I'm reading selected portions of Ken Penner's text & commentary on Isaiah Codex Sinaiticus. It has been a couple of decades since I have read anything technical about textual criticism in the Greek old Testament. I'm having problems with the abbreviations. I'm guessing that G doesn't refer to a text but a translator. I vaguely recall John Wevers on Genesis using G frequently and it referred to the presumed original translation of Genesis. I don't recall if he considered the Göttingen edtion of Genesis identical with G. With books outside the Pentateuch the Old Greek OG is used for the presumed original translation. Is it presumed that the critical edition of Isaiah is the OG? Is G used interchangeably with OG in reference to Isaiah? Yes I am confused.
Isaiah Codex Sinaiticus Page 488
Imperfects are extremely rare in G. Besides the forms of εἰμί, there are only four imperfects in G, three of which are in this paragraph (the other is ἔφερον in 30:6). By contrast, Ezekiel has dozens of imperfects. The Hebrew form behind κατεκάλυπτον is yiqtol. Again, the Hebrew form is yiqtol. The significance of G’s use of imperfect is twofold: (1) G thought the yiqtol forms here conveyed imperfective aspect; (2) G did not think the yiqtol forms regularly conveyed imperfective aspect.
G is something which we can search and count perfects.
C. Stirling Bartholomew