The Role of Waw and Asyndeton in Creating Discourse Blocks

The conjunction waw creates chains of discourse that are to read together. It assumes a preceding text and generally does not signal an absolute beginning. One neat use of the conjunction is how it introduces most books in the OT. DeRouchie writes, “In all of these cases, authors are probably using the conjunction to set the books within the grand narrative of Israel’s history. By contrast, Job, which is not part of that history, does not begin with a conjunction.” (MGBH, 285).
And asyndeton, on the other hand, is the absence of the conjunction and signals 1) the start of a new unit of discourse or 2) a restatement, clarification, or support of a previous text unit. It’s like a parenthetical statement.
There are multiple levels of discourse occurring in a given text, including the main narration and its direct speech and embedded discourse. One thing to keep in mind is that the main point of a text may actually be found in one of the many embedded clauses. DeRouchie explain, “Although the primary storyline in historical narrative is never embedded, the core message of often found not in the words of the narrator or in the actions of the characters but in a reported speech… which is always embedded material” (287).

Understand the Four Text Types in the Hebrew Bible

Historical — Replays a succession of contingent events; usually past tense, with events having taken place prior to the report. (wayyigtol mainline clauses and X plus qatal clauses often add offline events and/or signal the onset of termination of paragraphs.)
Anticipatory — Predicts or promises forthcoming events, at times in contingent succession; usually future tense, making events that will occur after the speech (weqatal mainline clauses and X plus yiqtol often marks offline predictions or promises and/or signal the onset of termination of paragraphs.)
Descriptive — Static; explains a situation, state, or activity that is occurring in the mainline timeframe of another discourse type or that is perpetually true. (clauses with “to be”, verbless/nominal clauses; existential clauses)
Directive — Commands or exhortations, at times in the form of progressive directions for a given task. (weqatal mainline clauses, often after initial volatives. Modal yiqtol verbs and jussives mark offline instruction/exhortation or signal the onset of terminatin of paragraphs).