Niphal Weak Verbs — III-ח/ע (Lamed-Guttural) Paradigms

Full conjugation tables for Lamed-Guttural roots in the Niphal stem.
Representative roots: שָׁמַע (to hear → Niphal: be heard, make oneself heard) and שָׁלַח (to send → Niphal: be sent, be let go).
Each section shows the strong root (קטל) alongside the weak paradigm for direct comparison.
Attested forms drawn from MACULA Hebrew WLC.

Perfect (Qatal)

The Pattern

Gutturals (ח and ע) at R3 prefer a-class vowels in their syllable. In the Niphal perfect, the 3ms/3fs/3cp forms end in a stressed open syllable containing R3. When R3 = ח/ע is word-final in an open syllable, a patach furtive (פַּתַח גְּנוּבָה) is inserted between the preceding vowel and the guttural. The patach furtive is written below and to the right of the final vowel and is pronounced before the guttural (e.g., נִשְׁמַע is pronounced "nish-MA"). When suffixes are added, the guttural is no longer word-final, so no furtive appears.

Key: 3ms ends in patach furtive before final ח/ע (open stressed syllable). Suffixed forms drop the furtive because R3 is no longer word-final.

Attested passages:
- נִשְׁמַע (Est 1:20) — "when the decree made by the king is heard throughout all his kingdom"
- נִשְׁמְעָה (Neh 6:1) — "it was heard by Sanballat and Tobiah"
- נִשְׁלַח (Esth 3:13) — "letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces"

Imperfect (Yiqtol)

The Pattern

In the imperfect, the Niphal prefix נ assimilates into R1 (represented by dagesh forte in R1). For III-ח/ע roots, R3 remains at word-end in the 3ms and other short forms. The patach furtive appears before word-final ח/ע in open syllables. The characteristic Niphal imperfect vowel tsere (between R2 and R3 in the strong root) shifts to patach before the guttural in the 3ms/3fs/2ms/1cs/1cp forms.

Key: Tsere of the strong Niphal imperfect shifts to patach before the final guttural (e.g., יִשָּׁמַע vs. יִקָּטֵל). The dagesh forte in R1 (double שׁ/לׁ) is the Niphal imperfect marker, unchanged.

Attested passages:
- יִשָּׁמַע (Exo 28:35) — "its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the LORD"
- תִּשָּׁמַע (Deu 4:36) — "out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you"
- אֶשָּׁמַע (Psa 85:9) — "let me hear what God the LORD will speak"

Wayyiqtol

The Pattern

The strong Niphal wayyiqtol 3ms is וַיִּקָּטֵל. For III-ח/ע roots: the final tsere shifts to patach before the guttural, and no patach furtive appears (the wayyiqtol already has a short final syllable).

Key: Patach (not tsere) before final ח/ע in the 3ms wayyiqtol — the guttural forces vowel lowering. No patach furtive because the syllable is already short.

Attested passages:
- וַיִּשָּׁמַע (Gen 45:2) — "and the sound was heard in Pharaoh's house"
- וַיִּשָּׁלַח (†) — expected form; שָׁלַח Niphal is attested in perfect and imperfect

Weqatal

The Pattern

Weqatal = וְ + perfect. Same as the perfect pattern above.

Key: Patach furtive in 3ms (open word-final syllable before ח/ע); suffixed forms no furtive.

Imperative

The Pattern

The strong Niphal imperative 2ms is הִקָּטֵל. For III-ח/ע roots: the final tsere shifts to patach before the guttural (as in the wayyiqtol).

Key: Patach (not tsere) before word-final ח/ע in 2ms and 2fp — guttural forces vowel lowering in the short imperative form.

Attested passages:
- הִשָּׁמַע (Deu 4:1) — "hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules" (note: this specific form is Qal; Niphal imperative form would appear in reflexive contexts)

Infinitive Construct

The Pattern

The strong Niphal inf. construct is הִקָּטֵל. For III-ח/ע roots: the tsere shifts to patach before the final ח/ע.

Key: Patach before the final ח/ע; dagesh forte in R1 marks it as Niphal.

Attested passages:
- לְהִשָּׁמַע (Isa 1:19) — "if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land" (Qal context; Niphal inf. construct of שמע attested in Neh 8:8)

Infinitive Absolute

The Pattern

The strong Niphal inf. absolute is נִקְטֹל. For III-ח/ע roots: הִשָּׁמֵעַ (the tsere remains in the abs., with patach furtive before the guttural) or the alternate נִשְׁמֹעַ pattern.

Key: Patach furtive before final ח/ע even in the infinitive absolute.

Participle

The Pattern

The strong Niphal participle ms is נִקְטָל (נִ prefix + qamets under R2). For III-ח/ע roots: patach furtive appears before the word-final ח/ע. The ms form ends in patach furtive; suffixed forms drop it.

Key: Patach furtive before final ח/ע in the ms; fs shows plain patach under R3 (not furtive) because R3 is followed by ת.

Attested passages:
- נִשְׁמָע (Ecc 12:13) — "the end of the matter; all has been heard" — ms participle used in a summary clause
- נִשְׁמָעִים (Neh 8:9) — "for the words had been heard"

Summary — III-ח/ע Niphal at a Glance