BBH Chapter 26 — Hiphil Strong Verbs (הִפְעִיל)¶
Files¶
Reference Files¶
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| hiphil-paradigms.md | Full conjugation paradigms (Perfect through Participle) with PGN tables and key-marker notes |
Exercises¶
| Exercise | Description |
|---|---|
| exercises/ch26-passage-exercise/ | "Spot the Hiphil" — 16 verbs from the flood narrative to parse and classify by function type |
| exercises/ch26-function-sort/ | Semantic function sorting — classify Hiphil verbs by function type (causative, declarative, factitive, simple) |
| exercises/ch26-qal-hiphil-contrast/ | Qal vs. Hiphil contrast — spot the difference in form and meaning |
| exercises/ch26-hiphil-paradigm-drill/ | Paradigm drill — write all 30 inflected forms of קטל (Hiphil) from memory |
| exercises/ch26-stem-id-drill/ | Stem identification drill — 24 forms from Qal/Niphal/Hiphil; identify stem, conjugation, PGN, and root |
Flashcards¶
| File | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ch26-morphology-deck.md | Markdown | 32-card morphology deck — Hiphil forms across 4 roots and 8 conjugations |
| ch26-morphology-deck.txt | Anki import | Morphology deck — tab-separated, ready for Anki File → Import (32 cards) |
| ch26-morphology-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe | Morphology deck — tab-separated, ready for Flashcards Deluxe import (32 cards) |
| ch26-vocab-deck.md | Markdown | Vocabulary deck — 15 words (11 verbs, 1 noun, 3 adjectives) with POS tags and frequency |
| ch26-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import | Vocabulary deck — tab-separated, ready for Anki File → Import (15 cards) |
| ch26-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe | Vocabulary deck — tab-separated, ready for Flashcards Deluxe import (15 cards) |
Notebooks¶
| Notebook | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Hiphil Stem | Hiphil stem: complete morphological profile, causative semantic categories, dominant roots |
Basics of Biblical Hebrew, Pratico & Van Pelt Data: MACULA Hebrew WLC (9,409 OT Hiphil tokens)
Context: The Hiphil is the second most productive derived stem in Biblical Hebrew (12.9% of all OT verb tokens). See OT Verb Stems Overview for how it compares to the Qal, Niphal, Piel, and other stems.
1. Function (BBH §26.2)¶
The Hiphil is the primary causative stem in Biblical Hebrew. A verb that is intransitive in the Qal becomes transitive in the Hiphil: the subject causes someone or something to perform the action.
| Function | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Causative | Subject causes another to perform the action | הֵבִיא "he brought" ← בּוֹא "to come/go" |
| Declarative | Subject declares or treats the object as something | הִצְדִּיק "he declared righteous" ← צָדַק "to be righteous" |
| Factitive | Subject causes a state to come into existence | הֶחֱזִיק "he strengthened" ← חָזַק "to be strong" |
| Simple action | No causative force; Hiphil is the standard lexical form | הִגִּיד "he told / declared" ← נָגַד (Hiphil-only) |
| Denominative (not in BBH) | Action derived from a noun | הִמְטִיר "he caused to rain" ← מָטָר "rain" |
Key diagnostic: Ask, "Is the subject doing the action, or causing someone else to do it?" If causing — it is likely Hiphil.
2. Form¶
Diagnostic Markers¶
- Perfect: הִ prefix + chiriq under first root letter → הִקְטִיל
- Imperfect: patach under prefix consonant + chiriq in final syllable → יַקְטִיל
- Wayyiqtol: וַיַּ prefix + tsere in final syllable → וַיַּקְטֵל
- Imperative: הַ prefix + tsere → הַקְטֵל
- Infinitive Construct: הַ prefix + chiriq → הַקְטִיל
- Infinitive Absolute: הַ prefix + tsere → הַקְטֵל
- Participle: מַ prefix + chiriq → מַקְטִיל
Paradigm — Model Root קטל¶
| Conjugation | 3ms Form | BBH § | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect (qatal) | הִקְטִיל | §26.3 | הִ prefix; chiriq vowel |
| Wayyiqtol | וַיַּקְטֵל | — | sequential narrative; doubled prefix + tsere |
| Imperfect (yiqtol) | יַקְטִיל | §26.5 | patach under prefix; chiriq final |
| Weqatal | וְהִקְטִיל | — | sequential future; וְ + perfect form |
| Imperative 2ms | הַקְטֵל | §26.7 | הַ prefix; tsere final |
| Infinitive Construct | הַקְטִיל | §26.9 | הַ prefix; chiriq |
| Infinitive Absolute | הַקְטֵל | §26.11 | הַ prefix; tsere |
| Participle ms | מַקְטִיל | §26.13 | מַ prefix; chiriq |
Real Forms from the Pentateuch — Root בּוֹא ("bring")¶
| Conjugation | Pointed Form | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect 3ms | הֵבִיא | Exo 23:23 |
| Wayyiqtol 3ms | וַיָּבֵא | Gen 2:19 |
| Imperfect 3ms | יָבִיא | Exo 13:5 |
| Imperative 2ms | הָבֵא | Gen 27:4 |
| Participle ms | מֵבִיא | Gen 6:17 |
Note on weak roots: בּוֹא is a I-י/ו verb; its Hiphil forms show vowel contraction. Chapter 27 covers weak Hiphil roots in detail. For now, focus on recognizing the הִ/הַ/מַ prefix pattern.
