BBH Chapter 31 — Piel Weak Verbs (פִּעֵל)¶
Apply Piel stem patterns to weak root classes: II-guttural and II-resh roots (which cannot take dagesh forte and require virtual doubling or compensatory lengthening), III-ה roots, and geminate roots. Recognizing a Piel form when the diagnostic dagesh forte is absent due to a guttural second radical is a critical parsing skill that prevents confusion with Qal forms of the same root.
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Basics of Biblical Hebrew, Pratico & Van Pelt, Chapter 31 Builds on Ch30 (Piel Strong Verbs). Semantic functions (Intensive, Factitive, Denominative, Iterative) are not repeated here.
Introduction¶
Most weak verbs in the Piel stem maintain the diagnostic features of the strong verb. It is only II-Guttural weak verbs that exhibit any major changes in spelling. The weak verb classes III-ע/ח, III-א, III-ה, and Geminate are given for study, but all of the strong verb diagnostics are preserved in each of these weak verb classes.
Three Piel diagnostics preserved across all weak classes (§31.11):
- Daghesh Forte in the second root consonant
- Patach under R1 in every conjugation except the Perfect
- Vocal Shewa under all Imperfect preformatives and Participle prefixes
1. III-ח/ע Verbs — שָׁלַח ("to send, release")¶
The Tsere stem vowel of the strong Piel is replaced by Patach before the final ח or ע, because gutturals prefer a-class vowels. All other Piel diagnostics are present.
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | שִׁלַּח | יְשַׁלַּח | שַׁלַּח | שַׁלַּח | שַׁלֵּחַ | מְשַׁלֵּחַ |
| 3fs / fs | שִׁלְּחָה | תְּשַׁלַּח | שַׁלְּחִי | מְשַׁלַּ֫חַת | ||
| 2ms / mp | שִׁלַּ֫חְתָּ | תְּשַׁלַּח | שַׁלְּחוּ | מְשַׁלְּחִים | ||
| 2fs / fp | שִׁלַּ֫חַתְּ | תְּשַׁלְּחִי | שַׁלַּ֫חְנָה | מְשַׁלְּחוֹת | ||
| 1cs | שִׁלַּ֫חְתִּי | אֲשַׁלַּח | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | שִׁלְּחוּ | יְשַׁלְּחוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | שִׁלַּחְתֶּם | תְּשַׁלַּ֫חְנָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | שִׁלַּחְתֶּן | תְּשַׁלְּחוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | שִׁלַּ֫חְנוּ | תְּשַׁלַּ֫חְנָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְשַׁלַּח |
2. III-א Verbs — מָצָא ("to find")¶
The stem vowel in the Perfect is Tsere in most forms (not Patach). All Piel strong verb diagnostics are present.
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | מִצֵּא | יְמַצֵּא | מַצֵּא | מַצֵּא | מַצֹּא | מְמַצֵּא |
| 3fs / fs | מִצְּאָה | תְּמַצֵּא | מַצְּאִי | מְמַצֵּאת | ||
| 2ms / mp | מִצֵּ֫אתָ | תְּמַצֵּא | מַצְּאוּ | מְמַצְּאִים | ||
| 2fs / fp | מִצֵּאת | תְּמַצְּאִי | מַצֶּ֫אנָה | מְמַצְּאוֹת | ||
| 1cs | מִצֵּ֫אתִי | אֲמַצֵּא | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | מִצְּאוּ | יְמַצְּאוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | מִצֵּאתֶם | תְּמַצֶּ֫אנָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | מִצֵּאתֶן | תְּמַצְּאוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | מִצֵּ֫אנוּ | תְּמַצֶּ֫אנָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְמַצֵּא |
3. III-ה Verbs — גָּלָה ("to uncover, disclose")¶
All Piel strong verb diagnostics are present. Note the stem vowels in the Perfect (Qamets and Hireq Yod in selected forms) and the III-ה diagnostic endings throughout all conjugations.
