Niphal Weak Verbs — III-א (Lamed-Aleph) Paradigms

Full conjugation tables for Lamed-Aleph roots in the Niphal stem.
Representative roots: מָצָא (to find) and יָרֵא (to fear).
Each section shows the strong root (קטל) alongside the weak paradigm for direct comparison.
Attested forms drawn from MACULA Hebrew WLC.

The Pattern

The final root letter א is a guttural that quiesces (becomes silent) in word-final position. It does not close a syllable; instead the vowel before it is simply held or lengthened. In practice the Niphal forms of III-א roots look nearly identical to the strong root — the main diagnostic is the final silent א and, in certain forms, a slightly different vowel under R2.

• Perfect / Weqatal / Participle: The נִ prefix behaves exactly as in the strong root. The final syllable ends in אָ (silent א with qamets) rather than the strong root's final consonant.
• Imperfect / Wayyiqtol / Imperative / Infinitives: The נ assimilates as usual (dagesh in R1). The tsere final vowel of the strong root appears as tsere + silent א (יִמָּצֵא vs. יִקָּטֵל).

Perfect (Qatal)

Key: The נִ prefix is fully retained. The 3ms/3fs/3cp end in silent א with qamets (נִמְצָא) — the form is visually identical to the strong participle except for the vowel class. In the 2nd/1st person forms, the א quiesces before the suffix and the vowel contracts to tsere (נִמְצֵאתָ).

Attested passages:

• נִמְצָא בְּיַד אֲחִיכֶם (Gen 44:12) — "it was found in the hand of your brother" — perfect 3ms passive
• וְלֹא נִמְצָא שָׁם אֶלֶף (Num 31:49) — "not one man was found missing" — negated perfect 3ms
• אֲשֶׁר נִמְצְאוּ (Exo 12:19) — "whoever is found" — perfect 3cp within a legal clause
• הֲנִמְצָא כָזֶה (Gen 41:38) — "Can such a man as this be found?" — perfect 3ms in a rhetorical question

Imperfect (Yiqtol)

Key: נ assimilates → dagesh forte in מּ. The final syllable ends in tsere + silent א. The form is almost indistinguishable from a strong root imperfect except for the silent final א.

Attested passages:

• אִם יִמָּצֵא בְּיַד אֶחָד מֵאַחֶיךָ (Gen 44:10) — "if it is found with one of your brothers" — conditional imperfect
• לֹא יִמָּצֵא בְּבֵיתְךָ (Deu 18:10) — "there shall not be found among you" — negative prohibition
• הֲלֹא תִמָּצֵא אֶת־הַמַּיִם (Job 28:12) — rhetorical; wisdom cannot be found
• כִּי יִמָּצֵא הַגַּנָּב (Exo 22:1) — "when the thief is caught" — conditional legal clause

Wayyiqtol

Key: The wayyiqtol of III-א is identical to the strong root wayyiqtol except for the silent final א.

Attested passages:

• וַיִּמָּצֵא הַגָּבִיעַ (Gen 44:12) — "and the cup was found" — narrative wayyiqtol; the Joseph story climax
• וַיִּמָּצְאוּ כְּבֵדִים (Gen 47:14) — "and all the silver was gathered" — 3mp wayyiqtol
• וַתִּמָּצֵא מִרְיָם (Num 12:10) — "and Miriam was found [with leprosy]" — 3fs wayyiqtol

Weqatal

Key: Weqatal retains the נִ prefix (like the perfect). The 3ms ends in אָ; suffix forms contract to tsere + א before the suffix.

Attested passages:

• וְנִמְצָא בְּיָדוֹ (Exo 22:3) — "if it is found in his hand" — weqatal in a legal conditional sequence
• וְנִמְצֵאתֶם חַטָּאִים (Num 32:23) — "and you will be found guilty" — second-person plural weqatal in Moses's warning

Imperative

Key: הִ prefix + dagesh forte in מּ + tsere + silent א. Identical shape to the inf. construct.

Attested passages:

• הִמָּצֵא לִי (1 Sam 13:15) — "present yourself to me" — 2ms imperative; Saul's command
• Note: The imperative of מָצָא Niphal is rare; הִמָּצֵא יִמָּצֵא (Exo 22:3) uses the inf. absolute + imperfect construction rather than the imperative.

Infinitive Construct

Key: הִ prefix + dagesh forte in מּ + tsere + silent א. Identical in form to the imperative.

Attested passages:

• לְהִמָּצֵא לְפָנָיו (Ezr 8:21) — "to seek from him" — inf. construct with לְ; the congregation humbles itself before God
• בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ (Isa 55:6) — "while he may be found" — inf. construct + 3ms suffix; seek the LORD while accessible

Infinitive Absolute

Key: III-א Niphal roots typically use the infinitive construct form (הִמָּצֵא) as the infinitive absolute rather than creating a distinct form with holem.

Attested passages:

• הִמָּצֵא יִמָּצֵא (Exo 22:3) — "if it is actually found" — inf. absolute + imperfect; emphatic passive construction in the Book of the Covenant

Participle

Key: The participle ms form (נִמְצָא) is identical to the perfect 3ms. Context distinguishes them — the participle functions as an adjective or substantive; the perfect is a finite verb. The qamets under R2 (participle) vs. patah (perfect 3ms) may differ in some roots.

Attested passages:

• הַנִּמְצָא בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם (Gen 47:14) — "that which was found in the land of Egypt" — participle ms substantival use
• נוֹרָא (Exo 15:11) — participle ms of יָרֵא Niphal; "awesome, fearsome" — commonly used as an adjective
• הַנִּמְצְאִים (Gen 47:14) — participle mp; the people found throughout Egypt

Summary — III-א Niphal at a Glance