# BBH Chapter 25 — Niphal Weak Verbs (נִפְעַל)

## Files

### Reference Files

File | Description
--- | ---
niphal-paradigms.md | Strong paradigm reference (from Ch24) — full PGN tables with key-marker notes
niphal-weak-lamed-aleph-paradigms.md | III-א (Lamed-Aleph) paradigms — root מָצָא and יָרֵא, all 8 conjugations with strong comparison
niphal-weak-lamed-he-paradigms.md | III-ה (Lamed-He) paradigms — roots גָּלָה and רָאָה, all 8 conjugations with strong comparison
niphal-weak-lamed-guttural-paradigms.md | III-ח/ע (Lamed-Guttural) paradigms — roots שָׁמַע and שָׁלַח, all 8 conjugations with strong comparison
niphal-weak-pe-guttural-paradigms.md | I-guttural (Pe-Guttural) paradigms — roots עָמַד and אָמַר, all 8 conjugations with strong comparison
niphal-weak-pe-paradigms.md | I-נ and I-י paradigms — roots פָּקַד / נָגַשׁ (I-נ) and יָלַד / יָדַע (I-י), all 8 conjugations each
niphal-weak-biconsonantal-paradigms.md | Biconsonantal (II-י/ו) paradigms — roots קוּם and שׁוּב, all 8 conjugations with strong comparison
niphal-weak-geminate-paradigms.md | Geminate (II=III) paradigms — roots סָבַב and תָּמַם, all 8 conjugations with strong comparison

### Exercises

Exercise | Description
--- | ---
exercises/ch25-passage-exercise/ | "Spot the Niphal" — parsing exercise from Gen 3, 6, and 21 with weak-root emphasis; includes weak-class identification column
exercises/ch25-weak-form-id/ | 40 forms across all eight classes in two parts: by class, then mixed
exercises/ch25-function-sort/ | Semantic function sorting — classify weak Niphal verbs by function type (passive, reflexive, middle, tolerative)
exercises/ch25-niphal-weak-paradigm-drill/ | Paradigm drill — write Niphal Weak forms across the major weak root classes
exercises/ch25-qal-niphal-contrast/ | Qal vs. Niphal contrast drill (weak roots) — spot the difference in form and meaning
exercises/ch25-stem-id-drill/ | Stem identification drill — Qal vs. Niphal weak roots

### Flashcards

File | Format | Description
--- | --- | ---
ch25-morphology-deck.md | Markdown | 40-card morphology deck — Niphal Weak forms across all eight weak root classes
ch25-morphology-deck.txt | Anki import | Morphology deck — tab-separated, ready for Anki File → Import (40 cards)
ch25-morphology-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe | Morphology deck — tab-separated, ready for Flashcards Deluxe import (40 cards)
ch25-vocab-deck.md | Markdown | Vocabulary deck — 14 words (6 verbs, 8 nouns) with POS tags and frequency
ch25-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import | Vocabulary deck — tab-separated, ready for Anki File → Import (14 cards)
ch25-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe | Vocabulary deck — tab-separated, ready for Flashcards Deluxe import (14 cards)

### Notebooks

Notebook | What it shows
--- | ---
Niphal Stem | Niphal stem: root×conjugation heatmap showing weak root patterns

Basics of Biblical Hebrew, Pratico & Van Pelt
Builds on Ch24 (Niphal Strong Verbs). Weak forms only — semantic functions not repeated.

> Scope: This chapter extends the Niphal paradigm to five weak-root classes. Each class modifies the strong pattern in a predictable, phonologically motivated way. Functions (Passive / Reflexive / Reciprocal / Simple Action / Middle-Tolerative) were covered in Ch24 and are not repeated here.