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | גִּלָּה | יְגַלֶּה | גַּלֵּה | גַּלּוֹת | גַּלֵּה | מְגַלֶּה |
| 3fs / fs | גִּלְּתָה | תְּגַלֶּה | גַּלִּי | מְגַלָּה | ||
| 2ms / mp | גִּלִּ֫יתָ | תְּגַלֶּה | גַּלּוּ | מְגַלִּים | ||
| 2fs / fp | גִּלִּית | תְּגַלִּי | גַּלֶּ֫ינָה | מְגַלּוֹת | ||
| 1cs | גִּלִּ֫יתִי | אֲגַלֶּה | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | גִּלּוּ | יְגַלּוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | גִּלִּיתֶם | תְּגַלֶּ֫ינָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | גִּלִּיתֶן | תְּגַלּוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | גִּלִּ֫ינוּ | תְּגַלֶּ֫ינָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְגַלֶּה |
4. Geminate Verbs — הָלַל ("to praise")¶
All Piel strong verb diagnostics are present. Note the absence of the Daghesh Forte in selected forms of the Perfect (3fs, 3cp), Imperfect (2fs, 3mp, 2mp), and Imperative (fs, mp). This loss is due to the rule of sqnmlwy (§§5.5, 30.15).
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | הִלֵּל | יְהַלֵּל | הַלֵּל | הַלֵּל | הַלֵּל | מְהַלֵּל |
| 3fs / fs | הִלְלָה | תְּהַלֵּל | הַלְלִי | מְהַלֶּ֫לֶת | ||
| 2ms / mp | הִלַּ֫לְתָּ | תְּהַלֵּל | הַלְלוּ | מְהַלְּלִים | ||
| 2fs / fp | הִלַּלְתְּ | תְּהַלְלִי | הַלֵּ֫לְנָה | מְהַלְּלוֹת | ||
| 1cs | הִלַּ֫לְתִּי | אֲהַלֵּל | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | הִלְלוּ | יְהַלְלוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | הִלַּלְתֶּם | תְּהַלֵּ֫לְנָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | הִלַּלְתֶּן | תְּהַלְלוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | הִלַּ֫לְנוּ | תְּהַלֵּ֫לְנָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְהַלֵּל |
5. II-Guttural — Virtual Doubling — נָחַם ("to comfort, console")¶
In the Piel, only II-Guttural weak verbs exhibit major changes compared to the strong verb diagnostics. The guttural consonant in R2 position rejects the Daghesh Forte. With virtual doubling, the guttural rejects the Daghesh but the preceding vowel is not lengthened. The stem vowel in the Perfect may be either Tsere (בִּעֵר) or Patach (נִחַם) — the stem vowel is not a diagnostic feature of the Piel.
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | נִחַם | יְנַחֵם | נַחֵם | נַחֵם | נַחֵם | מְנַחֵם |
| 3fs / fs | נִחֲמָה | תְּנַחֵם | נַחֲמִי | מְנַחֶ֫מֶת | ||
| 2ms / mp | נִחַ֫מְתָּ | תְּנַחֵם | נַחֲמוּ | מְנַחֲמִים | ||
| 2fs / fp | נִחַמְתְּ | תְּנַחֲמִי | נַחֵ֫מְנָה | מְנַחֲמוֹת | ||
| 1cs | נִחַ֫מְתִּי | אֲנַחֵם | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | נִחֲמוּ | יְנַחֲמוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | נִחַמְתֶּם | תְּנַחֵ֫מְנָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | נִחַמְתֶּן | תְּנַחֲמוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | נִחַ֫מְנוּ | תְּנַחֵ֫מְנָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְנַחֵם |
6. II-Guttural — Compensatory Lengthening — בָּרַךְ ("to bless")¶
With compensatory lengthening, the guttural rejects the Daghesh Forte and the preceding vowel is lengthened. In the verb בָּרַךְ, the consonant ר in R2 position functions like a guttural in rejecting the Daghesh Forte. In the Perfect, Hireq lengthens to Tsere under R1 (בֵּרֵךְ). In all other conjugations, Patach lengthens to Qamets under R1 (יְבָרֵךְ).
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | בֵּרֵךְ | יְבָרֵךְ | בָּרֵךְ | בָּרֵךְ | בָּרֵךְ | מְבָרֵךְ |
| 3fs / fs | בֵּרְכָה | תְּבָרֵךְ | בָּֽרְכִי | מְבָרֶ֫כֶת | ||
| 2ms / mp | בֵּרַ֫כְתָּ | תְּבָרֵךְ | בָּֽרְכוּ | מְבָֽרְכִים | ||
| 2fs / fp | בֵּרַכְתְּ | תְּבָֽרְכִי | בָּרֵ֫כְנָה | מְבָֽרְכוֹת | ||
| 1cs | בֵּרַ֫כְתִּי | אֲבָרֵךְ | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | בֵּרְכוּ | יְבָֽרְכוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | בֵּרַכְתֶּם | תְּבָרֵ֫כְנָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | בֵּרַכְתֶּן | תְּבָֽרְכוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | בֵּרַ֫כְנוּ | תְּבָרֵ֫כְנָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְבָרֵךְ |
7. I-Guttural (Pe-Guttural) Verbs — חָזַק ("to strengthen, make firm")¶
I-Guttural verbs in the Piel closely parallel the strong verb because R1 receives full vowels (Hireq in the Perfect, Patach in all other conjugations) throughout the paradigm. Gutturals accept these full vowels without difficulty. In forms where a vocal shewa falls on R2 (not R1), the I-guttural has no effect. The paradigm verb is חָזַק (Piel: חִזֵּק).