3. Most Common Hiphil Lemmas (Pentateuch)¶
Frequency counts from Genesis–Deuteronomy only. The Hiphil gloss is given, not the Qal.
| Root | Lemma | Torah (×) | Hiphil Meaning | Function Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בוא | בּוֹא | 179 | bring, lead | Causative |
| קרב | קָרַב | 149 | present, offer | Causative |
| יצא | יָצָא | 111 | bring out, lead out | Causative |
| נכה | נָכָה | 90 | strike, smite | Causative |
| ילד | יָלַד | 64 | beget, father | Causative |
| שוב | שׁוּב | 63 | bring back, restore | Causative |
| עלה | עָלָה | 60 | offer up, bring up | Causative |
| נגד | נָגַד | 48 | tell, declare | Declarative |
| קטר | קָטַר | 43 | burn incense, cause to smoke | Causative |
| קום | קוּם | 41 | establish, set up | Factitive |
| יסף | יָסַף | 40 | do again, add | Causative |
| רבה | רָבָה | 37 | multiply, increase | Causative |
| רום | רוּם | 29 | lift up, exalt | Causative |
| שקה | שָׁקָה | 28 | water, give to drink | Causative |
| סור | סוּר | 27 | remove, take away | Causative |
Lexically Hiphil verbs: נָגַד (tell/declare) occurs almost exclusively in the Hiphil — the Qal is rare. These "built-in causatives" have no real Qal counterpart; the Hiphil form is the standard lexical form.
4. Example Passages¶
One example per semantic function × conjugation form. Torah passages preferred; Psalms, Proverbs, and Samuel used where Torah has no example of that combination.
Causative¶
The subject causes another person or thing to perform the action. The eight major conjugation forms are all attested in Genesis–Deuteronomy.
Perfect (qatal) — Gen 2:6 — וְאֵד֙ יַֽעֲלֶ֣ה … וְהִשְׁקָ֖ה "A mist went up … and it watered." → שָׁקָה Hiphil perfect 3ms; the mist causes the ground to drink (Hiphil of an intransitive root).
Wayyiqtol — Gen 2:19 — וַיָּבֵ֨א אֹתָ֜ם אֶל־הָֽאָדָ֗ם "And he brought them to the man." → בּוֹא Hiphil wayyiqtol 3ms; God causes the animals to come (sequential narrative action).
Imperfect (yiqtol) — Gen 3:16 — הַרְבָּ֤ה אַרְבֶּה֙ עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ "I will greatly increase your pain." → רָבָה Hiphil imperfect 1cs; preceded by infinitive absolute for emphasis (see Inf. Absolute below).
Weqatal — Gen 4:4 — וְהֵבִ֥יא מִבְּכֹרֹ֖ות צֹאנ֑וֹ "And Abel brought from the firstborn of his flock." → בּוֹא Hiphil weqatal 3ms; sequential future/narrative continuation.
Imperative — Gen 8:17 — הַיְצֵ֣א אִתָּ֗ךְ "Bring out with you…" → יָצָא Hiphil imperative 2ms; God commands Noah to cause the animals to come out (הַ prefix + tsere).
Infinitive Construct — Gen 2:10 — לְהַשְׁק֖וֹת "to water [the garden]" → שָׁקָה Hiphil infinitive construct with לְ; expressing purpose.
Infinitive Absolute — Gen 3:16 — הַרְבָּ֤ה אַרְבֶּה֙ "I will surely increase…" → רָבָה Hiphil infinitive absolute + imperfect; the infinitive absolute before the finite verb creates an emphatic, certain assertion.