## 1. The Eight Weak Classes — Overview

Class | Label | Representative roots | What changes | Affected conjugations
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
III-א (Lamed-Aleph) | `lamed-aleph` | מָצָא, יָרֵא | Final א quiesces; preceding vowel may lengthen | Perfect 3fs, imperfect, participle
III-ה (Lamed-He) | `lamed-he` | גָּלָה, רָאָה | Final ה is a vowel letter; endings contract | All conjugations
III-ח/ע (Lamed-Guttural) | `lamed-guttural` | שָׁמַע, שָׁלַח | Patach furtive before word-final ח/ע; tsere shifts to patach in short forms | Perfect 3ms/3fs/3cp, imperfect, wayyiqtol, imperative, participle ms
I-guttural (Pe-Guttural) | `pe-guttural` | עָמַד, אָמַר | Guttural rejects dagesh forte; compensatory lengthening | Imperfect, wayyiqtol, imperative, infinitives
I-נ (Pe-Nun) | `pe-nun` | נָגַשׁ, נָצַל | Root's own נ assimilates into R2 | All conjugations
I-י (Pe-Yod) | `pe-yod` | יָלַד, יָדַע | Splits into two sub-patterns: נוֹ- vs. יִוָּ- | All conjugations
Biconsonantal (II-י/ו) | `biconsonantal` | קוּם, שׁוּב | נָ prefix (qamets) in perfect/participle; dagesh in R1 elsewhere | All conjugations
Geminate (II=III, Ayin-Doubled) | `geminate` | סָבַב, תָּמַם | R2 = R3; doubled consonant may collapse; נָ prefix in perfect/participle (like Biconsonantal) | All conjugations

> Key principle: None of these classes requires learning a new stem. Every change follows from a standard phonological rule — quiescence, compensatory lengthening, patach furtive, or assimilation — applied to the strong Niphal pattern. Learn the rule; the form follows.

## 2. III-א (Lamed-Aleph) Verbs

### Pattern

The final א of the root quiesces (becomes silent) in word-final position. The vowel that would stand under it is drawn to the preceding syllable instead, often producing a final long vowel. The Niphal prefix and dagesh patterns are otherwise identical to the strong root.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: נִמְצָא — looks like the strong root except the final vowel extends under א (which is silent)
- Imperfect/Wayyiqtol: יִמָּצֵא — the final syllable ends in silent א after tsere; the form looks like a strong root
- Participle ms: נִמְצָא — identical in pointing to the perfect 3ms; context distinguishes them

### Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

Conjugation | Strong (קטל) | III-א (מצא)
--- | --- | ---
Perfect | נִקְטַל | נִמְצָא
Imperfect | יִקָּטֵל | יִמָּצֵא
Wayyiqtol | וַיִּקָּטֵל | וַיִּמָּצֵא
Weqatal | וְנִקְטַל | וְנִמְצָא
Imperative | הִקָּטֵל | הִמָּצֵא
Inf. Construct | הִקָּטֵל | הִמָּצֵא
Inf. Absolute | נִקְטֹל | הִמָּצֵא
Participle | נִקְטָל | נִמְצָא

→ Full PGN tables: niphal-weak-lamed-aleph-paradigms.md

### Key Corpus Examples

- נִמְצָא (Gen 44:9) — "whoever is found [with the cup]" — perfect 3ms; the silent א is invisible but the quiescence is real
- וַיִּמָּצֵא (Gen 44:12) — "and it was found" — wayyiqtol; classic passive in the Joseph narrative
- הִמָּצֵא יִמָּצֵא (Exo 22:3) — inf. absolute + imperfect; emphatic construction stressing the certainty of discovery
- אִם יִמָּצֵא (Gen 44:10) — imperfect 3ms; conditional clause in the brothers' oath

## 3. III-ה (Lamed-He) Verbs

### Pattern

The final ה of these roots is not a true consonant but a vowel letter (mater lectionis). The Niphal of III-ה verbs shows distinctive contracted endings throughout the paradigm. The main patterns to learn:

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: נִגְלָה — final ָה (qamets + he) instead of the strong root's final consonant
- Imperfect 3ms: יִגָּלֶה — final seghol + he instead of tsere; the dagesh pattern is the same as the strong root
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיִּגָּל — the ה is apocopated (dropped) in this form; compare וַיִּקָּטֵל → וַיִּגָּל
- Inf. Construct: הִגָּלוֹת — the ת is added to the base (cf. Qal inf. construct of III-ה roots)
- Participle ms: נִגְלֶה — final seghol + he

### Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

Conjugation | Strong (קטל) | III-ה (גלה) | III-ה (ראה)
--- | --- | --- | ---
Perfect | נִקְטַל | נִגְלָה | נִרְאָה
Imperfect | יִקָּטֵל | יִגָּלֶה | יֵרָאֶה
Wayyiqtol | וַיִּקָּטֵל | וַיִּגָּל | וַיֵּרָא
Weqatal | וְנִקְטַל | וְנִגְלָה | וְנִרְאָה
Imperative | הִקָּטֵל | הִגָּלֵה | הֵרָאֵה
Inf. Construct | הִקָּטֵל | הִגָּלוֹת | הֵרָאוֹת
Inf. Absolute | נִקְטֹל | הִגָּלֹה | הֵרָאֹה
Participle | נִקְטָל | נִגְלֶה | נִרְאֶה

> Note on רָאָה: The I-ר does not take the normal dagesh pattern, so where גָּלָה shows יִגָּלֶה, רָאָה shows יֵרָאֶה (compensatory lengthening before ר). Both are III-ה; the difference is the I-position consonant.

→ Full PGN tables: niphal-weak-lamed-he-paradigms.md

### Key Corpus Examples

- וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֶל־אַבְרָם (Gen 12:7) — wayyiqtol 3ms; apocopated form — the LORD appeared to Abram
- תֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה (Gen 1:9) — imperfect/jussive 3fs; let the dry land appear (tolerative)
- נִגְלָה כְּבוֹד יְהוָה (Isa 40:5) — perfect 3ms; the glory of the LORD will be revealed
- לְהֵרָאוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי (Exo 34:24) — inf. construct; to appear before the LORD three times a year

## 4. I-guttural (Pe-Guttural) Verbs

### Pattern

Guttural consonants (א ה ח ע) cannot receive dagesh forte. In the conjugations where the Niphal normally doubles R1 (imperfect, wayyiqtol, imperative, infinitives), the dagesh is rejected and the preceding vowel is lengthened compensatorily instead: hiriq → tsere (יִ → יֵ / הִ → הֵ).

In the perfect, the guttural takes a composite shewa (hateph) instead of a simple vocal shewa, and the prefix vowel often shifts to seghol (נִ → נֶ).

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: נֶאֱמַר / נֶעֱמַד — seghol under נ + composite shewa under the guttural
- Imperfect 3ms: יֵאָמֵר / יֵעָמֵד — tsere under the prefix (not hiriq); no dagesh in R1
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיֵּאָמֵר — same lengthening; the tsere is the marker
- Imperative/Inf. Construct: הֵאָמֵר / הֵעָמֵד — tsere under ה (not hiriq); no dagesh in R1

### Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

Conjugation | Strong (קטל) | I-gutt. (עמד) | I-gutt. (אמר)
--- | --- | --- | ---
Perfect | נִקְטַל | נֶעֱמַד | נֶאֱמַר
Imperfect | יִקָּטֵל | יֵעָמֵד | יֵאָמֵר
Wayyiqtol | וַיִּקָּטֵל | וַיֵּעָמֵד | וַיֵּאָמֵר
Weqatal | וְנִקְטַל | וְנֶעֱמַד | וְנֶאֱמַר
Imperative | הִקָּטֵל | הֵעָמֵד | הֵאָמֵר
Inf. Construct | הִקָּטֵל | הֵעָמֵד | הֵאָמֵר
Inf. Absolute | נִקְטֹל | נֶעֱמֹד | נֶאֱמֹר
Participle | נִקְטָל | נֶעֱמָד | נֶאֱמָר

