# Chapter 29 — "Spot the Hophal Weak" Passage Exercise

**Stem:** Hophal (הֻפְעַל) — Weak Verbs
**Passages:** Gen 37–44 (Joseph narrative) · Exo 40 + Num 9 (Tabernacle) · Gen 43–44 (Second Egypt journey)

---

## Instructions

For each bolded verb, indicate:

1. **Hophal?** (Yes / No — is it the Hophal stem?)
2. **Conjugation** (Perfect, Imperfect, Wayyiqtol, Weqatal, Participle, Inf. Construct)
3. **PGN** (Person–Gender–Number)
4. **Root** (3-letter root, unvoweled)
5. **Stem / Function** (if Hophal: Passive causative + meaning; if not: name the stem and parse)

*Three verbs in this exercise are not Hophal — drawn from Qal and Hiphil already studied. Focus: the Hophal prefix vowel is u-class (וּ- or ֻ), distinguishing it from Niphal (נ-) and Hiphil (הֵ-/הִ-).*

---

## Passage A — Genesis 39:1 + 43:18

*Context: Joseph is taken to Egypt; his brothers fear being taken as slaves.*

> **הוּרַד (1)** יוֹסֵף מִצְרָיְמָה וַיִּקְנֵהוּ פּוֹטִיפַר

"Now **Joseph had been brought down** to Egypt, and Potiphar … bought him."

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | הוּרַד | | | | | |

---

> **הוּבָא (2)** יוֹסֵף מִצְרָיְמָה

"**Joseph was brought** to Egypt."

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | הוּבָא | | | | | |

---

> וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל־אֲחֵיהֶם **עַל דְּבַר** הַכֶּסֶף **הַשָּׁב (3)** בְּאַמְתְּחֹתֵינוּ בַּתְּחִלָּה אֲנַחְנוּ **מֽוּבָאִים (4)**

"And they said to one another, '…because of the silver that **was returned** in our sacks the first time, we **are being brought in**.'"

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | הַשָּׁב | | | | | |
| 4 | מוּבָאִים | | | | | |

---

> כִּי **יוּבָא (5)** אִתָּנוּ אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ

"…because **we are being brought** into his house." (Gen 43:18)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | יוּבָא | | | | | |

---

## Passage B — Exodus 40:17 + Numbers 9:15–17

*Context: The tabernacle is set up on the first day; the cloud descends.*

> וַיְהִי בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית **הוּקַם (6)** הַמִּשְׁכָּן

"And it came about in the first month of the second year — **the tabernacle was set up**."

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | הוּקַם | | | | | |

---

> וּבְיוֹם **הָקִים (7)** אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן כִּסָּה הֶעָנָן אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן

"And on the day **he set up** the tabernacle, the cloud covered the tabernacle." (Num 9:15)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | הָקִים | | | | | |

---

> בְּהֵעָלֹת הֶעָנָן מֵעַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן **יִסְעוּ (8)** בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

"Whenever the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle, **the people of Israel set out**." (Num 9:17)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | יִסְעוּ | | | | | |

---

> וְאִם לֹא **יֻקַּם (9)** הַמִּשְׁכָּן

"And if **the tabernacle was not set up**…" (cf. Num 9:15 extended context)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | יֻקַּם | | | | | |

---

## Passage C — Genesis 43:12 + 38:25 + Exodus 14:5

*Context: Jacob sends the money back; Tamar is brought out; the exodus is reported.*

> וְכֶסֶף מִשְׁנֶה קְחוּ בְיֶדְכֶם וְאֶת־הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּשָׁב **בְּפִי אַמְתְּחֹתֵיכֶם תָּשִׁיבוּ** **הוּשַׁב (10)**

"…take double the money with you, and the money **that was returned** in the mouth of your sacks — **bring it back**." (Gen 43:12)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | הוּשַׁב | | | | | |

---

> הִוא **מוּצֵאת (11)** וְהִיא שָׁלְחָה אֶל־חָמִיהָ לֵאמֹר

"She **was being brought out**, and she sent word to her father-in-law, saying…" (Gen 38:25)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | מוּצֵאת | | | | | |

---

> וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוּדָה אֶת־גְּדִי הָעִזִּים וְלֹא **מְצָאָהּ (12)**

"And Judah sent the young goat, but he **did not find her**." (Gen 38:20)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | מְצָאָהּ | | | | | |

---

> **הוּצָא (13)** הַחוֹמֶר מֵהֵם וַיְהִי עָלֵינוּ לְפֶלֶא

*Extended passage — "The straw **was taken away** from them, and it became a wonder to us."*
*(Analogous form from Exo 5 context; root יצא I-י.)*

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | הוּצָא | | | | | |

---

> **הֻגַּד (14)** לְמֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם כִּי בָרַח הָעָם

"**It was told** to the king of Egypt that the people had fled." (Exo 14:5)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | הֻגַּד | | | | | |

---

## Reflection Questions

1. Several Hophal weak verbs in this exercise share the same prefix marker. State the rule: what vowel (or vowel class) identifies the Hophal prefix in the Perfect vs. the Imperfect? How does this vowel differ from the Hiphil prefix (הִ-) and the Niphal prefix (נִ-/יִ-)?