Participle — Gen 6:17 — הִנְנִ֤י מֵבִיא֙ אֶת־הַמַּבּ֔וּל "Behold, I am bringing the flood." → בּוֹא Hiphil participle ms; God as agent causing the flood to come (participial predicate with הִנֵּה).
Declarative¶
The subject declares, communicates, or causes knowledge to be known. נָגַד occurs almost exclusively in the Hiphil (90%+ of all its OT tokens); it is a "built-in causative."
Perfect (qatal) — Gen 45:13 — וְהִגַּדְתֶּ֣ם לְאָבִ֗י "And you will tell my father." → נָגַד Hiphil perfect 2mp; Joseph instructs his brothers to declare everything to Jacob.
Wayyiqtol — Gen 9:22 — וַיַּגֵּ֥ד לִשְׁנֵֽי־אֶחָ֖יו "And he told his two brothers." → נָגַד Hiphil wayyiqtol 3ms; standard narrative verb of speech.
Imperfect (yiqtol) — Gen 46:31 — אֶגְּלֶ֨ה וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לְפַרְעֹ֗ה "I will go up and tell Pharaoh." → נָגַד Hiphil imperfect 1cs cohortative; Joseph announces his plan.
Weqatal — Gen 12:18 — מַדּ֖וּעַ לֹא־הִגַּ֣דְתָּ לִּ֑י "Why did you not tell me?" → נָגַד Hiphil weqatal 2ms (rhetorical question); Pharaoh rebukes Abram for concealing that Sarai was his wife. (The "we" prefix functions as a simple conjunction here.)
Imperative — Gen 4:23 — הַאְזֵ֖נָּה אִמְרָתִ֑י "Give ear to my speech!" → אָזַן Hiphil imperative 2fp; Lamech demands his wives listen — the Hiphil of אָזַן "to have ears" means "lend an ear / pay attention."
Infinitive Construct — Gen 32:6 (Eng. 32:5) — לִהַגִּ֥יד לַֽאדֹנִ֖י "to tell my lord" → נָגַד Hiphil infinitive construct with לְ; purpose clause explaining why Jacob sent messengers ahead.
Infinitive Absolute — Gen 43:3 — הָעֵ֣ד הֵעִ֤יד בָּ֙נוּ֙ "The man solemnly warned us." → עוּד Hiphil infinitive absolute + perfect 3ms; the doubled root emphasizes the gravity of Joseph's warning.
Note: No Hiphil imperative of a purely declarative root with zero causative overlap exists in the OT. Gen 4:23 (אָזַן "give ear") is the closest Torah example and is representative of this type.
Participle — Gen 41:24 — אֵ֥ין מַגִּ֖יד לִ֑י "There is no one to tell me." → נָגַד Hiphil participle ms; Pharaoh laments the absence of an interpreter/announcer.
Factitive¶
The subject causes a state or condition to come into existence (often from an intransitive stative root).
Perfect (qatal) — Gen 9:11 — הֲקִמֹתִ֤י אֶת־בְּרִיתִי֙ "I have established my covenant." → קוּם Hiphil perfect 1cs; God causes the covenant to stand/come into existence.
Wayyiqtol — Exo 40:18 — וַיָּ֨קֶם מֹשֶׁ֤ה אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ "And Moses set up the tabernacle." → קוּם Hiphil wayyiqtol 3ms; Moses causes the tabernacle to stand upright.
Imperfect (yiqtol) — Gen 17:21 — אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָקִ֣ים "which I will establish" → קוּם Hiphil imperfect 1cs; the covenant God will bring into being with Isaac.
Weqatal — Gen 6:18 — וַהֲקִמֹתִ֥י "But I will establish…" → קוּם Hiphil weqatal 1cs; sequential future: after the flood, God will confirm his covenant with Noah.
Imperative — Gen 21:18 — הַחֲזִ֥יקִי אֶת־יָדֵ֖ךְ בּ֑וֹ "Hold him up with your hand." → חָזַק Hiphil imperative 2fs; the angel tells Hagar to strengthen (cause to be firm) her grip on Ishmael.
Infinitive Construct — Num 7:1 — בְּיוֹם֩ כַּלּ֨וֹת מֹשֶׁ֜ה לְהָקִ֣ים "On the day when Moses finished setting up…" → קוּם Hiphil infinitive construct with לְ; the action of causing the tabernacle to stand.
