Hebrew for Bible Readers

Home > Magazines > Bible Review > October 1992

016

In our previous lesson we met the six verbal patterns derived from the Qal, or simple, conjugation (see chart below). We looked first at Niphal and noted that it is the passive form of Qal, Next we met Piel, which expresses intensive action.

	Simple	Intensive	Causative
Active	Qal	Piel	Hiphil
	vb’K;	vBeKi	vyBik]hi
	“he subdued”	“he conquered”	“he brought into bondage”
Passive	Niphal	Paul	Hophal
	K’k]nI	vB’Ku	vB’k]h;
	“he was	“he was	“he was brought
	subdued”	conquered”	into bondage”
Reflexive		Hithpael
(or Passive)		vBeK’t]hi
		“he was suppressed”

Just as Niphal is the passive form of Qal, Pual expresses the passive of Piel: rB’vu (shub-bar), “it was smashed” compared to rBevi (shib-ber), “he smashed.” The main feature of the Pual is a kubbuts ( u) under the first root letter and a dagesh in the middle root letter (see chart at center).

	Paul
Future will be smashed	Present smashed	Past were/was smashed
we rB’vunÒ I rB’vua}	I am/you are/he is (m.) rB;vum]	we Wnr]B’vu I yTir]B’vu
you (m.) WrB]vuT] you (m.) rB’vuT]	I am/you are/she is (f.) tr,B,vum]	you (m.) µT,r]B’vu you (m.) T;r]B’vu
you (f.) hn:r]B’vuT] you (f.) yriB]vuT]	we/you/they are (m.) µyriB;vum]	you (f.) ÷T,r]B’vu you (f.) T]r]B’vu
they (m.) WrB]vuyÒ he rB’vuyÒ	we/you/they are (m.) t/rB;vum]	they (m.) WrB]vu he rB’vu
they (f.) hn:r]B’vuT] she rB’vuT]		they (f.) WrB]vu she hr;B]vu

Find the Paul form in Isaiah 27:9: Bqo[}y”ë÷/[} rP’kuyÒ taOzB] ÷kel; (la-chen bezot yechup-par avon-ya-akov) “Therefore by this shall be atoned the guilt of Jacob.”

The Hiphil usually expresses the causative action of Qal. For example, dbeK; (kaved) means “he/it is heavy.” In Hiphil the derived form, dyBik]hi (hich-biyd), means “he made (something) heavy.” The identifying marks of the Hiphil are the prefixed h and the y between the second and third root letters. The prefixed h does not appear in the present and future forms (see chart at bottom).

		Hiphil
Future		Present	Past
will make heavy		make/makes heavy	made heavy
we dyBik]n”	I dyBik]a’	I/you/he (m.) dyBik]m’	we Wnd]B’k]hi	I yTid]B’k]hi
you (m.) WdyBik]T’	you (m.) dyBik]T’	I/you/he (f.) hd;yBik]m’	you (m.) µT,d]B’k]hi	you (m.) T;d]B’k]hi
you (f.) hn:d]Bek]T’	you (f.) ydiyBik]T’	we/you/they (m.) µydiyBik]m’	you (f.) ÷T,d]B’k]hi	you (f.) T]d]B’k]hi
they (m.) WdyBik]y”	he dyBik]y”	we/you/they (f.) t/dyBik]m’	they (m.) WdyBik]hi	he dyBik]hi
they (f.) hn:d]Bek]t’	she dyBik]T’		they (f.) WdyBik]hi	she hd;yBik]hi

Notice the Hiphil form in Numbers 9:13 /d[}moB] byriq]hi al¿ hwhy ÷B’r]q; yKi (ki kor-ban Adonai lo hik-riyv bemo-ado) “ … for the offering of the Lord he did not offer in its season ….”

Our next lesson will conclude the review of verb patterns with a look at the Hophal and Hithpael forms.

Keith N. Schoville is a Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Semitic Studies at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.

All work ›

MLA Citation

Schoville, Keith N. “Hebrew for Bible Readers,” Bible Review 8.5 (1992): 16.

Verb forms for shades of meaning, part II

MLA Citation

Want More Bible History?