imagines the act done, and expresses it in a tone conveying his feeling regarding it. Gen. 18:12 shall I have (had) pleasure! 21:7 who would have said? Ex. 10:3; 16:28, Jud. 9:9 shall I have abandoned! Nu. 23:10, 23, 1 S. 26:9, 2 K. 20:9, Jer. 30:21, Ez. 18:19, Hab. 2:18, Ps. 10:13; 11:3; 39:8; 80:5, Job 12:9. Cf. interchange of perf. and impf. Hab 1:2, 3, Ps. 60:11.
Rem. 3. Owing to the want of participles expressing past time, the perf. has to be used in attributive or circumstantial clauses referring to past. Gen. 44:4 לא הִרְחִיקוּ not having gone far; 44:12 הֵחֵל beginning at the eldest; 48:14 guiding has hands, Gen. 21:14; Nu. 30:12 without checking, Deu. 21:1, Jud. 6:19; 20:31, 1 S. 30:2, 1 K. 13:18, Job 11:16 waters passed away; Is. 3:9 without concealment. And so to express an action prior to the main action spoken of, Ps. 11:2. Very compressed is the language, Jud. 9:48 מה רְאִיתֶם עָשִׂיתִי what ye have seen me do. If me had been expressed the consn. would have been an ordinary Ar. one. Lam. 1:10, Neh. 13:23; cf. impf. 2 S. 21:4, Is. 3:15.
Rem. 4. Another verb following on perf. is usually appended with vav impf., but in animated speech asyndetous perfs. are often accumulated. Deu. 32, 15, Jud. 5:27, Is. 18:5; 25:12; 30:33, Lam. 2:16.
Rem. 5. In some instances perf. appears to express a wish (precative perf.). Job 21:16 the counsel רָֽחֲקָה be far! 22:18. Lam. 1:21 הֵבֵאתָ bring thou, where structure of verse requires ref. to fut; 3:56 seq., where v. 55 continues 54; Ps. 18:47. Is. 43:9 נִקְבְּצוּ may be form of imper., and Ps. 7:7 צִוִּיתָ a circumst. clause. It would be strange if Heb. altogether wanted this usage, which is common to all the Shem. languages in some shape. Wright, ii. 3, Dillm. p. 406 foot, Noeldeke, p. 181, Del. Assyr. Gr. § 93. The position of the verb is free in Heb., as is usual in comparison of Ar. The usage may be allied to perf. of confidence (Ps. 10:16; 22:22; 31:6; 57:7; 116:16), the strong wish causing the act to be conceived as accomplished.
