Hiphil Verb Density in the Psalms

Corpus: Hebrew Old Testament (MACULA/WLC) Book: Psalms (150 chapters) Focus: Which chapters are most Hiphil-dense, and which verb roots most commonly appear in the Hiphil

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Contents

1. Overview
2. Chapter Density — Top 30 Psalms
3. Full Density Map — All 150 Psalms
4. Top Verb Roots in the Hiphil
5. Detailed Chapter Table
6. Grammar Note — The Hiphil Stem

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Key Observations

• Psalms contains 582 Hiphil verb tokens across 132 of 150 chapters (18 chapters have none).
• Overall Psalms Hiphil rate: 3.0 per 100 words. 65 chapters exceed this baseline.
• Most Hiphil-dense chapter: Psalm 75 (11.5 per 100 words, 10 tokens in 87 words).
• Top 5 densest chapters: Ps 75 (11.5%), Ps 113 (10.0%), Ps 92 (7.1%), Ps 14 (6.8%), Ps 142 (6.7%).
• Most common Hiphil root: הֹדוֹת ("give thanks") — 38 tokens.
• Top 5 roots: הֹדוֹת "give thanks" (38), שָׁב "turn/repay" (21), הִגִּיד "declare" (20), הוֹשִׁיעַ "save" (16), הִבִּיט "pay attention/look" (15).
• Theologically notable: the Hiphil of הֹדוֹת ("give thanks") is the most frequent root — the very verb behind the תּוֹדָה (todah) thanksgiving genre that dominates Psalms.

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Overview

The Hiphil is Hebrew's causative stem: it turns an intransitive root into a transitive action, or expresses declarative and factitive meanings (see the grammar note at the end of this report). In poetry, the Hiphil is especially common in praise language — "cause to shine," "make great," "declare righteous," "save," "lift up."

This report measures Hiphil density two ways:

• Per 100 words — controls for chapter length; the most useful cross-chapter comparison.
• Per verse — useful for a feel of how Hiphil-saturated the poetry is at the verse level.

The Psalms-wide baseline is 3.0 Hiphil verbs per 100 words (582 tokens / 19,595 total words).

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Chapter Density — Top 30 Psalms

Bars in dark blue exceed twice the Psalms average. The red dashed line marks the Psalms-wide baseline (3.0 per 100 words).

Rank	Psalm	Hiphil tokens	Total words	Per 100 words	Per verse
1	Psalm 75	10	87	11.49	0.91
2	Psalm 113	6	60	10.00	0.67
3	Psalm 92	8	112	7.14	0.50
4	Psalm 14	5	73	6.85	0.62
5	Psalm 142	5	75	6.67	0.62
6	Psalm 53	5	77	6.49	0.71
7	Psalm 78	33	530	6.23	0.45
8	Psalm 106	20	330	6.06	0.42
9	Psalm 94	10	169	5.92	0.43
10	Psalm 81	7	125	5.60	0.41
11	Psalm 136	9	166	5.42	0.35
12	Psalm 98	4	75	5.33	0.40
13	Psalm 30	5	97	5.15	0.38
14	Psalm 33	8	161	4.97	0.36
15	Psalm 17	6	124	4.84	0.38
16	Psalm 101	4	83	4.82	0.44
17	Psalm 107	13	278	4.68	0.30
18	Psalm 100	2	43	4.65	0.33
19	Psalm 132	6	131	4.58	0.32
20	Psalm 32	5	110	4.55	0.42

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Full Density Map — All 150 Psalms

Each cell is one psalm. The number is Hiphil verbs per 100 words. Darker = more Hiphil-dense. "—" = no Hiphil in that psalm.

Psalms with no Hiphil verbs (18): Ps 21, Ps 23, Ps 24, Ps 48, Ps 63, Ps 93, Ps 96, Ps 114, Ps 117, Ps 121, Ps 123, Ps 124, Ps 128, Ps 131, Ps 133, Ps 134, Ps 149, Ps 150.