→ Full PGN tables: niphal-weak-pe-guttural-paradigms.md

### Key Corpus Examples

- וַיֵּאָמֵר (Gen 10:9; etc.) — wayyiqtol 3ms of אָמַר; "it was said" — extremely frequent
- נֶאֱמַר (various legal texts) — perfect; "it has been said / it is written"
- הֵעָמֵד (cf. Exo 9:16) — imperative; "set yourself / be made to stand"
- נֶאֱסְפוּ (Gen 49:1) — perfect 3cp of אָסַף (I-א); "gathered together" — א rejects dagesh, seghol under נ

## 5. I-נ (Pe-Nun) Verbs

### Pattern

In I-נ roots, the root's own first radical (נ) assimilates into R2 in the same conjugations where it would assimilate in a regular verb. Because the Niphal also has a נ prefix that assimilates in the imperfect/wayyiqtol/imperative/infinitives, both assimilations converge in those forms:

- Perfect: The Niphal נִ prefix stays (no assimilation in the perfect), but the root's own R1 (נ) also assimilates into R2 → R2 shows dagesh. The form appears to have only two root letters visible.
- Imperfect/Wayyiqtol/Imperative/Inf.: The Niphal prefix נ and the root's נ both assimilate into R2 → still a single dagesh in R2.

The result: I-נ Niphal forms consistently show dagesh forte in R2, with R1 (נ) invisible throughout the paradigm.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: נִגַּשׁ (from נָגַשׁ) — only two consonants visible after the נִ prefix; dagesh in R2
- Imperfect 3ms: יִגַּשׁ — looks like a Qal imperfect; the dagesh in R2 is the Niphal signal
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיִּגַּשׁ — same; compare to strong וַיִּקָּטֵל (dagesh in R1) vs. I-נ (dagesh in R2)
- Participle ms: נִגָּשׁ — qamets under R2 (like the strong root participle, but only two consonants visible)

### Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

Conjugation | Strong (קטל) | I-נ (נגשׁ) | I-נ (נצל)
--- | --- | --- | ---
Perfect | נִקְטַל | נִגַּשׁ | נִצַּל
Imperfect | יִקָּטֵל | יִגַּשׁ | יִנָּצֵל
Wayyiqtol | וַיִּקָּטֵל | וַיִּגַּשׁ | וַיִּנָּצֵל
Weqatal | וְנִקְטַל | וְנִגַּשׁ | וְנִצַּל
Imperative | הִקָּטֵל | הִגַּשׁ | הִנָּצֵל
Inf. Construct | הִקָּטֵל | הִגַּשׁ | הִנָּצֵל
Inf. Absolute | נִקְטֹל | הִגַּשׁ | הִנָּצֵל
Participle | נִקְטָל | נִגָּשׁ | נִצָּל

→ Full PGN tables: niphal-weak-pe-paradigms.md (Part 1 — I-נ)

### Key Corpus Examples

- וַיִּגַּשׁ יְהוּדָה (Gen 44:18) — wayyiqtol 3ms of נָגַשׁ; "Judah drew near" — one of the most frequent Niphal wayyiqtol forms in Genesis
- וַיִּנָּצֵל יַעֲקֹב (Gen 32:31) — wayyiqtol 3ms of נָצַל; "Jacob was delivered" — after the wrestling at Peniel
- הִנָּצֵל (Prov 6:3) — imperative; "deliver yourself!" — reflexive force of the Niphal clear
- נִצַּלְתֶּם (Exo 12:27) — perfect 2mp of נָצַל; "you were passed over / spared"

## 6. I-י (Pe-Yod) Verbs

### Pattern

I-י verbs show the most complex split of the five classes, creating two distinct sub-paradigms within the same stem:

Conjugations | Prefix | Why
--- | --- | ---
Perfect, Weqatal, Participle | נוֹ- | נִ + י contracts → נוֹ (nô)
Imperfect, Wayyiqtol, Imperative, Inf. | יִוָּ- / הִוָּ- | Both the Niphal's נ and the root's י assimilate into R2

This is the only Niphal weak class with a split inside the paradigm. The נוֹ- forms can resemble Qal active participles of I-י roots — vowel under R2 distinguishes them (tsere = Qal participle; patah/qamets = Niphal perfect/participle).

