# Chapter 28 — Hophal Semantic Function Sorting

*BBH Chapter 28 · Hophal Strong Verbs*

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## Instructions

Below are 25 Hophal verb forms drawn from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Each item gives you the Hebrew form, its conjugation, reference, and a contextual gloss.

**The Hophal is the causative-passive stem — the passive of the Hiphil.** Every Hophal expresses that the subject *undergoes* being caused to do or experience something.

**For each item, classify the Hophal as one of the five semantic functions:**

| Code | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| **PT** | Physical Transfer | Subject was physically moved (brought, led, taken down, carried) |
| **LF** | Legal Formula | Legal/capital formula: יוּמַת "he shall/must be put to death" |
| **SR** | Speech Reporting | Information was reported or told (passive of Hiphil נָגַד "to tell") |
| **SC** | State Change | Subject was caused to enter a new state (was returned, was set up, was removed) |
| **SA** | Simple Action | Hophal is the primary form; the underlying Hiphil has no distinct Qal function to contrast |

> **Tip:** Ask what the corresponding Hiphil would mean, then flip it to passive. Physical motion passivized → **PT**. The formula יוּמַת → **LF**. Passive of "to tell/report" → **SR**. Caused to enter a state → **SC**. No Qal/Hiphil contrast available → **SA**.

Write your answer (PT / LF / SR / SC / SA) in the blank column.

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## Exercise Table

| # | Hebrew Form | Conjugation | Ref | Contextual Gloss | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1  | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 22:20 | "it was told to Abraham" | |
| 2  | יּוּשַׂם | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 24:33 | "food was set before him" | |
| 3  | הוּרַד | Qatal 3ms | Gen 39:1 | "he had been brought down to Egypt" | |
| 4  | הֻבָּאת | Qatal 3fs | Gen 33:11 | "it was brought to him" | |
| 5  | הוּשַׁב | Qatal 3ms | Gen 42:28 | "it has been returned into my sack" | |
| 6  | הוּבְאוּ | Qatal 3cp | Gen 43:18 | "we were brought in" | |
| 7  | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 38:13 | "it was told to Tamar" | |
| 8  | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 38:24 | "it was told to Judah" | |
| 9  | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 27:42 | "it was told to Rebekah" | |
| 10 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Gen 26:11 | "he shall be put to death" | |
| 11 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Exo 19:12 | "he shall be put to death" | |
| 12 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Exo 21:12 | "he must be put to death" | |
| 13 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Exo 21:15 | "he must be put to death" | |
| 14 | יֻּכּוּ | Wayyiqtol 3mp | Exo 5:14 | "the Israelite overseers were beaten" | |
| 15 | מֻכִּים | Participle mp | Exo 5:16 | "your servants are being beaten" | |
| 16 | יוּסַר | Yiqtol 3ms | Lev 4:35 | "it is to be removed" | |
| 17 | הוּסַר | Qatal 3ms | Lev 4:31 | "it was removed" | |
| 18 | הוּבָא | Weqatal 3ms | Lev 14:2 | "he will be brought to the priest" | |
| 19 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Num 18:7 | "he shall be put to death" | |
| 20 | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Exo 14:5 | "it was told to the king of Egypt" | |
| 21 | הוּקַם | Qatal 3ms | Exo 40:17 | "the tabernacle was set up" | |
| 22 | יוּשַׁב | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Exo 10:8 | "Moses and Aaron were brought back" | |
| 23 | הוּחַל | Qatal 3ms | Gen 4:26 | "it was begun (to call on the name of the LORD)" | |
| 24 | הוּגַּד | Qatal 3ms | Exo 26:30 | "you were shown the pattern (of the tabernacle)" | |
| 25 | מוּמָת | Hophal Inf. Construct | Num 35:16 | "the murderer must be put to death" | |

