TIP OF THE DAY 143: Verb tense and aspect as used Bibles

MJ. Smith

 I am adding these posts to the previous tip list L/V 10 Tip of the Day (when it doesn't time out)

POST ISSUE: Verb tense and aspect for time and sequence - Bibles

For both Hebrew and Greek the tense and aspect(s) of the verb is a primary source of indicating time and sequence in a passage. One can learn how this is done by searching your commentaries for examples or searching your Bibles for example to try for yourself.

QUESTION: Give 5 examples from the Hebrew Bible in which time and sequence is indicated by verb tense and aspect.

SOFTWARE: In Logos build the following search argument in a morphology search: morph.g:V OR morph.h:V OR morph.a:V. This identifies all verbs in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. By combining the languages into a single search, I can save the search an use it without checking the appropriate language. It also works as a single entry in a visual filter. Clicking on the highlighted word(s) in the search results will open the Bible to that location. In the Bible, a hover will show a tooltip with the parsing information. A right click brings up the Context menu which shows the parsing. Some users prefer the Information panel which also shows parsing on click or hover – your choice.

ANSWER: Here are 5 examples from the Hebrew Bible where time and sequence are indicated by verb tense and aspect:

1. Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created (בָּרָ֣א - bara) the heavens and the earth."The use of the qatal (perfect) form indicates a completed action, emphasizing the definitive nature of God's creative act.
2. Exodus 3:14 - "God said (וַיֹּ֤אמֶר - vayomer) to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.'"The wayyiqtol form (imperfect with waw consecutive) is used to narrate a sequence of past events.
3. Psalm 23:1 - "The Lord is (רֹעִ֗י - ro'i) my shepherd."The participle is used to express an ongoing, present reality.
4. Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give (יִתֵּ֨ן - yitten) you a sign."The yiqtol (imperfect) form is used to express a future action.
5. Proverbs 31:10 - "A wife of noble character who can find (יִמְצָ֑א - yimtsa)?"The yiqtol form is used here to express a general, timeless truth.

These examples demonstrate how Biblical Hebrew uses different verb forms to convey various aspects of time and sequence, including completed actions, narrative sequences, ongoing states, future events, and timeless truths.

QUESTION: Give 5 examples from the Greek Bible in which time and sequence is indicated by verb tense and aspect.

SOFTWARE: The search built for Hebrew above, was explicitly written to work for Greek as well. Simply changing the “all passage” to a Deuterocanonical or New Testament range will bring the desired results to the top.

ANSWER: Here are 5 examples from the Greek Bible where time and sequence are indicated by verb tense and aspect:

1. Matthew 14:29 - Jesus said to Peter, "Come" (Ἐλθέ - elthe). This aorist imperative form indicates an immediate, punctiliar action, emphasizing the urgency of Jesus' command in that moment.
2. Mark 12:1 - In Jesus' parable, the sequence of events is narrated using aorist (perfective aspect) verbs: "A man planted (ἐφύτευσεν) a vineyard, put around (περιέθηκεν) it a fence, dug out (ὤρυξεν) a winepress, built (ᾠκοδόμησεν) a watchtower, leased (ἐξέδετο) it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey (ἀπεδήμησεν)." This series of aorist verbs presents a clear sequence of completed actions.
3. Acts 9:34 - Peter says to Aeneas, "Jesus Christ heals (ἰᾶταί - iatai) you!" The use of the present tense here emphasizes the immediate and ongoing nature of the healing, despite it being an instantaneous event.
4. John 2:20 - "This temple was built (οἰκοδομήθη - oikodomēthē) in forty-six years." The aorist tense is used to describe a long-term action as a single, completed event.
5. 1 John 1:3 - "What we have seen (ἑωράκαμεν - heōrakamen) and heard (ἀκηκόαμεν - akēkoamen) we proclaim to you." The perfect tense is used here to indicate completed actions with ongoing results, emphasizing the apostles' eyewitness testimony and its continuing relevance.

These examples demonstrate how Greek verb tenses and aspects convey nuanced information about the timing, sequence, and nature of actions in biblical narratives.