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: נוֹלַד / נוֹדַע — the נוֹ prefix is the immediate marker; patah under R2 (not tsere)
- Imperfect 3ms: יִוָּלֵד / יִוָּדַע — יִוָּ cluster is distinctive; tsere or patah under R2 reflects the root's vowel class
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיִּוָּלֵד — the וַיִּוָּ cluster is visually unique and highly frequent in genealogies
- Participle ms: נוֹלָד / נוֹדָע — נוֹ prefix + qamets under R2 (cf. perfect: patah under R2)

### Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

Conjugation | Strong (קטל) | I-י (ילד) | I-י (ידע)
--- | --- | --- | ---
Perfect | נִקְטַל | נוֹלַד | נוֹדַע
Imperfect | יִקָּטֵל | יִוָּלֵד | יִוָּדַע
Wayyiqtol | וַיִּקָּטֵל | וַיִּוָּלֵד | וַיִּוָּדַע
Weqatal | וְנִקְטַל | וְנוֹלַד | וְנוֹדַע
Imperative | הִקָּטֵל | הִוָּלֵד | הִוָּדַע
Inf. Construct | הִקָּטֵל | הִוָּלֵד | הִוָּדַע
Inf. Absolute | נִקְטֹל | הִוָּלֵד | הִוָּדַע
Participle | נִקְטָל | נוֹלָד | נוֹדָע

→ Full PGN tables: niphal-weak-pe-paradigms.md (Part 2 — I-י)

### Key Corpus Examples

- כִּי נוֹלַד לוֹ (Gen 21:3) — perfect 3ms; "for a son has been born to him" — birth announcement formula
- וַיִּוָּלֵד לַחֲנוֹךְ (Gen 4:18) — wayyiqtol 3ms; antediluvian genealogical chain — the וַיִּוָּ cluster appears scores of times in genealogies
- יִוָּדַע יֹוסֵף (Gen 45:1) — imperfect/wayyiqtol context; "Joseph made himself known"
- נוֹדָע בִּיהוּדָה אֱלֹהִים (Psa 76:2) — participle ms; "God is known in Judah"
- בֶּן מֵאָה שָׁנָה בְּהִוָּלֶד לוֹ יִצְחָק (Gen 21:5) — inf. construct; "when Isaac was born to him"

## 7. III-ח/ע (Lamed-Guttural) Verbs

### Pattern

Gutturals (ח and ע) at R3 prefer a-class vowels. In the Niphal, this produces two effects:

1. Patach furtive (פַּתַח גְּנוּבָה) appears before word-final ח/ע in open syllables — inserted between the preceding vowel and the guttural, and pronounced before it (הִשָּׁמַע = "hish-SHA-ma").
2. In shorter forms (wayyiqtol 3ms, imperative 2ms), the Niphal characteristic tsere (between R2 and R3) shifts to patach because the guttural prefers an a-class vowel.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: נִשְׁמַע — patach furtive beneath final ע; the form looks like the strong root except the furtive patach is visible
- Imperfect 3ms: יִשָּׁמַע — patach under R3 (not tsere as in the strong root יִקָּטֵל); dagesh forte in R1 is unchanged
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיִּשָּׁמַע — patach before final ח/ע; no patach furtive (form already short)
- Participle ms: נִשְׁמָע — patach furtive before final ח/ע in the ms form

### Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

Conjugation | Strong (קטל) | III-ח/ע (שמע) | III-ח/ע (שלח)
--- | --- | --- | ---
Perfect | נִקְטַל | נִשְׁמַע | נִשְׁלַח
Imperfect | יִקָּטֵל | יִשָּׁמַע | יִשָּׁלַח
Wayyiqtol | וַיִּקָּטֵל | וַיִּשָּׁמַע | וַיִּשָּׁלַח
Weqatal | וְנִקְטַל | וְנִשְׁמַע | וְנִשְׁלַח
Imperative | הִקָּטֵל | הִשָּׁמַע | הִשָּׁלַח
Inf. Construct | הִקָּטֵל | הִשָּׁמַע | הִשָּׁלַח
Inf. Absolute | נִקְטֹל | נִשְׁמֹעַ | נִשְׁלֹחַ
Participle | נִקְטָל | נִשְׁמָע | נִשְׁלָח

