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Articles by Kevin Grasso
Journal for Semitics, 2021
This study proposes a novel semantics for the Biblical Hebrew qatal form that includes both perfe... more This study proposes a novel semantics for the Biblical Hebrew qatal form that includes both perfective and perfect/anterior meanings. I begin by evaluating other theories of qatal and give six criteria with which they might be evaluated, showing past analyses to be inadequate. These criteria are given as an external check on what makes a satisfactory analysis more generally, and though we can learn from past contributions, they ultimately fall short in one of these six areas. In contrast, I show that my theory meets these six criteria for what makes an adequate theory. The single meaning that I give for the qatal form is labelled a “perfect,” which I define as an aspectual form that refers to a temporal interval in which either a state holds with a possible preceding event or an event takes place that potentially precedes a state. This is qatal’s particular contribution to the context, though it may have different interpretations as it interacts with various verbal predicates and sy...
Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2020
This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pauline phrase πίστις χριστοῦ is best understood grammat... more This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pauline phrase πίστις χριστοῦ is best understood grammatically as the 'Christ-faith' in accordance with the so-called 'third view', where 'faith' is taken to mean a system or set of beliefs, and 'Christ' qualifies what the system is about. I argue that the grammar disallows the meaning 'faith in Christ' where Christ is the object of one's 'trust', since objective genitives can only mean 'belief of something (to be true)', as is shown by an analysis of the data in the NT and in Harrisville 1994; 2006. Additionally, the subjective genitive rendering often fails to make sense within the literary context and faces its own grammatical difficulties. Drawing on work from theoretical linguistics in lexical semantics and syntax, I show that the third view meaning, translated as the 'Christ-faith', is the most likely rendering given the context of each of the passages, the Greek case system and the meaning of the noun πίστις as used in the NT and other Koine Greek writings.
Chapters in Books by Kevin Grasso
Linguistic Studies on Biblical Hebrew
Theses/Dissertations by Kevin Grasso
This dissertation is the product of many people's labors besides my own. First and foremost, my a... more This dissertation is the product of many people's labors besides my own. First and foremost, my advisor Elitzur Bar-Asher Siegal not only pushed me to be better in numerous ways, but he was also gracious and patient with me, even when I took on too many "extracurricular activities." If I have any future success in being a linguist, it will be in large part due to his influence and his insistence on going back to the data to prove my hypotheses. Along with Elitzur, I also had an incredible committee: Malka Rappaport Hovav, Nora Bonah, and Naphtali Meshel. Malka and Nora in particular were highly formative for me, and both inspired me to make a foray into lexical semantics. Edit Doron was on my committee for a short period of time. My time at Hebrew University would not have been the same without her, and I wish I could tell her how much I appreciated her willingness to take me under her wing and thoughtfully engage my questions.
This thesis analyzes the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System as represented in Amos, Micah, and Zephani... more This thesis analyzes the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System as represented in Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah and posits an invariable meaning for each of the four finite forms based on a semantic analysis. A general theory of TAM is presented, and then it is applied to QATAL, WEQATAL, YIQTOL, and WAYYIQTOL (the four finite forms). QATAL is found to be polysemous for perfective and perfect aspect, WEQATAL is found to be perfective-irrealis, YIQTOL is found to be irrealis, and WAYYIQTOL is found to be past-perfective. On a discourse level, it is found that each of the forms have tendencies to be temporally related to adjacent clauses in certain ways, but these relationships are not a part of the invariable meaning of the forms. Throughout the thesis, the semantic analysis presented is compared to other major analyses from various perspectives, including traditional, discourse, and diachronic approaches.
Conference Presentations by Kevin Grasso
I give a semantics for each stage of the development of the Hebrew Qatal form, and I compare it t... more I give a semantics for each stage of the development of the Hebrew Qatal form, and I compare it to the analysis in (Condoravdi & Deo 2014) for Indo-Aryan. I suggest that the first stage in the development of the perfective should be recharacterized as a stative rather than a resultative.
SBL Annual Conference, 2020
I present a single meaning of qatal that accounts for all the uses and compare it to other theories.