MJ. Smith

QUESTION: List some events and things mentioned in parabiblical literature which precede creation.

SOFTWARE: A smart all search is productive for finding information about each of these events and things but was not productive in finding the items that met the criteria of preceding creation. Note that the rabbinic literature offerings in Logos/Verbum are rather small.

Answer 1: from Perplexity with the prompt: List 5 events mentioned in parabiblical literature that predate creation; list 5 things mentioned in rabbinic literature that predate creation.

5 Events Mentioned in Parabiblical Literature That Predate Creation

The Naming and Election of the Messiah

1 Enoch 48:1–3 describes the "Chosen One" (Messiah) as pre-existing creation, named and designated for his redemptive role.

Primordial Battle Against Chaos

Alluded to in biblical texts (e.g., Psalm 74:13–14, Isaiah 51:9–10) and expanded in parabiblical traditions, this cosmic struggle against sea monsters (Leviathan, Rahab) symbolizes God’s pre-creation sovereignty.

Pre-Creation Planning of Redemption

The Testament of Moses 1:14 implies God ordained redemption before creation, reflecting divine foreknowledge.

Existence of Divine Wisdom

Wisdom of Solomon 9:9 (deuterocanonical) personifies Wisdom as present with God "before the ages," guiding creation.

Creation of Angels

Jubilees 2:2 (parabiblical) states angels were created on the first day, prior to Earth’s formation.

5 Things Mentioned in Rabbinic Literature That Predate Creation

Torah

The Torah existed as a blueprint 2,000 years before creation (Pesachim 54a; Genesis Rabbah 8:2).

Repentance (Teshuvah)

The concept of repentance was established before the world (Nedarim 39b).

Garden of Eden (Gan Eden)

Paradise for the righteous was prepared pre-creation (Pesachim 54a).

Gehenna

The realm of punishment for the wicked existed beforehand (Nedarim 39b).

Throne of Glory

God’s celestial throne was created before the universe (Genesis Rabbah 1:4).

Key Observations

Parabiblical Events: Focus on cosmic order, redemption, and divine foreknowledge, often expanding biblical themes (e.g., 1 Enoch’s messianic pre-existence).

Rabbinic Things: Emphasize God’s eternal plan, with core spiritual concepts (Torah, repentance) and eschatological realities (Gan Eden, Gehenna) preordained.

Theological Purpose: Both traditions highlight God’s sovereignty and intentionality, framing creation as the culmination of a pre-existing divine framework.

For example, Genesis Rabbah 3:7 states God created and destroyed prior worlds until He declared, "This one pleases Me."

Answer 2: From ChatGPT with the prompt: what events mentioned in the parabiblical literature occurred before the creation of the world:

In parabiblical literature, which includes ancient Jewish texts that were not included in the Hebrew Bible but are often influential in Jewish thought, there are various stories, themes, and theological ideas about events before the creation of the world. These texts often elaborate or expand upon biblical concepts and present alternative or additional narratives. Some of these texts include the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, and other early Jewish writings.

Here are several key events or themes mentioned in parabiblical literature that relate to what happened before the creation of the world:

1. The Creation of the World and the Cosmic Order (In the Book of Enoch)

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) is one of the most influential texts in parabiblical literature. It presents a rich cosmology in which events occur before and around the time of creation.

The text describes how the "Watchers" (angels) were created before the creation of the Earth, and their rebellion is a significant event in the narrative. In the Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 1:1–9), it speaks about the "beginning" and the creation of the Earth, and it references God's plans for the creation of the world before the material realm began.

The Book of Enoch also speaks of the "Great Judgment" and how God had already planned the ultimate fate of sinners before the creation of the world. This cosmic judgment was to be revealed in the end times.

2. The Pre-Creation Existence of Wisdom (In the Wisdom of Solomon)

The Wisdom of Solomon (part of the Apocrypha) teaches that Wisdom existed before creation. In Wisdom 7:22-30, Wisdom is portrayed as being with God before the creation of the world, serving as a blueprint for the creation process. This idea aligns with the concept in rabbinic literature that Wisdom (Chochmah) existed before the world and was involved in the creation.