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Top Verb Roots in the Hiphil

Rank	Root	Gloss	Hiphil tokens
1	הֹדוֹת	give thanks	38
2	שָׁב	turn/repay	21
3	הִגִּיד	declare	20
4	הוֹשִׁיעַ	save	16
5	הִבִּיט	pay attention/look	15
6	נָטָה	incline	15
7	הֵכִין	prepared/establish	14
8	רַע	evil-doers	14
9	אוֹר	make shine	13
10	הִסְתִּיר	hide	13
11	הִכָּה	struck	12
12	הִצִּיל	deliverer/delivered	11
13	הֵרִים	lifts/raised	11
14	שָׂכַל	act/acts	10
15	נָרִיעָה	shout	9
16	יָצָא	brought/bring out	9
17	גָדַל	made/magnified	8
18	יָדַע	make known/made	8
19	יָסַף	repeat/add	8
20	הֶאֱמִין	believed	7
21	זָכַר	bring remembrance/make remembrance	6
22	מָרָה	rebelled	6
23	הִשְׁלִיךְ	throw/us	6
24	רָחַב	made/enlarged	6
25	נָפַל	make fall	5

Notes on the top roots:

• הֹדוֹת (give thanks): The Hiphil of this root is the standard Psalms verb for corporate and individual praise — "I will give thanks to the LORD." Its 38 occurrences top the list by a wide margin.
• שׁוּב (return/restore/repay): The Hiphil expresses causative return — "bring back," "restore," "repay." Its breadth of meaning (petition, justice, deliverance) makes it the second most frequent Hiphil root across Psalms.
• הִגִּיד (declare/proclaim): The Hiphil expresses the act of making something known, particularly God's works and righteousness before the congregation.
• הוֹשִׁיעַ (save): The Hiphil expresses deliverance by God — the root behind יֵשׁוּעַ/יְשׁוּעָה (salvation). Central to the lament and praise genres alike.
• הִבִּיט (look/pay attention): Hiphil "cause to look," often used in petition ("look upon me") or accusation.

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Detailed Chapter Table

All 150 psalms, sorted by chapter number.