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | חִזֵּק | יְחַזֵּק | חַזֵּק | חַזֵּק | חַזֵּק | מְחַזֵּק |
| 3fs / fs | חִזְּקָה | תְּחַזֵּק | חַזְּקִי | מְחַזֶּ֫קֶת | ||
| 2ms / mp | חִזַּ֫קְתָּ | תְּחַזֵּק | חַזְּקוּ | מְחַזְּקִים | ||
| 2fs / fp | חִזַּקְתְּ | תְּחַזְּקִי | חַזֵּ֫קְנָה | מְחַזְּקוֹת | ||
| 1cs | חִזַּ֫קְתִּי | אֲחַזֵּק | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | חִזְּקוּ | יְחַזְּקוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | חִזַּקְתֶּם | תְּחַזֵּ֫קְנָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | חִזַּקְתֶּן | תְּחַזְּקוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | חִזַּ֫קְנוּ | תְּחַזֵּ֫קְנָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְחַזֵּק |
8. I-נ (Pe-Nun) Verbs — נָצַל ("to rescue, deliver")¶
In the Piel, the root נ at R1 is retained throughout the paradigm because R1 receives a full vowel (Hireq in the Perfect, Patach elsewhere). The Piel pattern never reduces R1 to shewa, so the נ has no occasion to assimilate as it does in the Qal or Hiphil Imperfect. The Piel diagnostics (Dagesh Forte in R2, Tsere in Perfect, Patach in other conjugations) are fully preserved.
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | נִצֵּל | יְנַצֵּל | נַצֵּל | נַצֵּל | נַצֵּל | מְנַצֵּל |
| 3fs / fs | נִצְּלָה | תְּנַצֵּל | נַצְּלִי | מְנַצֶּ֫לֶת | ||
| 2ms / mp | נִצַּ֫לְתָּ | תְּנַצֵּל | נַצְּלוּ | מְנַצְּלִים | ||
| 2fs / fp | נִצַּלְתְּ | תְּנַצְּלִי | נַצֵּ֫לְנָה | מְנַצְּלוֹת | ||
| 1cs | נִצַּ֫לְתִּי | אֲנַצֵּל | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | נִצְּלוּ | יְנַצְּלוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | נִצַּלְתֶּם | תְּנַצֵּ֫לְנָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | נִצַּלְתֶּן | תְּנַצְּלוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | נִצַּ֫לְנוּ | תְּנַצֵּ֫לְנָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְנַצֵּל |
9. I-י (Pe-Yod) Verbs — יָסַר ("to discipline, chasten")¶
In the Piel, the initial י at R1 is retained as a consonant throughout. Because the Piel assigns a full vowel (Hireq) to R1 in the Perfect and Patach in other conjugations, the י has no occasion to quiesce as it does in the Qal or Hiphil. The most distinctive form is the Imperfect, which shows a double yod (prefix י + root י): יְיַסֵּר.
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | יִסֵּר | יְיַסֵּר | יַסֵּר | יַסֵּר | יַסֵּר | מְיַסֵּר |
| 3fs / fs | יִסְּרָה | תְּיַסֵּר | יַסְּרִי | מְיַסֶּ֫רֶת | ||
| 2ms / mp | יִסַּ֫רְתָּ | תְּיַסֵּר | יַסְּרוּ | מְיַסְּרִים | ||
| 2fs / fp | יִסַּרְתְּ | תְּיַסְּרִי | יַסֵּ֫רְנָה | מְיַסְּרוֹת | ||
| 1cs | יִסַּ֫רְתִּי | אֲיַסֵּר | ||||
| 3cp / 3mp | יִסְּרוּ | יְיַסְּרוּ | ||||
| 2mp / 3fp | יִסַּרְתֶּם | תְּיַסֵּ֫רְנָה | ||||
| 2fp / 2mp | יִסַּרְתֶּן | תְּיַסְּרוּ | ||||
| 1cp / 2fp | יִסַּ֫רְנוּ | תְּיַסֵּ֫רְנָה | ||||
| — / 1cp | נְיַסֵּר |
10. Biconsonantal (II-ו/י) Verbs — Polel Stem¶
Biconsonantal roots do not occur in the Piel stem. Instead, they appear in the Polel stem, which functions as the Piel equivalent for biconsonantal roots (and some geminate roots). The Polel is characterized by a Holem Vav after R1 and gemination (doubling) of R2/R3. See §31.13 below for the full Polel paradigm of רוּם.
