BBH Chapter 31 · Piel Weak Verbs
Classify each Piel verb as I (Intensive), F (Factitive), It (Iterative), SA (Simple Action), or DN (Denominative). All roots are weak. Type your answer in the Function column, then click ▶ Answer to check.
| Code | Function | Key diagnostic question |
|---|---|---|
| I | Intensive | Does the subject do the Qal action more forcefully, completely, or repeatedly? |
| F | Factitive | Does the subject cause an object to enter a state? (Stative Qal root.) |
| It | Iterative | Does the Piel mark repeated or ongoing action? (e.g., הָלַךְ → הִלֵּךְ, to pace) |
| SA | Simple Action | Is the Piel the standard form with no common Qal equivalent? |
| DN | Denominative | Is the Piel verb built on a noun and performs that noun's characteristic action? |
| # | Hebrew Form | Conjugation | Root | Ref | Contextual Gloss | Function | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | בֵּרַךְ | Perfect 3ms | ברך | Gen 1:28 | "God blessed them" | ||
| I — Intensive. Qal ברך ("to kneel") is rare and not used for blessing; Piel is the standard, intensive bestowal of divine favor. Middle radical ר (quasi-guttural) resists dagesh forte → compensatory lengthening: bēr- (Tsere) instead of expected bir-. | |||||||
| 2 | גִּלָּה | Perfect 3ms | גלה | Gen 35:7 | "God revealed himself to him" | ||
| I — Intensive. Qal גָּלָה = "to uncover / go into exile"; Piel = "to reveal completely, disclose thoroughly." III-ה root: dagesh forte in ל (R-2), ה falls away in perfect 3ms. | |||||||
| 3 | חִזֵּק | Perfect 3ms | חזק | Exo 4:21 | "I will harden his heart" | ||
| F — Factitive. Qal חָזַק = stative "to be strong / hard"; Piel = "to cause to be in that state → harden." Classic Factitive. R-1 ח (guttural) resists dagesh → virtual doubling only; no visible dagesh in ח. | |||||||
| 4 | כִּלָּה | Perfect 3ms | כלה | Gen 2:2 | "God finished his work" | ||
| I or F — both defensible. Qal כָּלָה = stative "to be complete / exhausted"; Piel = "to bring to completion" (Factitive) or "to finish thoroughly, destroy" (Intensive). III-ה root: dagesh forte in ל (R-2), ה drops. | |||||||
| 5 | צִוָּה | Perfect 3ms | צוה | Gen 2:16 | "the LORD commanded the man" | ||
| SA — Simple Action. No common Qal of צוה with the meaning "to command"; Piel is the standard biblical form. III-ה/III-ו root: dagesh forte in ו (R-2 = waw), ה drops in the 3ms perfect. | |||||||
| 6 | בֵּרֲכוּ | Perfect 3cp | ברך | — | "they blessed" | ||
| I — Intensive. Same root as #1 (ברך); 3cp perfect. Note the Hateph Pathach under ר in the 3cp form — ר (quasi-guttural) prefers a composite Shewa over a simple vocal Shewa. | |||||||
| 7 | יְבָרֵךְ | Imperfect 3ms | ברך | Psa 115:12 | "the LORD will bless" | ||
| I — Intensive. Piel imperfect 3ms of ברך; same semantic analysis as #1. The יְ prefix + Qamets under ב (compensatory for missing dagesh in ר) = characteristic Piel imperfect vowel pattern. | |||||||
| 8 | יְצַוֶּה | Imperfect 3ms | צוה | — | "he will command" | ||
| SA — Simple Action. Piel imperfect 3ms of צוה; no Qal for "to command." The III-ה ending partially contracts in the imperfect, producing the form יְצַוֶּה (ה partially preserved with Tsere). | |||||||
| 9 | וַיְבָרֶךְ | Wayyiqtol 3ms | ברך | Gen 1:22 | "God blessed them" | ||
| I — Intensive. Wayyiqtol 3ms of ברך; same semantic function as #1 and #7. Piel wayyiqtol = waw-consecutive + Piel imperfect with pausal-style Seghol on final syllable (וַיְבָרֶךְ). | |||||||
| 10 | וַיְצַו | Wayyiqtol 3ms | צוה | Gen 3:11 | "which I commanded you" | ||
| SA — Simple Action. Wayyiqtol 3ms of צוה; III-ה root drops ה entirely in the wayyiqtol (וַיְצַו — the ה is gone). No Qal for commanding; Piel is always the primary form. | |||||||
| 11 | חִיָּה | Perfect 3ms | חיה | Gen 47:25 | "you have kept us alive" | ||
