TIP OF THE DAY 155: Construct chains, vaw consecutive, cases

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: Use of construct chains, vaw, and case to denote time

In actual practice, time and sequence are often shown in Hebrew by construct chains and vaw continuatives. In Greek, case is often used as an indicator.

A construct chain is a linguistic structure in Hebrew grammar consisting of two or more nouns in sequence, where the first noun (or nouns) is in the construct state and the last noun is in the absolute state.

vav consecutive (also described as vav conversive): a form of the conjunction “and” found only on imperfect forms of the verb. A verb prefixed with vav consecutive must be translated in past time and in the indicative mode. It may be either sequential (“and then”) or consequential (“and so”) in meaning.[1]

Genitive Case - Time Within Which: Indicates the time frame within which an action occurs.

Dative Case - Time At Which: Specifies the exact point in time when an action occurs.

Accusative Case - Extent of Time: Expresses the duration or length of time an action lasts.

QUESTION: Give 5 examples of construct chains in Biblical Hebrew to express temporal relationships.

SOFTWARE: I do not know enough Hebrew to be able to build a search argument for construct chains.

ANSWER: extracted from a Perplexity query – I’ll avoid AI when I’m back to topics I know.

Exodus 12:2רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁיםrōʾš ḥoḏāšîm ("beginning of months")

רֹאשׁ (construct noun) + חֳדָשִׁים (absolute noun).

Specifies the start of the liturgical calendar.

Leviticus 25:10שְׁנַת הַחֲמִשִּׁיםšənaṯ hăḥamiššîm ("year of the fiftieth")

שְׁנַת (construct) + הַחֲמִשִּׁים (absolute).

Marks the Jubilee year.

Deuteronomy 16:1חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיבḥōḏeš hāʾāḇîḇ ("month of Aviv")

חֹדֶשׁ (construct) + הָאָבִיב (absolute).

Indicates the spring month for Passover.

1 Kings 6:1בִּשְׁנַת הָאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹתbišənaṯ hāʾarbaʿ mēʾôṯ ("in the four hundredth year")

בִּשְׁנַת (construct) + הָאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת (absolute).

Temporal marker for Solomon’s temple construction.

Psalm 90:10יְמֵי־שְׁנוֹתֵינוּyəmê-šənôṯênû ("days of our years")

יְמֵי (construct) + שְׁנוֹתֵינוּ (absolute).

Expresses the brevity of human life.

Key Observations

Structure: Each example uses a temporal noun (e.g., "year," "month") in the construct state followed by an absolute noun (e.g., "fiftieth," "Aviv").

Function: These chains clarify specific time periods or events within Biblical narratives and laws.

Syntax: The definiteness of the entire chain depends on the absolute noun (e.g., הָאָבִיב in Deuteronomy 16:1 makes the phrase definite: "the month of Aviv").

QUESTION: Give 5 examples of the use of vaw to express temporal sequence.

SOFTWARE: I do not know enough Hebrew to be able to build a search argument for construct chains.

ANSWER: extracted from a Perplexity query – I’ll avoid AI when I’m back to topics I know.

1. Genesis 1:3

Hebrew:וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹרוַיְהִי־אוֹרTransliteration:Va-yomer Elohim: "Yehí or!" Va-yehi or.Translation:"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."Explanation:The וַ prefixed to yomer ("he said") and yehi ("there was") marks sequential divine actions. The vav-consecutive converts the imperfect yomer to past tense, creating a chain of events: speech → creation.

2. Genesis 22:3

Hebrew:וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיַּחֲבֹשׁאֶת־חֲמֹרוֹTransliteration:Va-yashkem Avraham ba-boqer va-yachavosh et-chamoro.Translation:"Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey."Explanation:The וַ before yashkem ("he rose") and yachavosh ("he saddled") links two sequential actions, emphasizing Abraham’s immediate obedience after God’s command (Gen 22:2).

