# Ch12 Verb Overview Exercise

BBH Chapter 12 · 20 items

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## Instructions

**Part A** — For each Hebrew verb form and its gloss, identify: (1) the stem, (2) whether it
expresses Active, Passive, or Reflexive meaning, and (3) the three-letter root.

**Part B** — For each English description of an action, identify which stem would be used in
Hebrew and explain briefly why.

*Note: You do not need to parse conjugation or PGN yet — those are introduced beginning in Ch13.
This exercise focuses on recognizing stems and roots.*

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## Part A — Stem Identification (12 items)

| # | Verb | Gloss | Stem | Active / Passive / Reflexive | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | שָׁמַר | "he guarded" | | | |
| 2 | כָּתַב | "he wrote" | | | |
| 3 | נָתַן | "he gave" | | | |
| 4 | הָלַךְ | "he walked" | | | |
| 5 | נִשְׁמַר | "he was guarded / he kept himself" | | | |
| 6 | נִכְתַּב | "it was written" | | | |
| 7 | הִשְׁמִיר | "he caused to guard" | | | |
| 8 | הוֹלִיךְ | "he caused to walk / he led" | | | |
| 9 | כִּתֵּב | "he wrote (intensively / repeatedly)" | | | |
| 10 | שִׁמֵּר | "he kept carefully / he tended" | | | |
| 11 | כֻּתַּב | "it was written (intensive passive)" | | | |
| 12 | הִתְהַלֵּךְ | "he walked about / he walked to and fro" | | | |

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## Part B — Meaning to Stem (8 items)

| # | Description | Stem | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "God caused Abraham to go out from Ur" | | |
| 2 | "The letter was written by the scribe" (simple passive of writing) | | |
| 3 | "David walked (around) in his palace repeatedly" | | |
| 4 | "The king was caused to reign (someone put him on the throne)" | | |
| 5 | "She kept/guarded herself" (simple reflexive) | | |
| 6 | "He wrote intensively / he inscribed over and over" (intensive passive) | | |
| 7 | "He killed himself thoroughly / destroyed himself" (reflexive intensive) | | |
| 8 | "Moses guarded (base meaning, simple active)" | | |

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## Answer Key

### Part A Answers

| # | Verb | Gloss | Stem | Active / Passive / Reflexive | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | שָׁמַר | "he guarded" | **Qal** | Active | שמר |
| 2 | כָּתַב | "he wrote" | **Qal** | Active | כתב |
| 3 | נָתַן | "he gave" | **Qal** | Active | נתן |
| 4 | הָלַךְ | "he walked" | **Qal** | Active | הלך |
| 5 | נִשְׁמַר | "he was guarded / he kept himself" | **Niphal** | Passive / Reflexive | שמר |
| 6 | נִכְתַּב | "it was written" | **Niphal** | Passive | כתב |
| 7 | הִשְׁמִיר | "he caused to guard" | **Hiphil** | Active (causative) | שמר |
| 8 | הוֹלִיךְ | "he caused to walk / he led" | **Hiphil** | Active (causative) | הלך |
| 9 | כִּתֵּב | "he wrote (intensively / repeatedly)" | **Piel** | Active (intensive) | כתב |
| 10 | שִׁמֵּר | "he kept carefully / he tended" | **Piel** | Active (intensive) | שמר |
| 11 | כֻּתַּב | "it was written (intensive passive)" | **Pual** | Passive | כתב |
| 12 | הִתְהַלֵּךְ | "he walked about / he walked to and fro" | **Hithpael** | Reflexive | הלך |

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### Part B Answers

| # | Description | Stem | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "God caused Abraham to go out from Ur" | **Hiphil** | The Hiphil is the causative active stem — it expresses that a subject causes someone else to perform the action. |
| 2 | "The letter was written by the scribe" (simple passive) | **Niphal** | The Niphal is the simple passive (and reflexive) stem — it expresses the simple passive of the Qal. |
| 3 | "David walked around in his palace repeatedly" | **Hithpael** | The Hithpael is the reflexive-intensive stem; הִתְהַלֵּךְ specifically means "to walk about / to move to and fro." |
| 4 | "The king was caused to reign (someone put him on the throne)" | **Hophal** | The Hophal is the causative passive — it is the passive counterpart of the Hiphil. |
| 5 | "She kept/guarded herself" (simple reflexive) | **Niphal** | The Niphal doubles as reflexive for simple actions: "she guarded herself." |
| 6 | "He wrote intensively / inscribed over and over" (intensive passive) | **Pual** | The Pual is the passive counterpart of the Piel (intensive passive). |
| 7 | "He killed himself thoroughly" (reflexive intensive) | **Hithpael** | The Hithpael is reflexive and intensive — it combines thoroughness with self-direction. |
| 8 | "Moses guarded (simple active)" | **Qal** | The Qal is the base, simple active stem — the starting point for all meaning. |

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## Reflection Questions

1. The Niphal can be either **passive** or **reflexive**. What contextual clues would help you
   decide which meaning is intended? Think of an example from Genesis.

2. Why do you think the **Qal is the most frequent stem** in the OT (roughly half of all verb
   tokens), while the Pual and Hophal are comparatively rare?

3. Consider the root הלך ("walk/go"). You see it in the Qal (הָלַךְ), Hiphil (הוֹלִיךְ), and
   Hithpael (הִתְהַלֵּךְ). How does the stem change the meaning of the same root? What does this
   tell you about how Hebrew builds meaning systematically?