The Wisdom of Solomon also suggests that Wisdom was present with God, shaping the world and participating in the formation of the cosmos.

3. The Creation of Angels (In the Book of Jubilees)

The Book of Jubilees (often called "The Lesser Genesis") is a significant work of Jewish literature that expands upon the Genesis narrative. It speaks about the creation of the heavens and the earth but also introduces detailed accounts of angels and heavenly beings.

In Jubilees 2:2, it is stated that God created the heavenly hosts (angels) before the physical creation of the Earth. The angels are described as serving God and being present as part of the creation of the world.

This text emphasizes the importance of angels as divine beings who were active in the creation process, both before and during the creation of the world.

4. The Pre-Creation Existence of the Torah (In the Talmudic and Kabbalistic Texts, but also in The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs)

While this concept is often found in rabbinic and Kabbalistic literature, it also appears in various parabiblical texts like the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. The Testament of Levi (Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, 2nd century BCE) speaks about the Torah existing before the creation of the world and being the pattern upon which the universe was built.

The text suggests that the Torah was already "with God" before the foundation of the world, and it was through the wisdom of the Torah that the world was created. This idea aligns with the more developed rabbinic and mystical thought that the Torah is eternal and existed in some form before the creation of the world.

5. The Fall of the Angels (In the Book of Enoch and Other Pseudepigrapha)

The Book of Enoch and other related texts like the Life of Adam and Eve mention the events leading up to the fall of the Watchers, angels who descended to Earth and corrupted humanity by teaching forbidden knowledge. In these texts, the rebellion of these angels is framed as happening before the physical creation of humanity, though not necessarily before the creation of the world itself.

In 1 Enoch 6-16, the Watchers are described as sinning by descending to Earth, taking human wives, and teaching humanity forbidden secrets, which ultimately results in their punishment by God. This event is viewed as a significant pre-creation narrative that deals with divine beings before the creation of humans.

6. The Primordial Chaos and the Role of the "Great Deep" (In the Apocryphon of John)

In the Apocryphon of John (a Gnostic text), the narrative begins with the pre-creation period as a time of chaotic, undifferentiated existence. The text discusses the "Great Deep," which existed before the creation of the material world.

The Apocryphon of John describes the beginning of creation in terms of divine emanations from the highest God, often described as an unknowable and ineffable source. These emanations, or aeons, gradually formed the structure of the universe. This Gnostic understanding of creation emphasizes a spiritual and cosmic order that existed prior to the material world.

7. The Presence of "Light" Before Creation (In the Gnostic Texts and The Apocryphon of John)

The concept of a primordial light that existed before creation is also found in some Gnostic and parabiblical texts. In the Apocryphon of John and the Gospel of Thomas, this light is often described as being the first emanation of the divine, pre-existing before all things and serving as the source of creation.

The "Light" is not merely a physical phenomenon, but a metaphysical force representing divine wisdom, truth, and knowledge that precedes the physical world. This aligns with similar concepts found in Jewish mysticism, where light is often seen as an embodiment of God's presence.

8. The Concept of Pre-Creation in Gnostic Literature

Various Gnostic writings, like the Pistis Sophia and the Gospel of Philip, describe a pre-creation state as a time when a primordial being or godhead existed before the formation of the material world. These texts often feature elaborate cosmologies in which multiple emanations of divine beings or "aeons" emerge from a source of divine unity.

These beings were seen as intermediaries between the transcendent God and the material world, and many Gnostic texts speak of the process by which the world came into being through a series of divine emanations, often preceded by a cosmic fall or fragmentation.

Conclusion

Parabiblical literature provides a rich and varied set of narratives and theological ideas about events that occurred before the creation of the world. These include cosmic orders, the creation of angels, divine wisdom, the rebellion of angels, and Gnostic cosmologies. Many of these ideas were influential in the development of later Jewish and Christian mystical and theological thought, and they often expand upon the basic creation narrative found in the Hebrew Bible, providing deeper and more symbolic interpretations of the pre-creation era.