2. Verbs 2 (הוּבָא) and 4 (מוּבָאִים) come from the same root (בוא). One is a Hophal Perfect 3ms and the other is a Hophal Participle mp. What morphological difference tells you which is which, and what do the respective context clues confirm?

3. The Hiphil distractor 7 (הָקִים) and the Hophal target verb 6 (הוּקַם) share root קום. Explain how the same root produces two different meanings in these two stems, and what the stem-change communicates about agency and passivity.

---

## Answer Key

**Score: 11 Hophal + 3 non-Hophal = 14 total**

**Conjugation coverage:**
- Perfect / qatal (6): #1, #2, #6, #10, #13, #14
- Participle (3): #3, #4, #11
- Imperfect (2): #5, #9
- Non-Hophal (3): #7 (Hiphil Perfect 3ms קוּם), #8 (Qal Impf. 3mp נָסַע), #12 (Qal Pf. 3ms מָצָא + obj. suffix)

| # | Verb | Hophal? | Conjugation | PGN | Root | Stem / Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | הוּרַד | Yes | Perfect | 3ms | ירד | Hophal — Hiphil הוֹרִיד = to bring down → Hophal = was brought down (I-י root) |
| 2 | הוּבָא | Yes | Perfect | 3ms | בוא | Hophal — Hiphil הֵבִיא = to bring → Hophal = was brought (I-י root) |
| 3 | הַשָּׁב | Yes | Participle | ms | שוב | Hophal — Hiphil הֵשִׁיב = to return → Hophal Ptc. = (money) that was returned (biconsonantal) |
| 4 | מוּבָאִים | Yes | Participle | mp | בוא | Hophal — Hophal Ptc. mp (מוּ- prefix) of בוא; "being brought" — same root as #2 |
| 5 | יוּבָא | Yes | Imperfect | 3ms | בוא | Hophal — יוּ prefix (u-class Shureq) = Hophal Impf.; "will be brought" (I-י root) |
| 6 | הוּקַם | Yes | Perfect | 3ms | קום | Hophal — Hiphil הֵקִים = to set up → Hophal = was set up (biconsonantal) |
| 7 | הָקִים | No | Perfect | 3ms | קום | NOT Hophal — Hiphil Perfect 3ms (הֵ/הָ prefix + î vowel sequence); active: "he set up" |
| 8 | יִסְעוּ | No | Imperfect | 3mp | נסע | NOT Hophal — Qal Impf. 3mp (I-נ: נ assimilates into dagesh in סּ); "they set out" |
| 9 | יֻקַּם | Yes | Imperfect | 3ms | קום | Hophal — Qibbuts (ֻ) variant under prefix + dagesh in כּ (assimilated from ו); same root as #6 |
| 10 | הוּשַׁב | Yes | Perfect | 3ms | שוב | Hophal — Hiphil הֵשִׁיב = to return → Hophal = was returned/brought back (biconsonantal) |
| 11 | מוּצֵאת | Yes | Participle | fs | יצא | Hophal — Hophal Ptc. fs (מוּ- prefix); Hiphil הוֹצִיא = to bring out → Hophal = being brought out (I-י root) |
| 12 | מְצָאָהּ | No | Perfect | 3ms + 3fs obj. | מצא | NOT Hophal — Qal Perfect 3ms with 3fs object suffix (מְצָ = Qal Pf. 3ms of מצא); "he found her" |
| 13 | הוּצָא | Yes | Perfect | 3ms | יצא | Hophal — הוּ prefix + I-י collapse; Hiphil הוֹצִיא = to bring out → Hophal = was brought out |
| 14 | הֻגַּד | Yes | Perfect | 3ms | נגד | Hophal — Qibbuts (ֻ) under prefix + I-נ collapse with dagesh in גּ; "it was told" (cf. Hiphil הִגִּיד) |

> **Notes on distractors:**
> - **4 מוּבָאִים** is itself Hophal (Participle mp of בוא), not a distractor in the ordinary sense — it is included to contrast the Participle with the Perfect (verb 2).
> - **7 הָקִים** is Hiphil Perfect 3ms of קום (active: "he set up the tabernacle"). Contrast: Hophal הוּקַם (passive: "the tabernacle was set up"). The diagnostic: Hiphil prefix carries an i-class vowel (הִ-/הֵ-/הָ-), never u-class.
> - **8 יִסְעוּ** is Qal Imperfect 3mp of נסע, a I-נ root. The נ assimilates completely, producing dagesh in ס. No u-class vowel under the prefix = not Hophal.
> - **12 מְצָאָהּ** is Qal Perfect 3ms of מצא with a 3fs object suffix. The מְ here is simply the Qal Perfect 3ms vowel pattern, not the Hophal Participle prefix מוּ.