Psalm	Hiphil tokens	Total words	Per 100 words	Per verse
1	1	67	1.49	0.17
2	2	92	2.17	0.17
3	3	70	4.29	0.33
4	2	77	2.60	0.22
5	2	111	1.80	0.15
6	3	84	3.57	0.27
7	6	142	4.23	0.33
8	1	77	1.30	0.10
9	2	164	1.22	0.10
10	6	162	3.70	0.33
11	1	68	1.47	0.12
12	2	79	2.53	0.22
13	1	55	1.82	0.14
14	5	73	6.85 ✦	0.62
15	2	55	3.64	0.33
16	1	97	1.03	0.08
17	6	124	4.84	0.38
18	14	397	3.53	0.27
19	5	126	3.97	0.33
20	2	70	2.86	0.20
21	0	104	0.00	0.00
22	8	253	3.16	0.25
23	0	57	0.00	0.00
24	0	89	0.00	0.00
25	4	160	2.50	0.17
26	2	85	2.35	0.15
27	5	149	3.36	0.33
28	1	96	1.04	0.10
29	3	91	3.30	0.25
30	5	97	5.15	0.38
31	5	220	2.27	0.20
32	5	110	4.55	0.42
33	8	161	4.97	0.36
34	3	165	1.82	0.13
35	5	229	2.18	0.17
36	4	100	4.00	0.31
37	8	298	2.68	0.20
38	5	168	2.98	0.22
39	5	129	3.88	0.36
40	2	185	1.08	0.11
41	4	119	3.36	0.29
42	2	132	1.52	0.17
43	1	59	1.69	0.20
44	6	198	3.03	0.22
45	2	160	1.25	0.11
46	3	100	3.00	0.25
47	2	77	2.60	0.20
48	0	111	0.00	0.00
49	4	167	2.40	0.19
50	7	178	3.93	0.29
51	5	153	3.27	0.25
52	1	90	1.11	0.10
53	5	77	6.49 ✦	0.71
54	2	62	3.23	0.25
55	8	192	4.17	0.33
56	2	121	1.65	0.14
57	3	106	2.83	0.25
58	1	100	1.00	0.08
59	1	156	0.64	0.06
60	4	113	3.54	0.31
61	1	68	1.47	0.11
62	1	117	0.85	0.08
63	0	93	0.00	0.00
64	3	82	3.66	0.27
65	4	109	3.67	0.29
66	6	154	3.90	0.29
67	1	53	1.89	0.12
68	9	310	2.90	0.25
69	7	291	2.41	0.19
70	1	47	2.13	0.17
71	7	203	3.45	0.29
72	6	162	3.70	0.29
73	5	193	2.59	0.17
74	7	195	3.59	0.29
75	10	87	11.49 ✦	0.91
76	3	90	3.33	0.23
77	4	154	2.60	0.19
78	33	530	6.23 ✦	0.45
79	4	132	3.03	0.29
80	6	141	4.26	0.30
81	7	125	5.60	0.41
82	2	61	3.28	0.22
83	1	130	0.77	0.05
84	2	116	1.72	0.15
85	2	96	2.08	0.14
86	3	147	2.04	0.17
87	1	54	1.85	0.12
88	6	142	4.23	0.32
89	13	384	3.39	0.25
90	4	140	2.86	0.22
91	2	112	1.79	0.12
92	8	112	7.14 ✦	0.50
93	0	45	0.00	0.00
94	10	169	5.92	0.43
95	3	89	3.37	0.27
96	0	112	0.00	0.00
97	3	95	3.16	0.25
98	4	75	5.33	0.40
99	1	83	1.20	0.11
100	2	43	4.65	0.33
101	4	83	4.82	0.44
102	4	213	1.88	0.14
103	5	167	2.99	0.22
104	7	271	2.58	0.20
105	13	294	4.42	0.29
106	20	330	6.06 ✦	0.42
107	13	278	4.68	0.30
108	2	99	2.02	0.14
109	5	227	2.20	0.16
110	1	65	1.54	0.12
111	2	74	2.70	0.20
112	1	79	1.27	0.10
113	6	60	10.00 ✦	0.67
114	0	52	0.00	0.00
115	1	135	0.74	0.06
116	4	131	3.05	0.21
117	0	17	0.00	0.00
118	4	198	2.02	0.14
119	23	1064	2.16	0.13
120	1	51	1.96	0.12
121	0	56	0.00	0.00
122	1	62	1.61	0.10
123	0	41	0.00	0.00
124	0	57	0.00	0.00
125	1	49	2.04	0.17
126	2	50	4.00	0.29
127	1	60	1.67	0.17
128	0	47	0.00	0.00
129	1	54	1.85	0.11
130	2	54	3.70	0.22
131	0	33	0.00	0.00
132	6	131	4.58	0.32
133	0	40	0.00	0.00
134	0	25	0.00	0.00
135	5	167	2.99	0.24
136	9	166	5.42	0.35
137	1	84	1.19	0.11
138	3	76	3.95	0.33
139	5	177	2.82	0.20
140	2	116	1.72	0.14
141	2	95	2.11	0.18
142	5	75	6.67 ✦	0.62
143	4	117	3.42	0.31
144	3	130	2.31	0.19
145	5	159	3.14	0.23
146	1	85	1.18	0.10
147	6	141	4.26	0.30
148	1	111	0.90	0.07
149	0	64	0.00	0.00
150	0	37	0.00	0.00

✦ = more than twice the Psalms average (3.0 per 100 words)

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Grammar Note — The Hiphil Stem

The Hiphil (הִפְעִיל) is one of the seven main Hebrew verb stems. It is most often causative: it takes an action or state expressed by the Qal and causes it to happen.

Qal	Hiphil	Meaning shift
בּוֹא — to come	הֵבִיא — to bring	cause to come
יָצָא — to go out	הוֹצִיא — to bring out	cause to go out
שָׁמַע — to hear	הִשְׁמִיעַ — to proclaim	cause to hear
גָּדַל — to be great	הִגְדִּיל — to magnify	cause to be great
יָשַׁע — to be saved	הוֹשִׁיעַ — to save	cause to be saved

In Psalms, the Hiphil frequently appears in:

• Praise verbs: הוֹדָה (give thanks), הִגִּיד (declare), הִשְׁמִיעַ (proclaim)
• Petition verbs: הַצִּילָה (deliver!), הוֹשִׁיעָה (save!), הַטֵּה (incline your ear!)
• Narrative of God's acts: הוֹצִיא (brought out), הֵבִיא (brought), הִכָּה (struck down)

The high Hiphil density in psalms of praise and petition — compared with psalms of instruction or lament — reflects this functional pattern: the Hiphil is the verb of agency, and Psalms is full of appeals to God's agency on behalf of his people.

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Report generated by scripts/ot/verbs/build_hiphil_psalms_report.py. Source: MACULA Hebrew (WLC morphology, CC BY 4.0).