In this paper, I propose that much of the debate surrounding the yiqtol form is based on a false ... more In this paper, I propose that much of the debate surrounding the yiqtol form is based on a false dichotomy between what has been labelled “modal” and “imperfective”. In addition, I suggest that an alternative definition for imperfective based on (Altshuler 2014) better accounts for yiqtol’s aspectual interpretations, and in place of “modality”, I suggest that yiqtol patterns with “irrealis” forms rather than modal forms cross-linguistically according to the pattern laid out by (Cristofaro 2012). First, I compare the yiqtol form to three other irrealis/subjunctive forms to show that it belongs in the same cross-linguistic category as these other verbal moods. In particular, I compare it to the subjunctive in Koine Greek, the potential mood in Kayardild, and the irrealis mood in Amele. The remarkable similarity between the distribution of these forms suggests that yiqtol should be labelled an irrealis form rather than a modal (contra Hatav 1997; Joosten 2012) because its range of meaning includes modality, but is not limited to it. For example, the forms are also shown to occur in subordinate contexts marking purpose or apprehension as well as in the future and as past habituals. These represent the major functions of the irrealis forms analyzed, and the distribution of the other forms is almost identical to that of yiqtol. Second, I present a modified definition of grammatical aspect to distinguish between perfective, imperfective, and progressive aspect based on (Altshuler 2014). The basic distinctions between the three are based on whether the maximal stage of the situation must be reached (perfective), may be reached (imperfective), or may not be reached (progressive). These definitions show that an imperfective form may sometimes have an identical interpretation to a perfective form, but they can be distinguished on the basis of how they combine with states. Likewise, imperfectives and progressives may have an identical interpretation, but they can be distinguished on the basis of how they combine with achievements. I compare yiqtol to the participle to show that yiqtol combines with achievements like an imperfective form and the participle like a progressive form, and then I compare yiqtol to weqatal to show that yiqtol combines with states like an imperfective form and weqatal like a perfective form. Thus, I conclude that yiqtol is not only an irrealis form, but is an irrealis-imperfective form, though this is based on a definition of imperfective that has (to my knowledge) not been applied to the BHVS before. Third, I show how these two components of meaning can account for a well-known problem in the BHVS, namely ’az + yiqtol used in past narrative contexts. I show that its aspectual interpretation is perfectly normal given the definitions explained above—the construction ordinarily receives a “perfective-like” interpretation. I then compare the use to Latin’s subjunctive, which can also be used in narrative contexts with a circumstantial meaning, similarly to ’az + yiqtol (as analyzed by Rabinowitz 1984), and I briefly explain how yiqtol’s irrealis component of meaning can account for this.
Talks by Kevin Grasso
This talk focuses on translation issues related to the biblical languages, particularly how trad... more This talk focuses on translation issues related to the biblical languages, particularly how traditional lexicons and translations have affected our understanding of Hebrew and Greek and how these have affected subsequent translations. As a case study, I look at a common (and theologically laden) group of words formed from the root שׁפט /ʃftˤ/ and show that the traditional translation of these words into the root ‘judge’ in English is misguided. I provide a semantic analysis of the root and show that it is actually closer to the root ‘rule’ in English, so the book of Judges is better described as the book of rulers (the book of “saviors”, another popular proposal, is also incorrect). In this vein, I discuss the importance of careful knowledge (rather than assumed knowledge) of the target language in order to more accurately map the source language onto it.
Papers by Kevin Grasso
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pauline phrase πίστις Χριστοῦ is best understood grammat... more This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pauline phrase πίστις Χριστοῦ is best understood grammatically as the ‘Christ-faith’ in accordance with the so-called ‘third view’, where ‘faith’ is taken to mean a system or set of beliefs, and ‘Christ’ qualifies what the system is about. I argue that the grammar disallows the meaning ‘faith in Christ’ where Christ is the object of one’s ‘trust’, since objective genitives can only mean ‘belief of something (to be true)’, as is shown by an analysis of the data in the NT and in Harrisville 1994; 2006. Additionally, the subjective genitive rendering often fails to make sense within the literary context and faces its own grammatical difficulties. Drawing on work from theoretical linguistics in lexical semantics and syntax, I show that the third view meaning, translated as the ‘Christ-faith’, is the most likely rendering given the context of each of the passages, the Greek case system and the meaning of the noun πίστις as used in the NT and other...
