Hebrew and You with Lee M. Fields – Gen 1:2: A Disjunctive/Offline Clause
In last month’s blog, we looked at different ways Gen 1:1 can be understood with respect to the following verses. In this blog, we want to look at v. 2 and analyze how vv. 1–3 relate.
Of Conjunctions and Clauses
The key to identifying clauses is noting how they are joined together. There are three categories of clause connections: (1) those connected by Waw, (2) those connected by another conjunction or subordinating word, and (3) those without any conjunction whatsoever. For the conjunctions, you may like to read Hebrew for the Rest of Us, 81–85, and especially on Waw, pp. 81–82.
Waw is the king of conjunctions. It is always prefixed to a word; it…