Berachah Bible InstituteHebrew

Grammar I

Chapter 12: Introduction to Hebrew Verbs

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Verbal Root

• “Lowest Common Denominator”

• Carries Base Meaning

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• Ex) %l{àm.yII = “he will rule”• Ex) %l{àm.yII = “he will rule” Root =

%lm• Ex) tWkïl.m; = “kingdom”• Ex) tWkïl.m; = “kingdom”

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Grammar IHebrew VerbsSlide 2 of 12

Stem Form Example*

Qal Simple Active Eat

Niphal Simple Passive Was eaten

Piel Intensive Active Devour

Pual Intensive Passive Be devoured

Hithpael

Intensive Reflexive

Devour oneself

Hiphil Causative Active Feed

Hophal Causative Passive

Be fed* Examples use idea of “eating”

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Verbal Action• Active – Subject does the action (Ed hit)

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• Passive – Subject receives the action (Ed was hit)

Transitive – Takes direct object (Ed hit the ball)

Intransitive – No direct object (Ed swims)

• Reflexive – Subject does & receives the action (Ed hit himself)

Reciprocal – Plural case of reflexive (They hit each other)

• Stative – No action done (Ed is kind)

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Verbal Terms• “Intensive” perhaps misleading. A better description?

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• Some verbs do not occur in the qal. Thus, no nuance.

• Denominative – From (de) a noun (nominative) (e.g., rbd)• Causative – Subject causes action to occur (he made him king)

• Factitive – Bring into a state (“be great” vs. “exalt”)

• Frequentative – Do repeatedly (“go” vs. “go about”)

• Other (Resultative, performative, privative, …)

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Example #1: lka, “eat”• Qal = “eat” (simple active, transitive)

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• Hiphil = “feed” (active, causative)

• Niphal = “be eaten” (passive)

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Example #2: twm, “die”• Qal = “die” (simple active, intransitive)

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• Hiphil = “have someone killed” (active, causative)

• Piel = “kill” (active, factitive) [*really polel]

• Hophal – “be killed” (passive, causative)

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Example #3: rbd, “speak”• From (de) noun (nominative) rb"D"

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• Pual = “be spoken” (simple passive)

• Piel = “speak” (simple active, rarely occurs in qal)

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Example #4: dly, “bear” (i.e., children)• Qal = “bear” (simple active, transitive)

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• Piel = “help at birth, serve as midwife” (causative, one way)

• Niphal = “be born” (simple passive)

• Hiphil = “become the father of” (causative, another way)

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Example #5: ldg, “be great”• Qal = “be great” (stative)

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• Hiphil = “make great” (causative)

• Piel = “exalt” (factitive)

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Example #6: har, “see”• Qal = “see” (simple active, transative)

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• Hiphil = “show” (active, causative)

• Niphal = “appear” (simple passive)

• Hophal = “be shown” (passive, causative)

• Hithpael – “look at each other” (reciprocal)

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Example #7: hwc, “command”• Does not appear in the Qal!

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• Pual = “receive a command” (simple passive)

• Piel = “command” (simple active) [no nuance!]

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Grammar IHebrew Verbs

Example #8: ~xl, “fight”• Rarely appears in the Qal!

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• Niphal = “fight” (simple active) [not passive!]