וְנֶאֶסְפוּ־שָׁ֣מָּה כָל־הָעֲדָרִ֗ים וְגָלֲל֤וּ אֶת־הָאֶ֨בֶן֙ מֵעַל֙ פִּ֣י הַבְּאֵ֔ר וְהִשְׁק֖וּ אֶת־הַצֹּ֑אן וְהֵשִׁ֧יבוּ אֶת־הָאֶ֛בֶן עַל־פִּ֥י הַבְּאֵ֖ר לִמְקֹמָֽהּ׃
(Genesis 29:3)
And all the flocks would gather there, and they would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and then return the stone upon the mouth of the well to its place.
In Genesis 29:3, we observe a chain of verbs in the wayyiqtol form, each preceded by the waw-consecutive (וְ). This construction is a key feature in Biblical Hebrew narrative and is used to express sequential past actions.
The wayyiqtol form is derived from the imperfect (yiqtol) conjugation but takes on a past-tense narrative function when prefixed with waw and accompanied by a shift in stress and vowel.
Examples from Genesis 29:3
| Verb | Root | Stem | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| וְנֶאֶסְפוּ | אָסַף | Nifʿal (Passive) | and they were gathered |
| וְגָלֲלוּ | גָּלַל | Qal | and they rolled |
| וְהִשְׁקוּ | שָׁקָה | Hifʿil (Causative) | and they gave drink |
| וְהֵשִׁיבוּ | שׁוּב | Hifʿil | and they returned |
Related Grammatical Insight
The wayyiqtol form differs from both qatal (perfect) and yiqtol (imperfect) conjugations:
– Qatal expresses completed actions or past states.
– Yiqtol may express incomplete actions, habitual actions, or future.
– Wayyiqtol, in contrast, marks the progression of actions in narrative and is the backbone of biblical storytelling.
Compare:
– וַיֵּלֶךְ (wayyelekh) – “and he went” (narrative progression)
– יֵלֵךְ (yelekh) – “he will go” or “he may go”
Recognizing wayyiqtol helps the reader follow the sequence of events and grasp the flow of the biblical narrative.