Journal for Semitics, 2021
This study proposes a novel semantics for the Biblical Hebrew qatal form that includes both perfe... more This study proposes a novel semantics for the Biblical Hebrew qatal form that includes both perfective and perfect/anterior meanings. I begin by evaluating other theories of qatal and give six criteria with which they might be evaluated, showing past analyses to be inadequate. These criteria are given as an external check on what makes a satisfactory analysis more generally, and though we can learn from past contributions, they ultimately fall short in one of these six areas. In contrast, I show that my theory meets these six criteria for what makes an adequate theory. The single meaning that I give for the qatal form is labelled a “perfect,” which I define as an aspectual form that refers to a temporal interval in which either a state holds with a possible preceding event or an event takes place that potentially precedes a state. This is qatal’s particular contribution to the context, though it may have different interpretations as it interacts with various verbal predicates and sy...
Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2020
This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pauline phrase πίστις χριστοῦ is best understood grammat... more This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pauline phrase πίστις χριστοῦ is best understood grammatically as the 'Christ-faith' in accordance with the so-called 'third view', where 'faith' is taken to mean a system or set of beliefs, and 'Christ' qualifies what the system is about. I argue that the grammar disallows the meaning 'faith in Christ' where Christ is the object of one's 'trust', since objective genitives can only mean 'belief of something (to be true)', as is shown by an analysis of the data in the NT and in Harrisville 1994; 2006. Additionally, the subjective genitive rendering often fails to make sense within the literary context and faces its own grammatical difficulties. Drawing on work from theoretical linguistics in lexical semantics and syntax, I show that the third view meaning, translated as the 'Christ-faith', is the most likely rendering given the context of each of the passages, the Greek case system and the meaning of the noun πίστις as used in the NT and other Koine Greek writings.
Linguistic Studies on Biblical Hebrew
This dissertation is the product of many people's labors besides my own. First and foremost, my a... more This dissertation is the product of many people's labors besides my own. First and foremost, my advisor Elitzur Bar-Asher Siegal not only pushed me to be better in numerous ways, but he was also gracious and patient with me, even when I took on too many "extracurricular activities." If I have any future success in being a linguist, it will be in large part due to his influence and his insistence on going back to the data to prove my hypotheses. Along with Elitzur, I also had an incredible committee: Malka Rappaport Hovav, Nora Bonah, and Naphtali Meshel. Malka and Nora in particular were highly formative for me, and both inspired me to make a foray into lexical semantics. Edit Doron was on my committee for a short period of time. My time at Hebrew University would not have been the same without her, and I wish I could tell her how much I appreciated her willingness to take me under her wing and thoughtfully engage my questions.
This thesis analyzes the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System as represented in Amos, Micah, and Zephani... more This thesis analyzes the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System as represented in Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah and posits an invariable meaning for each of the four finite forms based on a semantic analysis. A general theory of TAM is presented, and then it is applied to QATAL, WEQATAL, YIQTOL, and WAYYIQTOL (the four finite forms). QATAL is found to be polysemous for perfective and perfect aspect, WEQATAL is found to be perfective-irrealis, YIQTOL is found to be irrealis, and WAYYIQTOL is found to be past-perfective. On a discourse level, it is found that each of the forms have tendencies to be temporally related to adjacent clauses in certain ways, but these relationships are not a part of the invariable meaning of the forms. Throughout the thesis, the semantic analysis presented is compared to other major analyses from various perspectives, including traditional, discourse, and diachronic approaches.
I give a semantics for each stage of the development of the Hebrew Qatal form, and I compare it t... more I give a semantics for each stage of the development of the Hebrew Qatal form, and I compare it to the analysis in (Condoravdi & Deo 2014) for Indo-Aryan. I suggest that the first stage in the development of the perfective should be recharacterized as a stative rather than a resultative.
SBL Annual Conference, 2020
I present a single meaning of qatal that accounts for all the uses and compare it to other theories.