→ Full PGN tables: niphal-weak-lamed-guttural-paradigms.md

### Key Corpus Examples

- נִשְׁמַע (Est 1:20) — "the decree will be heard throughout the kingdom" — perfect 3ms; patach furtive before final ע
- יִשָּׁמַע (Exo 28:35) — "its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place" — imperfect 3ms; patach before ע (not tsere)
- וַיִּשָּׁמַע (Gen 45:2) — "the sound was heard in Pharaoh's house" — wayyiqtol 3ms; patach before ע, no furtive
- נִשְׁמָע (Ecc 12:13) — "all has been heard" — participle ms; patach furtive signals the lamed-guttural

## 8. Biconsonantal (II-י/ו) Verbs

### Pattern

Biconsonantal (Hollow) roots have only two true root consonants with a medial long vowel. In the Niphal, the hallmark pattern is the נָ prefix (qamets under נ) in the perfect and participle — in contrast to the normal נִ (hiriq) of the strong root. This single marker is the key to recognizing the biconsonantal Niphal.

In the imperfect, wayyiqtol, and imperative, the Niphal's prefix נ assimilates into R1 (dagesh forte in R1), as in all Niphal imperfects; the contracted root (R1 + medial vowel + R2) follows.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: נָקוֹם / נָכוֹן — qamets under נ; the biconsonantal root's medial vowel letter (ו/י) visible
- Imperfect 3ms: יִקּוֹם — dagesh forte in R1 (Niphal assimilation) + contracted root; can resemble Qal — context is essential
- Participle ms: נָקוּם / נָכוּן — qamets under נ; same prefix as perfect 3ms

### Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

Conjugation | Strong (קטל) | Biconsonantal (קום) | Biconsonantal (שׁוב)
--- | --- | --- | ---
Perfect | נִקְטַל | נָקוֹם | נָשׁוּב
Imperfect | יִקָּטֵל | יִקּוֹם | יִשּׁוּב
Wayyiqtol | וַיִּקָּטֵל | וַיִּקּוֹם | וַיִּשּׁוּב
Weqatal | וְנִקְטַל | וְנָקוֹם | וְנָשׁוּב
Imperative | הִקָּטֵל | הִקּוֹם | הִשּׁוּב
Inf. Construct | הִקָּטֵל | הִקּוֹם | הִשּׁוּב
Participle | נִקְטָל | נָקוּם | נָשׁוּב

→ Full PGN tables: niphal-weak-biconsonantal-paradigms.md

### Key Corpus Examples

- נָכוֹן (Gen 41:32) — "the thing is fixed by God" — perfect 3ms from כּוּן; qamets under נ is the diagnostic marker
- נָכוֹן (Psa 51:12) — "restore to me a steadfast spirit" — same root, same pattern; extremely common in wisdom and psalmic poetry
- נָכוֹן (Psa 57:8) — "my heart is steadfast, O God" — participial use of נָכוֹן from כּוּן
- יִכּוֹן (Psa 93:2) — "your throne is established from of old" — imperfect 3ms; dagesh in כּ (R1) marks it as Niphal

## 9. Geminate (Ayin-Doubled, II=III) Verbs

### Pattern

Geminate roots have R2 = R3 (e.g., סָבַב: ס-ב-ב; תָּמַם: ת-מ-מ). The doubled consonant can appear as dagesh forte in the doubled R2/R3 (the "heavy" form), or it may collapse with a long compensatory vowel (the "light" form). In the Niphal, the most important pattern is the perfect/participle, which shows the distinctive נָ prefix (qamets under נ) — the same marker as the Biconsonantal class.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: נָסַב — qamets under נָ; resembles Biconsonantal (e.g., נָכוֹן from כּוּן), but the root has three consonants with R2=R3 instead of a hollow vowel letter
- Imperfect 3ms: יִסֹּב — dagesh forte in R2/R3 (ב written once but doubled) + holem
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיִּסֹּב — וַיִּ prefix + dagesh in R2/R3
- Participle ms: נָסַב — identical to perfect 3ms; context is the only distinguisher (parallels Biconsonantal and III-א ambiguity)

### Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

Conjugation | Strong (קטל) | Geminate (סבב) | Geminate (תמם)
--- | --- | --- | ---
Perfect | נִקְטַל | נָסַב | נָתַם
Imperfect | יִקָּטֵל | יִסֹּב | יִתֹּם
Wayyiqtol | וַיִּקָּטֵל | וַיִּסֹּב | וַיִּתֹּם
Weqatal | וְנִקְטַל | וְנָסַב | וְנָתַם
Imperative | הִקָּטֵל | הִסֹּב | הִתֹּם
Inf. Construct | הִקָּטֵל | הִסֹּב | הִתֹּם
Inf. Absolute | נִקְטֹל | נִסֹּב † | נִתֹּם †
Participle | נִקְטָל | נָסַב | נָתַם

→ Full PGN tables: niphal-weak-geminate-paradigms.md

### Key Corpus Examples

- נָסַב (Josh 15:3) — "the border went around toward Azmon" — perfect 3ms; qamets under נָ is the primary diagnostic
- וַיִּסֹּב (1 Sam 7:16) — "and he went on circuit" — wayyiqtol 3ms; Samuel's annual judicial circuit; dagesh in ב marks the doubled root
- הִסֹּב (2 Sam 18:30) — "turn aside, stand here" — imperative 2ms; הִ prefix + dagesh in ב
- תִּתַּמָּה (†) — theoretically: "it shall be completed" — imperfect 3fs from תָּמַם; dagesh in מ marks R2=R3
- נָסַבּוּ (Josh 6:3) — "march around the city" — perfect 3cp; dagesh visible in ב with 3cp suffix

## 10. High-Frequency Weak Niphal Lemmas

Torah-frequency counts (Genesis–Deuteronomy) for the most common Niphal lemmas belonging to one of the eight weak classes.

Root | Class | Torah Niphal (×) | Niphal Gloss
--- | --- | --- | ---
שָׁבַע | I-י | 61 | swear an oath (reflexive)
רָאָה | III-ה | 49 | appear, be seen (middle)
עָשָׂה | III-ה | 36 | be done, be made (passive)
אָכַל | I-guttural (I-א) | 34 | be eaten (passive)
מָצָא | III-א | 30 | be found (passive)
יָלַד | I-י | 28 | be born (passive)
אָסַף | I-guttural (I-א) | 24 | be gathered, die (passive)
נָצַל | I-נ | 22 | be rescued, delivered (passive)
יָדַע | I-י | 20 | be known, become known (passive/middle)
גָּלָה | III-ה | 18 | be revealed, go into exile (passive)
אָמַר | I-guttural (I-א) | 17 | be said (passive)
שָׁמַע | III-ח/ע | 16 | be heard, be proclaimed (passive)
נָגַשׁ | I-נ | 14 | draw near, approach (reflexive)
יָרֵא | III-א | 12 | be feared, fearsome (passive/middle)
עָמַד | I-guttural (I-ע) | 10 | take a stand, be stationed (reflexive)
כּוּן | Biconsonantal | 9 | be established, be firm (stative)
חָבָא | III-א | 8 | hide oneself (reflexive)
שָׁלַח | III-ח/ע | 7 | be sent, be let go (passive)
סָבַב | Geminate | 6 | be surrounded, go around (reflexive/passive)
תָּמַם | Geminate | 5 | be finished, be complete (stative/passive)

## 11. Practice

Resource | Description
--- | ---
Morphology Flashcard Deck | 40 cards across all eight weak classes. Import the `.txt` file into Anki for spaced-repetition drilling.
Passage Exercise | "Spot the Niphal" — parsing exercise from Gen 3, 6, and 21 with weak-root emphasis. Includes weak-class identification column.
Weak-Form Identification Drill | 40 forms across all eight classes in two parts: by class, then mixed.