Chapter 32 — Piel–Pual Contrast Drill
BBH Chapter 32 · Pual Strong Verbs
Instructions
The Pual is the passive of the Piel, exactly as the Hophal is the passive of the Hiphil. Every Pual form has a corresponding Piel active counterpart. The defining Pual diagnostic: Qibbuts (ֻ) under R1 + Dagesh Forte in R2.
Part A gives you active/passive pairs from the same root. For each form: (1) identify the stem (Piel or Pual), (2) parse fully, (3) translate.
Part B gives you 15 forms from Piel, Pual, Hiphil, and Hophal. For each: identify the stem, then parse.
The answer key is at the bottom.
Stem Reference
| Stem |
R1 vowel (perfect 3ms) |
R2 |
Function |
| Piel |
Hiriq (קִ) or patach (קַ) |
Dagesh Forte |
Active |
| Pual |
Qibbuts (קֻ) |
Dagesh Forte |
Passive of Piel |
| Hiphil |
Hiriq under הִ |
No dagesh in R2 (unless I-nun) |
Active causative |
| Hophal |
Qibbuts/qamets-hateph under הֻ/הָ |
No dagesh in R2 |
Passive of Hiphil |
Part A — Active/Passive Pairs
Pair 1: בָּרַךְ (to bless)
| # |
Form |
Reference |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
| 1 |
תְּבָרֵךְ |
Num 22:6 |
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| 2 |
מְבֹרָךְ |
Num 22:6 |
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Pair 2: קָדַשׁ (to be holy)
| # |
Form |
Reference |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
| 3 |
וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ |
Exo 29:36 |
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| 4 |
יְקֻדַּשׁ |
Exo 29:37 |
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Pair 3: כִּסָּה (to cover)
| # |
Form |
Reference |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
| 5 |
יְכַסֶּה |
Exo 10:5 |
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| 6 |
יְכֻסּוּ |
Gen 7:19 |
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Pair 4: שִׁנַּן (to sharpen / teach diligently)
| # |
Form |
Reference |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
| 7 |
שִׁנַּנְתָּם |
Deu 6:7 |
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| 8 |
שֻׁנָּן |
(expected) |
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Pair 5: יָלַד (to give birth)
| # |
Form |
Reference |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
| 9 |
יּוֹלֶד |
Gen 5:3 |
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| 10 |
יֻלַּד |
Gen 4:18 |
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Part B — Identification Drill (Piel / Pual / Hiphil / Hophal)
| # |
Form |
Reference |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Root |
| 11 |
מְבֹרָךְ |
Num 22:6 |
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| 12 |
תְּבָרֵךְ |
Num 22:6 |
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| 13 |
יֻלַּד |
Gen 4:18 |
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| 14 |
יְכֻלּוּ |
Gen 2:1 |
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| 15 |
יְכַסֶּה |
Exo 10:5 |
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| 16 |
יְכֻסּוּ |
Gen 7:19 |
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| 17 |
יְבָרֵךְ |
Gen 1:22 |
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| 18 |
יֻּגַּד |
Gen 22:20 |
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| 19 |
וַיְקַדֵּשׁ |
Exo 19:14 |
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| 20 |
יְקֻדַּשׁ |
Exo 29:37 |
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| 21 |
שִׁנַּנְתָּם |
Deu 6:7 |
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| 22 |
קֻדַּשׁ |
Exo 29:21 |
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| 23 |
הוּקַם |
Exo 40:17 |
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| 24 |
הִקְדִּישׁ |
Lev 27:14 |
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| 25 |
כֻּסָּה |
Exo 15:5 |
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Answer Key — Part A
Pair 1: בָּרַךְ
| # |
Form |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
Notes |
| 1 |
תְּבָרֵךְ |
Piel |
Imperfect |
2ms |
you bless |
Tsere as Piel stem vowel; active |
| 2 |
מְבֹרָךְ |
Pual |
Participle |
ms |
is blessed |
Qibbuts normally; ר rejects dagesh forte → qamets lengthened compensatorily under ר; Pual passive participle |
Pair 2: קָדַשׁ
| # |
Form |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
Notes |
| 3 |
וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ |
