Waiting (Gen 8:10–11)
The Flood
10 He waited expectantly for yet another seven days וַיָּ֣חֶל ע֔וֹד שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים
Let’s compare this phrase with the beginning of v. 12:
וַיָּ֣חֶל ע֔וֹד שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים
וַיִּיָּ֣חֶל ע֔וֹד שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים
Now the same comparison without the Masoretic vowels and punctuation, invented well over a thousand years after the text was first written even in this form of the alphabet:
ויחל עוד שבעת ימים אחרים
וייחל עוד שבעת ימים אחרים
What we have here is one of the many cases in the Bible where (1) everybody knows what the first word of v. 10 must mean even though (2) nobody knows precisely why it must mean it.
Sometimes what “everybody knows” is most likely wrong; in this case, I’m quite certain that we are all correct — not necessarily about what root and binyan (verb conjugation) is employed in these two cases, but about what the verb means. Why is there an extra syllable in the version of this verb in v. 12?
I am guessing it’s for the same reason William Shakespeare spelled his name six different ways. Spelling was sloppier in the old days. Add to that the fact that two strong consonants may appear in various combinations with the same or similar meanings — יחל, חול, חיל, חלל, חלה — and that ח in Hebrew represents two separate original consonants, ḥ and ḫ, and you have the potential for great confusion. Once we realize that in the original text the only difference was whether there was one י or two, all bets are off.
Commentators of all eras, from Abraham ibn Ezra to BHQ, have weighed in on exactly what verb begins our verse. If I cared to, I could certainly write an entire column, perhaps two, evaluating the possibilities. Having considered them just long enough to decide that I don’t care, I’m instead going to point out two things:
If you read the Bible in English, differences of this kind are often hidden from you.
If you believe in biblical inerrancy, you must resolve these questions and find meaning in them.
