# Chapter 24 — "Semantic Function Sorting"

*Classify each Niphal form by its semantic function*

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## Instructions

Each item below gives you a Niphal form with its reference and a contextual gloss. Classify each one using the abbreviations in the legend.

**Legend:**
| Code | Function |
|---|---|
| **P** | Passive — subject receives the action |
| **R** | Reflexive — subject acts on or for itself |
| **RC** | Reciprocal — subjects act on one another |
| **SA** | Simple Action — Niphal-only root; no distinct Qal meaning |

> **Tip:** Ask "Is the subject *receiving* the action, *doing it to itself*, *doing it mutually*, or is this simply what the root means in the Niphal?" When in doubt, check whether the Qal of the same root expresses an action that could logically be applied to the Niphal subject.

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## Sorting Table

| # | Hebrew Form | Conjugation | Reference | Gloss | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וַיִּמָּכֵר | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 37:36 | "and Joseph was sold into Egypt" | |
| 2 | נִצָּבָה | Perfect 3fs | Gen 37:7 | "my sheaf stood upright" | |
| 3 | וַיִּנָּחֶם | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 6:6 | "the LORD regretted" | |
| 4 | יֵאָכֵל | Imperfect 3ms | Exo 12:46 | "it shall be eaten" | |
| 5 | הִשָּׁמְרוּ | Imperative 2mp | Exo 19:12 | "take heed for yourselves!" | |
| 6 | נִשְׁמַע | Perfect 3ms | Gen 45:16 | "the report was heard" | |
| 7 | הִשָּׁבְעָה | Imperative 2ms | Gen 47:31 | "swear to me!" | |
| 8 | הַנִּמְצָא | Participle ms | Gen 47:14 | "that which was found" | |
| 9 | וְנִכְרְתָה | Weqatal 3fs | Exo 12:15 | "that person will be cut off" | |
| 10 | נִצָּבִים | Participle mp | Exo 5:20 | "standing before Pharaoh" | |
| 11 | אִוָּעֵד | Imperfect 1cs | Exo 29:42 | "I will meet with you there" | |
| 12 | וַיִּשָּׁבַע | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 47:31 | "and he swore to him" | |
| 13 | וַיֵּאָסֶף | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 49:33 | "and he was gathered to his people" | |
| 14 | יִלָּחֵם | Imperfect 3ms | Exo 14:14 | "the LORD will fight for you" | |
| 15 | נִשְׁבְּעוּ | Weqatal 3mp | Gen 21:31 | "both of them swore" | |
| 16 | תִּכָּרֵת | Imperfect 3fs | Gen 41:36 | "the land will not be cut off" | |
| 17 | נִלְחָם | Participle ms | Exo 14:25 | "the LORD is fighting for them" | |
| 18 | הֵאָסְפוּ | Imperative 2mp | Gen 49:1 | "gather yourselves!" | |
| 19 | וְנוֹעֲדוּ | Weqatal 3mp | Num 10:3 | "all the congregation shall assemble" | |
| 20 | נִחַמְתִּי | Weqatal 1cs | Gen 6:7 | "I regret that I made them" | |
| 21 | נְמַלְתֶּם | Weqatal 2mp | Gen 17:11 | "you shall be circumcised" | |
| 22 | נִצַּבְתָּ | Perfect 2ms | Exo 7:15 | "station yourself to meet him" | |
| 23 | לְהִלָּחֵם | Inf. Construct | Exo 17:10 | "to fight against Amalek" | |
| 24 | יִמָּצֵא | Imperfect 3ms | Gen 44:9 | "whoever is found [with the cup]" | |
| 25 | הִמָּצֵא יִמָּצֵא | Inf. Abs. + Imperfect | Exo 22:3 | "if it is actually found in his possession" | |

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## Answer Key

| # | Function | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | Joseph receives the action of being sold |
| 2 | R | The sheaf stations itself upright (acts on itself) |
| 3 | SA | נָחַם Niphal-only: no standard Qal; "to regret/relent" is the base meaning |
| 4 | P | The Passover lamb receives the action of eating |
| 5 | R | Guard yourselves — the subject directs the keeping action back on itself |
| 6 | P | The report receives the action of hearing — it becomes audible |
| 7 | R | Bind yourself by oath (reflexive oath-taking) |
| 8 | P | The silver was found (discovered by Joseph's collectors) |
| 9 | P | The person receives the covenant-exclusion penalty |
| 10 | R | The overseers have stationed themselves before Pharaoh |
| 11 | RC | God and Israel meet *one another* at the tent of meeting |
| 12 | R | Jacob binds himself by oath at Joseph's request |
| 13 | P | Jacob is gathered in (brought to his ancestors — die) |
| 14 | SA | לָחַם Niphal-only: "to fight" is the base meaning |
| 15 | R | Abraham and Abimelech each bind themselves — reflexive, not quite reciprocal since each takes the oath individually |
| 16 | P | The land would be cut off (suffer the action of deprivation) |
| 17 | SA | לָחַם Niphal-only: the LORD is fighting (no Qal to contrast) |
| 18 | P | Gather yourselves (be gathered) — passive-like imperative of assembly |
| 19 | RC | The congregation assembles mutually, gathering together |
| 20 | SA | נָחַם Niphal-only: "I regret" is the base meaning |
| 21 | P | The males receive the action of circumcision |
| 22 | R | Moses stations himself (positions himself) at the Nile |
| 23 | SA | לָחַם Niphal-only: "to fight" — the inf. construct form |
| 24 | P | Whoever is discovered (the cup is found on him) |
| 25 | P | Emphatic passive — the stolen item is certainly found; the doubling stresses the discovery |

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## Discussion Questions

1. Items 3, 14, 17, 20, and 23 all involve "Simple Action" Niphal-only roots (נָחַם and לָחַם). What is the practical difference between a Niphal-only root and a root that simply lacks a Qal in the OT corpus? How would a lexicon help you distinguish them?
2. Compare items 7 and 12 (both שָׁבַע Niphal). The imperative (item 7) and the wayyiqtol (item 12) appear in the same verse (Gen 47:31). How does the sequential narrative create a scene of formal oath-taking? What does each form contribute?
3. Item 11 (אִוָּעֵד — Reciprocal) differs subtly from item 19 (וְנוֹעֲדוּ — Reciprocal). In Exo 29:42 God promises to meet with Israel; in Num 10:3 the congregation assembles. Is the "reciprocal" label equally apt for both? Who initiates the meeting in each case?
4. Item 18 (הֵאָסְפוּ) is listed as Passive, yet it is an imperative addressed to Jacob's sons. Explain how a Niphal imperative can be both a command and passive in force.
