Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 39:1 (Apr 2025)
Article: Investigating The Constellation, Functionality, And Semantics Of Biblical Hebrew Finite Conjugations In The Psalms Of Lament
Author: Maxwell Chiwoko Banda

SATS 39:1 (April 2025) p. 71

Investigating The Constellation, Functionality, And Semantics Of Biblical Hebrew Finite Conjugations In The Psalms Of Lament

Maxwell Chiwoko Banda

Department of Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria

About The Author

Maxwell Chiwoko Banda holds a Ph.D. in Theology from the South African Theological Seminary. He is a Malawian academic and ordained minister of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), Nkhoma Synod. His academic interests include Biblical Hebrew linguistics, Bible translation, exegesis, Old Testament studies, and New Testament textual criticism. From 2016 to 2024, he was an academic at Nkhoma University in Malawi before joining the South African Theological Seminary (SATS), where he now serves as a Biblical Studies Lecturer and the Book Review Editor of Conspectus. He is also a Research Associate in the Department of Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Pretoria. Dr. Banda has contributed to Bible translation projects with Biblica Malawi and Scriptura and has published a book and several articles in international, peer-reviewed journals. He lives with his wife, Alice, and their children in Lilongwe, Malawi, where he serves as a congregation minister.

Email: [email protected]

This article: https://www.sats.ac.za/conspectus/investigating-constellation-functionality https://doi.org/10.54725/conspectus.2025.1.5

Abstract

Most approaches to the study of the biblical Hebrew verbal system focus on the semantic values of verbal forms. However, the outcomes are not pleasing when applied to the text because of varied inconsistencies exposed in Hebrew Bible translations. This article discusses the constellation, functions, and semantics of finite conjugations in the elements of the psalms of lament. Using the discourse analysis and text-linguistic theories of Niccacci and Longacre as a theoretical basis, the study employs a genre analysis approach to investigate the constellation, functionality, and semantic nuance of finite conjugations in the psalms of lament. This involves identifying and describing every constituent element of the psalms of lament, investigation of dominant verbal conjugation(s), and a discussion of the functionality and semantic value of the conjugation(s) in each element. After analyzing the data, the study found a clear interplay between genre and the verbal system, as certain verbal conjugations are preferred in specific elements of the psalms of lament.

Keywords

biblical Hebrew, finite conjugations, psalms of lament, genre analysis

SATS 39:1 (April 2025) p. 72

1. Introduction