# Chapter 28 — Hophal Semantic Function Sorting

BBH Chapter 28 · Hophal Strong Verbs

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. Classify each form below using one of the five function codes. Type your answer in the Function column, then click ▶ Answer to check.

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

# | Hebrew Form | Conjugation | Ref | Contextual Gloss | Function |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 22:20 | "it was told to Abraham" |  |
SR — Speech Reporting · Root: נָגַד · Information was reported to Abraham; Hophal of Hiphil "to tell/report"
2 | יּוּשַׂם | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 24:33 | "food was set before him" |  |
SC — State Change · Root: שִׂים · Food was caused to be placed/set — entered the state of being present before him
3 | הוּרַד | Qatal 3ms | Gen 39:1 | "he had been brought down to Egypt" |  |
PT — Physical Transfer · Root: יָרַד · Joseph was physically taken down to Egypt; Hiphil = to bring down
4 | הֻבָּאת | Qatal 3fs | Gen 33:11 | "it was brought to him" |  |
PT — Physical Transfer · Root: בּוֹא · Jacob's gift was physically carried and brought to him; Hiphil = to bring
5 | הוּשַׁב | Qatal 3ms | Gen 42:28 | "it has been returned into my sack" |  |
SC — State Change · Root: שׁוּב · The silver was caused to return — entered the state of being back in the sack
6 | הוּבְאוּ | Qatal 3cp | Gen 43:18 | "we were brought in" |  |
PT — Physical Transfer · Root: בּוֹא · The brothers were physically brought into Joseph's house
7 | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 38:13 | "it was told to Tamar" |  |
SR — Speech Reporting · Root: נָגַד · News of Judah's journey was reported to Tamar
8 | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 38:24 | "it was told to Judah" |  |
SR — Speech Reporting · Root: נָגַד · News of Tamar's pregnancy was reported to Judah
9 | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Gen 27:42 | "it was told to Rebekah" |  |
SR — Speech Reporting · Root: נָגַד · Esau's intention to kill Jacob was reported to Rebekah
10 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Gen 26:11 | "he shall be put to death" |  |
LF — Legal Formula · Root: מוּת · Capital penalty formula: anyone who touches Isaac or Rebekah shall be put to death
11 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Exo 19:12 | "he shall be put to death" |  |
LF — Legal Formula · Root: מוּת · Sinai boundary violation formula: anyone who touches the mountain shall be put to death
12 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Exo 21:12 | "he must be put to death" |  |
LF — Legal Formula · Root: מוּת · Murder law: whoever strikes a man so that he dies must be put to death
13 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Exo 21:15 | "he must be put to death" |  |
LF — Legal Formula · Root: מוּת · Violence against parents formula: the perpetrator must be put to death
14 | יֻּכּוּ | Wayyiqtol 3mp | Exo 5:14 | "the Israelite overseers were beaten" |  |
SA — Simple Action · Root: נָכָה · The overseers were beaten; root נָכָה has no functional Qal — Hiphil is the standard form
15 | מֻכִּים | Participle mp | Exo 5:16 | "your servants are being beaten" |  |
SA — Simple Action · Root: נָכָה · Participle: the servants are being beaten; same SA root as #14
16 | יוּסַר | Yiqtol 3ms | Lev 4:35 | "it is to be removed" |  |
SC — State Change · Root: סוּר · The fat portions are prescribed to be removed — caused to enter the state of separation from the sacrifice
17 | הוּסַר | Qatal 3ms | Lev 4:31 | "it was removed" |  |
SC — State Change · Root: סוּר · The fat was removed from the sacrifice — caused to depart and enter a separated state
18 | הוּבָא | Weqatal 3ms | Lev 14:2 | "he will be brought to the priest" |  |
PT — Physical Transfer · Root: בּוֹא · The healed leper is physically brought to the priest; Hiphil = to bring
19 | יוּמַת | Yiqtol 3ms | Num 18:7 | "he shall be put to death" |  |
LF — Legal Formula · Root: מוּת · Tabernacle-service intrusion formula: the unauthorized outsider shall be put to death
20 | יֻּגַּד | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Exo 14:5 | "it was told to the king of Egypt" |  |
SR — Speech Reporting · Root: נָגַד · The flight of Israel was reported to the king of Egypt
21 | הוּקַם | Qatal 3ms | Exo 40:17 | "the tabernacle was set up" |  |
SC — State Change · Root: קוּם · The tabernacle was caused to stand — entered the state of being erected and established
22 | יוּשַׁב | Wayyiqtol 3ms | Exo 10:8 | "Moses and Aaron were brought back" |  |
SC — State Change · Root: שׁוּב · Moses and Aaron were caused to return to Pharaoh — the resulting state of return is emphasized
23 | הוּחַל | Qatal 3ms | Gen 4:26 | "it was begun (to call on the name of the LORD)" |  |
SC — State Change · Root: חָלַל · The practice of calling on YHWH's name was begun — caused to enter the state of having started
24 | הוּגַּד | Qatal 3ms | Exo 26:30 | "you were shown the pattern (of the tabernacle)" |  |
SR — Speech Reporting · Root: נָגַד · The tabernacle pattern was reported/shown to Moses at Sinai; Hophal of Hiphil "to show/declare"
25 | מוּמָת | Hophal Inf. Construct | Num 35:16 | "the murderer must be put to death" |  |
LF — Legal Formula · Root: מוּת · Infinitive construct used nominally in the penalty clause: "the putting-to-death of the murderer is required"

## 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.