In this paper, I propose that much of the debate surrounding the yiqtol form is based on a false ... more In this paper, I propose that much of the debate surrounding the yiqtol form is based on a false dichotomy between what has been labelled “modal” and “imperfective”. In addition, I suggest that an alternative definition for imperfective based on (Altshuler 2014) better accounts for yiqtol’s aspectual interpretations, and in place of “modality”, I suggest that yiqtol patterns with “irrealis” forms rather than modal forms cross-linguistically according to the pattern laid out by (Cristofaro 2012). First, I compare the yiqtol form to three other irrealis/subjunctive forms to show that it belongs in the same cross-linguistic category as these other verbal moods. In particular, I compare it to the subjunctive in Koine Greek, the potential mood in Kayardild, and the irrealis mood in Amele. The remarkable similarity between the distribution of these forms suggests that yiqtol should be labelled an irrealis form rather than a modal (contra Hatav 1997; Joosten 2012) because its range of meaning includes modality, but is not limited to it. For example, the forms are also shown to occur in subordinate contexts marking purpose or apprehension as well as in the future and as past habituals. These represent the major functions of the irrealis forms analyzed, and the distribution of the other forms is almost identical to that of yiqtol. Second, I present a modified definition of grammatical aspect to distinguish between perfective, imperfective, and progressive aspect based on (Altshuler 2014). The basic distinctions between the three are based on whether the maximal stage of the situation must be reached (perfective), may be reached (imperfective), or may not be reached (progressive). These definitions show that an imperfective form may sometimes have an identical interpretation to a perfective form, but they can be distinguished on the basis of how they combine with states. Likewise, imperfectives and progressives may have an identical interpretation, but they can be distinguished on the basis of how they combine with achievements. I compare yiqtol to the participle to show that yiqtol combines with achievements like an imperfective form and the participle like a progressive form, and then I compare yiqtol to weqatal to show that yiqtol combines with states like an imperfective form and weqatal like a perfective form. Thus, I conclude that yiqtol is not only an irrealis form, but is an irrealis-imperfective form, though this is based on a definition of imperfective that has (to my knowledge) not been applied to the BHVS before. Third, I show how these two components of meaning can account for a well-known problem in the BHVS, namely ’az + yiqtol used in past narrative contexts. I show that its aspectual interpretation is perfectly normal given the definitions explained above—the construction ordinarily receives a “perfective-like” interpretation. I then compare the use to Latin’s subjunctive, which can also be used in narrative contexts with a circumstantial meaning, similarly to ’az + yiqtol (as analyzed by Rabinowitz 1984), and I briefly explain how yiqtol’s irrealis component of meaning can account for this.
This talk focuses on translation issues related to the biblical languages, particularly how trad... more This talk focuses on translation issues related to the biblical languages, particularly how traditional lexicons and translations have affected our understanding of Hebrew and Greek and how these have affected subsequent translations. As a case study, I look at a common (and theologically laden) group of words formed from the root שׁפט /ʃftˤ/ and show that the traditional translation of these words into the root ‘judge’ in English is misguided. I provide a semantic analysis of the root and show that it is actually closer to the root ‘rule’ in English, so the book of Judges is better described as the book of rulers (the book of “saviors”, another popular proposal, is also incorrect). In this vein, I discuss the importance of careful knowledge (rather than assumed knowledge) of the target language in order to more accurately map the source language onto it.
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pauline phrase πίστις Χριστοῦ is best understood grammat... more This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pauline phrase πίστις Χριστοῦ is best understood grammatically as the ‘Christ-faith’ in accordance with the so-called ‘third view’, where ‘faith’ is taken to mean a system or set of beliefs, and ‘Christ’ qualifies what the system is about. I argue that the grammar disallows the meaning ‘faith in Christ’ where Christ is the object of one’s ‘trust’, since objective genitives can only mean ‘belief of something (to be true)’, as is shown by an analysis of the data in the NT and in Harrisville 1994; 2006. Additionally, the subjective genitive rendering often fails to make sense within the literary context and faces its own grammatical difficulties. Drawing on work from theoretical linguistics in lexical semantics and syntax, I show that the third view meaning, translated as the ‘Christ-faith’, is the most likely rendering given the context of each of the passages, the Greek case system and the meaning of the noun πίστις as used in the NT and other...