Leiden University Student Repository

Amersfoort, Thijs (2017)

The Conditional Clause in the Biblical Hebrew of the Pentateuch

Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)

The conditional clause is one of the most common and important clause types in Biblical Hebrew, yet no consensus has been reached as to how its various forms correspond to the expression of modality, most notably whether a condition is realizable or not. In this paper, it is analyzed how the two main factors of conditional sentences, particles and verbal forms, combine to add modal nuances to the conditional clause. It becomes clear that not a single factor is responsible for those nuances, but many factors combined. By applying modern linguistic insights in particles and the verbal forms, a new model is proposed.

Conditional clause

Hebrew

Hebrew verbal system

Particles

Modality

Author

Amersfoort, Thijs

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Hebrew and Aramaic

Supervisors

Gzella, Holger

ECTS Credits

25

Language

en