| Strong Piel 3ms | Polel 3ms (קוּם → "to restore, set up") |
|---|---|
| קִטֵּל | קוֹמֵם |
The Polel pattern: Holem Vav + R2 doubled (R2 = R3) with Tsere. For יִ-class roots (e.g., שִׁיר → שׁוֹרֵר).
Summary — 3ms Principal Parts (§31.11)¶
| Class | Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Inf. Abs. | Participle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | קִטֵּל | יְקַטֵּל | קַטֵּל | קַטֵּל | קַטֵּל | מְקַטֵּל |
| III-ח/ע | שִׁלַּח | יְשַׁלַּח | שַׁלַּח | שַׁלַּח | שַׁלֵּחַ | מְשַׁלֵּחַ |
| III-א | מִצֵּא | יְמַצֵּא | מַצֵּא | מַצֵּא | מַצֹּא | מְמַצֵּא |
| III-ה | גִּלָּה | יְגַלֶּה | גַּלֵּה | גַּלּוֹת | גַּלֵּה | מְגַלֶּה |
| Geminate | הִלֵּל | יְהַלֵּל | הַלֵּל | הַלֵּל | הַלֵּל | מְהַלֵּל |
| II-Guttural (Virtual Doubling) | נִחַם | יְנַחֵם | נַחֵם | נַחֵם | נַחֵם | מְנַחֵם |
| II-Guttural (Comp. Lengthening) | בֵּרֵךְ | יְבָרֵךְ | בָּרֵךְ | בָּרֵךְ | בָּרֵךְ | מְבָרֵךְ |
| I-Guttural | חִזֵּק | יְחַזֵּק | חַזֵּק | חַזֵּק | חַזֵּק | מְחַזֵּק |
| I-נ | נִצֵּל | יְנַצֵּל | נַצֵּל | נַצֵּל | נַצֵּל | מְנַצֵּל |
| I-י | יִסֵּר | יְיַסֵּר | יַסֵּר | יַסֵּר | יַסֵּר | מְיַסֵּר |
Additional Information: The Polel Stem (§31.13)¶
Biconsonantal verbs do not occur in the Piel, Pual, or Hithpael stems. Instead, they occur in the Polel, Polal (§33.11), and Hithpolel (§35.12) stems. Geminate roots may also appear in these stems. In general, the meaning of the Piel corresponds to the meaning of the Polel, the Pual to the Polal, and the Hithpael to the Hithpolel.
The Polel stem is characterized by a Holem Vav after R1 and gemination of R2/R3. Below are the Polel forms of רוּם ("to exalt, lift up"):
| Perfect | Imperfect | Imperative | Inf. Cs. | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms / ms | רוֹמֵם | יְרוֹמֵם | רוֹמֵם | רוֹמֵם | מְרוֹמֵם |
| 3fs / fs | רוֹמְמָה | תְּרוֹמֵם | רוֹמְמִי | מְרוֹמֶ֫מֶת | |
| 2ms / mp | רוֹמַ֫מְתָּ | תְּרוֹמֵם | רוֹמְמוּ | מְרוֹמְמִים | |
| 2fs / fp | רוֹמַמְתְּ | תְּרוֹמְמִי | רוֹמֵ֫מְנָה | מְרוֹמְמוֹת | |
| 1cs | רוֹמַ֫מְתִּי | אֲרוֹמֵם | |||
| 3cp / 3mp | רוֹמְמוּ | יְרוֹמְמוּ | |||
| 2mp / 3fp | רוֹמַמְתֶּם | תְּרוֹמֵ֫מְנָה | |||
| 2fp / 2mp | רוֹמַמְתֶּן | תְּרוֹמְמוּ | |||
| 1cp / 2fp | רוֹמַ֫מְנוּ | תְּרוֹמֵ֫מְנָה | |||
| — / 1cp | נְרוֹמֵם |