Rem. 1. It is rarer that impf. with simple vav is used instead of vav perf. after the particles in b, c, as Ps. 2:12 פֶּן־יֶֽאֱנַף וְתֹֽאבְדוּ lest he be angry and ye perish. In most of the cases the verbs are parallel (just as in very many other cases they are asyndetous), e.g. Is. 40:27 (לָמָּה); Ex. 23:12, Is. 41:20 (לְמַעַן). And אוּלַי perhaps has often almost the force of a wish, and vav with impf. expresses purpose. Jer. 20:10 (cohor.), Nu. 22:6, 1 K. 18:5.
§ 54. Vav perf. continues an impf. expressing what is customary or general (freq. impf.) in pres. or past. (a) Ex. 1:19 בְּטֶרֶם תָּבוֹא הַֽמְיַלֶּדֶת וְיָלָֽדוּ before the midwife comes they are delivered; Hos. 7:7 כֻּלָּם יֵחַמּוּ כַּתַּמּנּוּר וְאָֽכְלוּ they all get heated like an oven, and devour their judges; Is. 36:6 אשׁר יִסָּמֵךְ אִישׁ עָלָרו וּבָא בְכַפּוֹ on which one leans, and it goes into his hand; Am. 5:19 כַּֽאֲשֶׁר יָנוּס הָאִישׁ מִפְּנֵי הָֽאֲרִי וּפְגָעוֹ הַדֹּב as a man flees from a lion, and a bear meets him Ex. 18:16, Deu. 5:21; 11:10, Is. 29:8, 11, 12, Jer. 17:15–8; 20:9, Ez. 29:7, Mic. 2:1, 2, Pr. 4:16; 16:29; 18:10, 17.
(b) Very commonly in the past. Gen. 2:6 יַֽעֲלֶה ··· וְהִשְׁקָה וְאֵד a mist used to go up, and water; 2:10 וּמִשָּׁם וְהָיָה יִפָּרֵד from there it separated itself, and became four heads; 1 S. 2:19, 20, and a little robe וְהַֽעַלְתָה לוֹ תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לּוֹ אִמּוֹ his mother used to make for him, and bring it up to him every year. Gen. 6:4; 29:2, 3; 31:8; 38:9, Ex. 17:11, Nu. 21:8, 9, 1 K. 18:10. This use of vav perf. is very common in graphic descriptions of past events that were customary or habitual, and in giving the details of a scene. Gen. 29:2, 3 (watering of the flocks), Ex. 33:7–11 (procedure with the Tabernacle), Jud. 2:18, 19 (what happened when a Judge was raised up), Jud. 6:2–6 (details of a Midianite raid), 1 S. 1:4–7 (Elkanah’s case with his two wives), 1 S. 2:13–16 (practice of the priests), 1 S. 17:34–36 (David’s