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## Discussion Questions

1. The יוּמַת formula appears in items 10–13 and 19 (five occurrences). What does the repetition of this fixed Hophal form in the Mosaic law codes signal about the role of the Hophal in legal language? Why is the passive here more powerful than a simple active verb?
2. Items 1, 7, 8, 9, and 20 all come from the same root (נָגַד). The Hiphil of this root means "to tell/report." Why is this root almost always passive (Hophal) when the subject is *information* rather than a person? What does this reveal about the typical information-flow in biblical narrative?
3. Compare items 16 and 17 (both from Lev 4, root סוּר). Item 16 is a Yiqtol; item 17 is a Qatal. What does the difference in conjugation signal — is one describing a past removal and the other a prescribed future removal, or is there another aspect distinction at work?
4. Physical Transfer (PT) and State Change (SC) can overlap for some verbs. Items 5 (הוּשַׁב, "was returned") and 22 (יוּשַׁב, "was brought back") both involve motion but were assigned SC. Pick one and explain why the *resulting state* is more prominent than the physical movement itself. Then consider whether item 3 (הוּרַד) could be argued as SC rather than PT.

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## Answer Key

| # | Root | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1  | נָגַד | **SR** | Information was reported/told to Abraham; Hophal of Hiphil "to tell" |
| 2  | שִׂים | **SC** | Food was caused to be set/placed in a state of presence before him |
| 3  | יָרַד | **PT** | Joseph was physically brought down (moved) to Egypt; Hiphil = to bring down |
| 4  | בּוֹא | **PT** | The gift/present was physically carried and brought to Jacob |
| 5  | שׁוּב | **SC** | The silver was caused to return (enter the state of being back) in the sack |
| 6  | בּוֹא | **PT** | The brothers were physically brought into Joseph's house |
| 7  | נָגַד | **SR** | News of Judah's widowhood was reported to Tamar |
| 8  | נָגַד | **SR** | News of Tamar's pregnancy was reported to Judah |
| 9  | נָגַד | **SR** | Esau's intention to kill Jacob was reported to Rebekah |
| 10 | מוּת | **LF** | Capital penalty formula: the violator of the Philistine decree must die |
| 11 | מוּת | **LF** | Sinai boundary violation formula: the transgressor shall be put to death |
| 12 | מוּת | **LF** | Murder law formula: the killer must be put to death (Exo 21:12) |
| 13 | מוּת | **LF** | Violence against parents formula: perpetrator must be put to death |
| 14 | נָכָה | **SA** | The overseers were beaten; root נָכָה has no functional Qal; Hiphil is standard form |
| 15 | נָכָה | **SA** | Participle: the servants are being beaten; same SA root as #14 |
| 16 | סוּר | **SC** | The fat portions are caused to enter a state of removal (prescribed ritual) |
| 17 | סוּר | **SC** | The fat portions were removed (caused to depart from the offering); same root as #16 |
| 18 | בּוֹא | **PT** | The healed leper will be physically brought to the priest |
| 19 | מוּת | **LF** | Tabernacle-service intrusion formula: the unauthorized person must be put to death |
| 20 | נָגַד | **SR** | The flight of Israel was reported to the king of Egypt |
| 21 | קוּם | **SC** | The tabernacle was caused to stand up/erect — entered the state of being established |
| 22 | שׁוּב | **SC** | Moses and Aaron were brought back (caused to return) to Pharaoh — state of return |
| 23 | חָלַל | **SC** | Calling on YHWH's name was begun — caused to enter the state of being started |
| 24 | נָגַד | **SR** | The tabernacle pattern was shown/reported to Moses at Sinai |
| 25 | מוּת | **LF** | Infinitive construct used as a nominal in the penalty clause: "the putting to death of the murderer" |

### Function summary

| Function | Items | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Speech Reporting | 1, 7, 8, 9, 20, 24 | 6 |
| Legal Formula | 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 25 | 6 |
| Physical Transfer | 3, 4, 6, 18 | 4 |
| State Change | 2, 5, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23 | 7 |
| Simple Action | 14, 15 | 2 |