Piel |
Weqatal |
2ms |
and you shall consecrate |
Hiriq + dagesh forte in ד; Piel active weqatal |
| 4 |
יְקֻדַּשׁ |
Pual |
Imperfect |
3ms |
it will be consecrated |
Qibbuts under ק + dagesh forte in ד — classic Pual signature |
Pair 3: כִּסָּה
| # |
Form |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
Notes |
| 5 |
יְכַסֶּה |
Piel |
Imperfect |
3ms |
he will cover |
Patach under כ + dagesh forte in ס; III-he: seghol + ה ending |
| 6 |
יְכֻסּוּ |
Pual |
Imperfect |
3mp |
they were covered |
Qibbuts under כ + dagesh forte in ס; III-he Pual 3mp |
Pair 4: שִׁנַּן
| # |
Form |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
Notes |
| 7 |
שִׁנַּנְתָּם |
Piel |
Perfect |
2ms + 3mp suffix |
you shall teach them diligently |
Hiriq under שׁ + dagesh forte in נ + pronominal suffix |
| 8 |
שֻׁנָּן |
Pual |
Perfect |
3ms |
it has been sharpened |
Qibbuts under שׁ + dagesh forte in נ — Pual passive of Piel שִׁנֵּן |
Pair 5: יָלַד
| # |
Form |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Translation |
Notes |
| 9 |
יּוֹלֶד |
Hiphil |
Wayyiqtol |
3ms |
and he fathered/begat |
הוֹ prefix contracted with wayyiqtol prefix; I-yod Hiphil |
| 10 |
יֻלַּד |
Pual |
Perfect |
3ms |
was born/begotten |
Qibbuts under י + dagesh forte in ל — Pual passive of Piel/Hiphil causative |
Answer Key — Part B
| # |
Form |
Stem |
Conjugation |
PGN |
Root |
Notes |
| 11 |
מְבֹרָךְ |
Pual |
Participle |
ms |
בָּרַךְ |
Pual passive participle; ר rejects dagesh → compensatory lengthening → qamets |
| 12 |
תְּבָרֵךְ |
Piel |
Imperfect |
2ms |
בָּרַךְ |
Tsere stem vowel; ר rejects dagesh → compensatory lengthening; active |
| 13 |
יֻלַּד |
Pual |
Perfect |
3ms |
יָלַד |
Qibbuts under י + dagesh forte in ל; Pual passive |
| 14 |
יְכֻלּוּ |
Pual |
Wayyiqtol |
3mp |
כָּלָה |
Qibbuts under כ + dagesh forte in ל; III-he Pual 3mp ending (וּ); "were finished/completed" |
| 15 |
יְכַסֶּה |
Piel |
Imperfect |
3ms |
כָּסָה |
Patach under כ; Piel III-he seghol + ה ending; active |
| 16 |
יְכֻסּוּ |
Pual |
Imperfect |
3mp |
כָּסָה |
Qibbuts under כ; Pual III-he passive; shureq 3mp ending |
| 17 |
יְבָרֵךְ |
Piel |
Imperfect |
3ms |
בָּרַךְ |
Patach under prefix; tsere stem vowel; ר rejects dagesh; active |
| 18 |
יֻּגַּד |
Hophal |
Imperfect |
3ms |
נָגַד |
Qibbuts under י (Hophal prefix); dagesh forte in the ג (I-nun assimilation in Hophal) — Hophal not Pual: הוּ/הֻ perfect prefix would confirm |
| 19 |
וַיְקַדֵּשׁ |
Piel |
Wayyiqtol |
3ms |
קָדַשׁ |
Patach under ק + dagesh forte in ד; Piel active |
| 20 |
יְקֻדַּשׁ |
Pual |
Imperfect |
3ms |
קָדַשׁ |
Qibbuts under ק + dagesh forte in ד; Pual passive |
| 21 |
שִׁנַּנְתָּם |
Piel |
Perfect |
2ms + obj. sfx |
שָׁנַן |
Hiriq under שׁ + dagesh forte in נ; Piel active + 3mp pronominal suffix |
| 22 |
קֻדַּשׁ |
Pual |
Perfect |
3ms |
קָדַשׁ |
Qibbuts under ק + dagesh forte in ד; Pual passive perfect |
| 23 |
הוּקַם |
Hophal |
Perfect |
3ms |
קוּם |
הוּ Hophal prefix (holem-vav); biconsonantal root; NOT Pual (no dagesh forte in R2) |
| 24 |
הִקְדִּישׁ |
Hiphil |
Perfect |
3ms |
קָדַשׁ |
הִ Hiphil prefix + hiriq-yod medial vowel; active causative |
| 25 |
כֻּסָּה |
Pual |
Perfect |
3ms |
כָּסָה |
Qibbuts under כ + dagesh forte in ס; III-he qamets + ה ending — Pual perfect 3ms |
Discussion Questions
1. What is the one feature that distinguishes a Pual perfect 3ms from a Piel perfect 3ms when you look at R1? List the expected vowel under R1 for each stem and explain what that difference signals.
2. Item 11 (מְבֹרָךְ): the expected Pual marker is qibbuts (ֻ) under R1, but this form has qamets (ָ) under ר. Why? What phonological rule governs this substitution, and which other letters share this behavior?
3. Compare items 18 (יֻּגַּד, Hophal imperfect) and 13 (יֻלַּד, Pual perfect). Both have qibbuts under the first visible consonant. State two structural features that reliably distinguish a Hophal from a Pual when the forms look similar.
4. Item 10 (יֻלַּד, "was born/begotten") appears dozens of times in the genealogies of Genesis. The Niphal of the same root (נוֹלַד) also means "was born." Is there a semantic distinction between Pual יֻלַּד and Niphal נוֹלַד in the OT genealogies? What does the Pual's connection to the Hiphil/Piel causative system suggest about how the text presents lineage?