3. Exodus 2:23–24

Hebrew:וַיְהִי בַיָּמִים הָרַבִּים הָהֵםוַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וַיֵּאָנְחוּבְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל... וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִיםTransliteration:Va-yehi ba-yamim ha-rabim ha-hem va-yamat melekh Mitzrayim va-ye’anchu bnei Yisrael... va-yizkor Elohim.Translation:"During those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned... and God remembered."Explanation:The וַ introduces each event in sequence: the king’s death → Israel’s groaning → God’s remembrance. The vav-consecutive drives the narrative forward.

4. 1 Kings 1:39

Hebrew:וַיִּקַּח צָדוֹק הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־קֶרֶןהַשֶּׁמֶן... וַיִּמְשַׁח אֶת־שְׁלֹמֹהTransliteration:Va-yikkach Tzadok ha-kohen et-keren ha-shemen... va-yimshach et-Shlomo.Translation:"Zadok the priest took the horn of oil... and anointed Solomon."Explanation:The וַ links the taking of the oil (va-yikkach) and the anointing (va-yimshach) as sequential priestly actions during Solomon’s coronation.

5. Ruth 1:6

Hebrew:וַתָּקָם הִיא וְכַלֹּתֶיהָ וַתָּשָׁבמִשְּׂדֵי מוֹאָבTransliteration:Va-takam hi v’khaloteha va-tashav mi-sdei Moav.Translation:"She arose with her daughters-in-law and returned from the fields of Moab."Explanation:The וַ connects Naomi’s decision to leave Moab (va-takam) with her actual departure (va-tashav), marking a cause-effect sequence.

Pattern Observed

The vav-consecutive (וַ + imperfect verb → past tense) structures Hebrew narratives by:

Marking chronological progression: "Action A and then Action B."

Creating cause-effect chains: "Because of X, then Y happened."

Converting future-oriented verbs (imperfect) into past-tense narration.

This grammatical feature is central to Biblical Hebrew’s s

QUESTION: Give 5 examples from the Greek Bible in which time and sequence is indicated by case usage for time.

SOFTWARE: A search for the morphological case and the Louw-Nida number can find examples similar to these.

ANSWER: extracted from a Perplexity query in order to provide the explanation which I lack the expertise to provide.

Here are 5 examples from the Greek Bible where time and sequence are indicated by case usage for time:

1. Accusative Case for Extent of Time

Luke 2:37: "She was a widow of about eighty-four years (ὡς ἐτῶν ὀγδοήκοντα τεσσάρων)."The accusative case (ἐτῶν) is used to indicate the duration of time, showing how long she had been a widow.

2. Genitive Case for Kind of Time

Mark 13:25: "In those days (ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις)..."The genitive case (ἡμέραις) is used to express the kind of time during which events occur, specifying a particular period.

3. Dative Case for Point in Time

Mark 2:24: "On the Sabbath (ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ)..."The dative case (σαββάτῳ) is used to denote a specific point in time when the action occurs.

4. Accusative Case for Duration

Revelation 9:15: "For an hour and a day and a month and a year (εἰς τὴν ὥραν καὶ ἡμέραν καὶ μῆνα καὶ ἐνιαυτόν)."The accusative case (ὥραν, ἡμέραν, μῆνα, ἐνιαυτόν) is used to indicate cumulative duration or extent of time.

5. Genitive Case for Time During Which

Mark 5:5: "Night and day (νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας)..."The genitive case (νυκτὸς, ἡμέρας) expresses the kind of time during which the man cried out and cut himself, emphasizing repeated actions over an extended period.

Summary:

Greek uses different cases to express various aspects of time:

Accusative: Extent or duration of time (e.g., "for eighty-four years").

Genitive: Kind or time during which events occur (e.g., "night and day").

Dative: Specific point in time (e.g., "on the Sabbath").

These case usages provide precise temporal relationships in the text, aiding in understanding the sequence and duration of events.

[1] Page H. Kelley and Timothy G. Crawford, Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 523.