Infinitive Absolute — Deu 22:4 — הָקֵ֥ם תָּקִ֖ים עִמּ֑וֹ "You shall surely raise it up with him." → קוּם Hiphil infinitive absolute + imperfect; emphatic command to help a neighbor lift a fallen animal.
Participle — Gen 9:9 — הִנְנִ֕י מֵקִ֛ים אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֖י "Behold, I am about to establish my covenant." → קוּם Hiphil participle ms; participial predicate with הִנֵּה expressing imminence.
Simple Action (Hiphil-Only / Denominative)¶
Some roots occur almost exclusively in the Hiphil — the Hiphil form is the standard lexical form. There is no separate Qal meaning to contrast.
Perfect (qatal) — Exo 4:15 — וְאָנֹכִ֕י אֶהְיֶ֥ה עִם־פִּ֖יךָ … וְהוֹרֵיתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם "I will be with your mouth … and I will teach you." → יָרָה Hiphil perfect 1cs; God promises to guide both Moses and Aaron (יָרָה Hiphil = "teach, instruct" — a Hiphil-only meaning derived from "to throw/point").
Wayyiqtol — Gen 2:15 — וַיַּנִּחֵ֛הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֖דֶן "And he placed/set him in the garden of Eden." → נוּחַ Hiphil wayyiqtol 3ms + 3ms suffix; God causes man to rest/settle in the garden (נוּחַ "to rest" → Hiphil "to set, place").
Imperfect (yiqtol) — Exo 17:11 — כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר יָנִ֛יחַ יָד֖וֹ "But whenever he lowered his hand…" → נוּחַ Hiphil imperfect 3ms; Moses lowers/rests his hand (יָנִ֛יחַ "he set down/rested").
Weqatal — Gen 19:2 — וְהִשְׁכַּמְתֶּ֖ם "and you will rise early." → שָׁכַם Hiphil weqatal 2mp; Lot urges the angels to stay the night and resume their journey early. שָׁכַם Hiphil = "to rise early, set out early" — always Hiphil.
Imperative — Exo 8:16 (Eng. 8:20) — הַשְׁכֵּ֤ם בַּבֹּ֙קֶר֙ "Rise early in the morning." → שָׁכַם Hiphil imperative 2ms; God tells Moses to confront Pharaoh at dawn.
Infinitive Construct — Exo 3:6 — כִּ֣י יָרֵ֔א מֵהַבִּ֖יט "for he was afraid to look." → נָבַט Hiphil infinitive construct with מִ; Moses averts his gaze from God. נָבַט Hiphil = "to look, gaze" — occurs almost exclusively in the Hiphil.
Infinitive Absolute — 1 Sam 17:16 — וַיַּגֵּ֤שׁ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי֙ הַשְׁכֵּ֣ם וְהַעֲרֵ֔ב "And the Philistine came forward, morning and evening." → שָׁכַם Hiphil infinitive absolute used adverbially ("early-rising and late-rising"), a fixed idiom for relentless daily repetition. (Closest Torah equivalent: Jer 7:13 uses the same idiom; Samuel is the earliest narrative attestation.)
Participle — Jos 1:13 — יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ מֵנִ֣יחַ לָכֶ֔ם "The LORD your God is giving you rest." → נוּחַ Hiphil participle ms; Joshua reminds the Transjordan tribes that God is the one causing them to rest/settle.
5. Conjugation Distribution (OT-wide)¶
| Conjugation | Count | % of all Hiphil |
|---|---|---|
| Imperfect (yiqtol) | 2,020 | 21.5% |
| Perfect (qatal) | 1,797 | 19.1% |
| Wayyiqtol | 1,750 | 18.6% |
| Infinitive Construct | 941 | 10.0% |
| Weqatal | 870 | 9.2% |
| Participle (active) | 820 | 8.7% |
| Imperative | 736 | 7.8% |
| Infinitive Absolute | 220 | 2.3% |
| Jussive | 176 | 1.9% |
| Cohortative | 79 | 0.8% |
Total OT Hiphil tokens: 9,409 across 39 books.
The yiqtol and wayyiqtol together account for over 40% of all Hiphil tokens — reflecting heavy use in narrative action sequences. The high imperative count (7.8%) reflects Hiphil commands to bring, deliver, or act on behalf of others.
Sources: MACULA Hebrew WLC (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · BBH = Pratico & Van Pelt, Basics of Biblical Hebrew, 3rd ed.