# Chapter 35 — Hithpael Semantic Function Sorting (Weak Roots)

*BBH Chapter 35 · Hithpael Weak Verbs*

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## Instructions

Below are 20 Hithpael verb forms drawn from the OT. All are from **weak roots** (III-ה, sibilant metathesis, geminate, I-guttural). Each item gives you the Hebrew form, its conjugation, root, reference, and a contextual gloss.

**For each item, classify the Hithpael as one of the four semantic functions:**

| Code | Function | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| **R** | Reflexive | Subject acts on or for itself; subject is also the object |
| **Re** | Reciprocal | Subjects act on one another mutually |
| **I** | Intensive/Iterative | Action is repeated, habitual, or intensified |
| **SA** | Simple Action | Hithpael is the primary form; no corresponding Qal or Piel reflexive logic applies |

> **Tip:** Ask: Is the subject doing the action *to itself* (Reflexive)? *To one another* (Reciprocal)? *Repeatedly/intensified* (Intensive)? *Is the Hithpael simply the standard form for this meaning with no Qal/Piel reflexive logic* (Simple Action)?

Write your answer (R / Re / I / SA) in the blank Function column.

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## Exercise Table

| # | Hebrew | Conjugation | Root | Ref | Gloss | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | הִתְגַּלָּה | Perfect 3ms | גלה | Gen 35:7 | "God revealed himself" | |
| 2 | הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה | Perfect 3ms | שׁחה | Gen 22:5 | "we will worship / bow down" | |
| 3 | הִתְהַלֵּל | Perfect 3ms | הלל | Jer 9:23 | "let him not boast" | |
| 4 | הִתְפַּלֵּל | Perfect 3ms | פלל | Gen 20:7 | "he prayed" | |
| 5 | הִתְעַנָּה | Perfect 3ms | ענה | Ezr 8:21 | "we afflicted ourselves / fasted" | |
| 6 | יִתְגַּלֶּה | Imperfect 3ms | גלה | — | "he will reveal himself / it will be revealed" | |
| 7 | יִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה | Imperfect 3ms | שׁחה | — | "he will bow down" | |
| 8 | יִתְהַלֵּל | Imperfect 3ms | הלל | Jer 9:23 | "let him boast" | |
| 9 | יִתְפַּלֵּל | Imperfect 3ms | פלל | — | "he will pray" | |
| 10 | וַיִּתְגַּל | Wayyiqtol 3ms | גלה | Gen 9:21 | "he uncovered himself" | |
| 11 | וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ | Wayyiqtol 3ms | שׁחה | Gen 22:5 | "and he bowed down" | |
| 12 | וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל | Wayyiqtol 3ms | פלל | Gen 20:17 | "Abraham prayed" | |
| 13 | הִתְנַבֵּא | Perfect 3ms | נבא | 1 Sam 10:10 | "he prophesied" | |
| 14 | הִתְחַזֵּק | Perfect 3ms | חזק | 2 Sam 10:12 | "take courage! / be strong!" | |
| 15 | הִתְנַחֵם | Perfect 3ms | נחם | Gen 24:67 | "Isaac was comforted" | |
| 16 | הִתְבָּרֵךְ | Perfect 3ms | ברך | Gen 22:18 | "all nations will bless themselves" | |
| 17 | הִצְטַדֵּק | Perfect 3ms | צדק | — | "he justified himself" | |
| 18 | הִתְרַגֵּז | Perfect 3ms | רגז | — | "he trembled / was agitated" | |
| 19 | הִתְחַנֵּן | Perfect 3ms | חנן | — | "he pleaded for mercy / implored" | |
| 20 | הִתְנַהֵג | Perfect 3ms | נהג | — | "he conducted himself / behaved" | |

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## Discussion Questions

1. Items 2, 7, and 11 all come from the root שׁחה (Hithpael). The form הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה appears with weak endings (III-ה apocopation in wayyiqtol: וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ). Why is bowing down classified as Reflexive? What is the subject doing "to itself"?
2. Items 4, 9, and 12 (root פלל) are all classified as Simple Action. The Hithpael of פלל came to mean "pray" in Biblical Hebrew. How does this illustrate the lexicalization of the Hithpael, where the original reflexive force becomes conventionalized and fades from view?
3. Item 15 (הִתְנַחֵם, "was comforted") and item 14 (הִתְחַזֵּק, "took courage"): both describe an inner state. The Reflexive function of Hithpael often shades into a Passive-like reading. What is the difference between "comforted himself" and "was comforted" as translations of הִתְנַחֵם?
4. Item 16 (הִתְבָּרֵךְ, Gen 22:18) and item 17 (הִצְטַדֵּק): both involve the subject acting on itself. What is the theological difference between blessing oneself (reflexive) and justifying oneself (reflexive)? Why is the second potentially negative in the OT context?

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## Answer Key

| # | Root | Form (Phonology note) | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | גלה | III-ה: perfect ends ָ–ה | **R** | God revealed himself — subject is both agent and recipient of the revelation |
| 2 | שׁחה | sibilant metathesis + III-ה | **R** | Bowing down = acting on one's own body in submission |
| 3 | הלל | geminate | **R** | Boasting = directing praise toward oneself; subject as its own object |
| 4 | פלל | strong (Hithpael of פלל) | **SA** | Prayer became the fixed lexical meaning; the reflexive "plead one's own case" has lexicalized into a simple action |
| 5 | ענה | III-ה | **R** | "We afflicted ourselves" — the subject enacts deprivation upon itself (fasting) |
| 6 | גלה | III-ה imperfect: seghol + ה | **R** | Reflexive: the subject is both agent and recipient of the revealing |
| 7 | שׁחה | sibilant metathesis + III-ה | **R** | Bowing down — self-directed act of submission |
| 8 | הלל | geminate | **R** | "Let him boast" — subject directs praise to itself |
| 9 | פלל | strong | **SA** | Prayer as conventionalized Hithpael meaning |
| 10 | גלה | III-ה wayyiqtol: apocopated (ה dropped) | **R** | "He uncovered himself" — Noah acted upon his own body |
| 11 | שׁחה | sibilant metathesis + III-ה wayyiqtol: apocopated | **R** | Self-directed prostration |
| 12 | פלל | strong | **SA** | "Abraham prayed" — the lexicalized Simple Action meaning |
| 13 | נבא | I-nun | **SA** | "He prophesied" — the Hithpael of נבא is the primary form for prophesying; no reflexive logic in the modern sense |
| 14 | חזק | strong | **R** | Estimative-Reflexive: "take courage" = present yourself as strong / strengthen yourself |
| 15 | נחם | I-nun | **R** | "Was comforted" — the reflexive shades into a passive-like reading; subject receives the state from within |
| 16 | ברך | strong | **R** | "Bless themselves" — nations enacting blessing for/upon themselves (the Abrahamic promise formula) |
| 17 | צדק | sibilant צ with assimilation | **R** | "Justified himself" — subject claims or asserts righteousness for itself; often carries a negative connotation of self-justification |
| 18 | רגז | strong | **I** | Trembling = intensive/iterative inner agitation; the body's repeated shaking response |
| 19 | חנן | I-guttural | **I** | Pleading = repeated, intense supplication; the iterative force captures the urgency of the request |
| 20 | נהג | strong | **R** | "Conducted himself" = directed his own behavior; the subject governs itself |

### Function summary

| Function | Items | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Reflexive | 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20 | 14 |
| Simple Action | 4, 9, 12, 13 | 4 |
| Intensive/Iterative | 18, 19 | 2 |
| Reciprocal | — | 0 |
| **Total** | | **20** |