| F — Factitive. Qal חָיָה = stative "to be alive / to live"; Piel = "to cause to live → preserve, keep alive." Classic Factitive. III-ה root: dagesh forte in י (R-2), ה preserved in 3ms perfect. | |||||||
| 12 | שִׁלֵּם | Perfect 3ms | שׁלם | Exo 22:2 | "he shall make full restitution" | ||
| I or F — both defensible. Qal שָׁלֵם = stative "to be complete / at peace"; Piel = "to pay in full, make restitution." Factitive reading: cause to be whole. Intensive reading: pay thoroughly/completely. Legal context ("full restitution") supports either. | |||||||
| 13 | עִנָּה | Perfect 3ms | ענה | Gen 15:13 | "they will afflict them" | ||
| F — Factitive. Qal עָנָה II = stative "to be bowed down / afflicted / humbled"; Piel = "to cause affliction → afflict, oppress, humble." Classic Factitive. I-guttural (ע) + III-ה root: dagesh in נ (R-2), ה drops. | |||||||
| 14 | כִּנָּה | Perfect 3ms | כנה | Isa 45:4 | "I gave you a title" | ||
| DN — Denominative. From noun כִּנּוּי ("title, honorific epithet"); Piel כִּנָּה = "to give a title / confer an honorific name." No stative or active Qal with this meaning; the verb enacts the noun's concept. III-ה root. | |||||||
| 15 | בִּקֵּשׁ | Perfect 3ms | בקש | Gen 37:15 | "what are you seeking?" | ||
| SA — Simple Action. No common Qal of בקש; "to seek / look for" is the Piel's primary function. Strong root; בִּקֵּשׁ serves as the standard paradigm verb in BBH for illustrating Piel morphology. | |||||||
| 16 | יְבַקֵּשׁ | Imperfect 3ms | בקש | — | "he will seek" | ||
| SA — Simple Action. Piel imperfect 3ms of בקש; same analysis as #15. The יְ prefix + pathach under ב + dagesh in ק = standard Piel imperfect strong pattern. | |||||||
| 17 | גִּלָּה | Perfect 3ms | גלה | Amo 3:7 | "he reveals his secret to his servants" | ||
| I — Intensive. Same root and form as #2 (גלה). Context (Amos 3:7): God intentionally discloses prophetic secrets to his servants — a deliberate, complete act of revelation. Intensive Piel of the Qal "to uncover." | |||||||
| 18 | שִׁנָּה | Perfect 3ms | שׁנה | — | "he changed / altered" | ||
| I — Intensive. Qal שָׁנָה = "to change, repeat, do again"; Piel = "to alter thoroughly, change completely." III-ה root: dagesh forte in נ (R-2), ה drops in 3ms perfect. | |||||||
| 19 | חִזְּקוּ | Perfect 3cp | חזק | — | "they strengthened / encouraged" | ||
| F — Factitive. Same root as #3 (חזק); 3cp perfect. Qal = stative "to be strong"; Piel 3cp = "they caused [others] to be strong → they strengthened / encouraged." Classic Factitive. | |||||||
| 20 | בִּנָּה | Perfect 3ms | בנה | 1 Kgs 6:2 | "Solomon built the house" | ||
| I — Intensive. Qal בָּנָה = "to build"; Piel = "to build thoroughly / construct comprehensively." Building the Temple is the paradigmatic case of intensive construction. III-ה root: dagesh forte in נ (R-2), ה drops. | |||||||
| 21 | מְרַחֶפֶת | Participle fs | רחף | Gen 1:2 | "hovering over the face of the waters" | ||
| It — Iterative. Qal רחף = "to hover/flutter" (occurs only here in the OT). Piel = to flutter repeatedly over a surface — sustained, back-and-forth motion. The Spirit of God hovering over the waters is ongoing, iterative movement. II-Guttural root: ח cannot take dagesh forte → virtual doubling (compensatory lengthening in preceding vowel). | |||||||
| 22 | וַיְהַלֵּךְ | Wayyiqtol 3ms | הלך | 1 Kgs 21:27 | "he walked softly about in mourning" | ||
| It — Iterative. Qal הָלַךְ = "to walk" (a single journey); Piel הִלֵּךְ = "to walk about, to pace" — repeated back-and-forth motion. BBH's own textbook example for Iterative Piel. Ahab pacing in sackcloth after Elijah's rebuke (1 Kgs 21:27) = iterative, ongoing walking. I-He weak root; the ה of the root elides in Piel forms. |