mind the Shabbat day for the purpose of behaving according to its sanctity.

and Deuteronomy 5:12

יב שָׁמ֛וֹר אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת לְקַדְּשׁ֑וֹ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוְּךָ֖ יְהוָֹ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:

Guard the Shabbat day for the purpose of behaving according to its sanctity; as the Lord your Gd commanded you.

Notice also the l’qadsho, #2.

Genesis 37:35 has an example of #3, va-y’maen l’hitnachem.

לה וַיָּקֻ֩מוּ֩ כָל־בָּנָ֨יו וְכָל־בְּנֹתָ֜יו לְנַֽחֲמ֗וֹ וַיְמָאֵן֙ לְהִתְנַחֵ֔ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כִּֽי־אֵרֵ֧ד אֶל־בְּנִ֛י אָבֵ֖ל שְׁאֹ֑לָה וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ אֹת֖וֹ אָבִֽיו:

All his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him, he refused being comforted, he said I am in a situation of going down to my son mourning to Sheol; his father must have bewept him.

Here is an example of #5, Yosef taking office from Pharaoh.

מב וַיָּ֨סַר פַּרְעֹ֤ה אֶת־טַבַּעְתּוֹ֙ מֵעַ֣ל יָד֔וֹ וַיִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֖הּ עַל־יַ֣ד יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיַּלְבֵּ֤שׁ אֹתוֹ֙ בִּגְדֵי־שֵׁ֔שׁ וַיָּ֛שֶׂם רְבִ֥ד הַזָּהָ֖ב עַל־צַוָּארֽוֹ:

מג וַיַּרְכֵּ֣ב אֹת֗וֹ בְּמִרְכֶּ֤בֶת הַמִּשְׁנֶה֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ לְפָנָ֖יו אַבְרֵ֑ךְ וְנָת֣וֹן אֹת֔וֹ עַ֖ל כָּל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:

Paro put off his ring from his hand, he put it onto the hand of Yosef; he dressed him in linen garments, he put a gold r’ved on his neck.

He made him ride in the second [best] chariot that he had, they called avrekh before him; so giving him over all the land of Egypt.

Vav plus natan (perfect aspect) in this situation would be an oblique modality, something unbelievable without the foregoing list of actions. But there’s no necessary connection between those and v’naton like there is between Avraham’s wealth overwhelming the land in Genesis so that he and Lot split up. So we get an aspectless verb, suggesting a connection between that and perfect aspect that I have seen borne out in other places.

Item #6 is an issue of emphasis. Gam can often be translated “when it comes to X”, whether X is a noun or an action. An action will be expressed with an aspectless verb. Here’s an example that I confused with something else until I realized there was a gam in there, Exodus 2:19.

יט וַתֹּאמַ֕רְן ָ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י הִצִּילָ֖נוּ מִיַּ֣ד הָֽרֹעִ֑ים וְגַם־דָּלֹ֤ה דָלָה֙ לָ֔נוּ וַיַּ֖שְׁקְ אֶת־הַצֹּֽאן:

They said: an Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds; when it came to drawing [water], he drew for us, he must have watered the flock.

Normally the daughters would have drawn the water and they are emphasizing that Mosheh did this for them. They could have said va-yidleh but they wanted gam for emphasis, so they had to use something else. Then dalah is strictly an action verb, so they insert aspectless daloh before it to insulate gam.

Another is Genesis 46:4:

ד אָֽנֹכִ֗י אֵרֵ֤ד עִמְּךָ֙ מִצְרַ֔יְמָה וְאָֽנֹכִ֖י אַֽעַלְךָ֣ גַם־עָלֹ֑ה וְיוֹסֵ֕ף יָשִׁ֥ית יָד֖וֹ עַל־עֵינֶֽיךָ:

I will go down with you to Egypt, and I shall bring you up when it comes to going up; Yosef shall set his hand on your eyes.