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1 Hebrew verbs overview So you want to Grok Hebrew verbs Roots Conjugations Forms Supplemental explanation of forms Inflections Strong verb principal parts First yod verbs Hollow verbs Third he verbs First nun verbs Guttural verbs First guttural Class I and U verbs Barth’s Law Middle guttural or resh Third guttural Geminate verbs {PLACE} 2 2 5 7 10 12 16 17 19 21 23 24 24 25 26 27 28 29 2 So you want to grok Hebrew verbs Last edited August 24, 2011 January 13, 2010 Note on transliteration – Because it’s a pain to type many diacriticals in Word (like á ü ò and so on) to indicate a long vowel I just type it twice. Which according to Randall Garr is pretty close to the truth. For example for ō I just type oo. A good place to start is Kittel, 70-73, “The Verb”. 1. Roots Hebrew – like all Semitic languages – is built on two- or three-letter roots. These are two or three letters – consonants – that convey a basic meaning or idea. For example כתבk-t-b “writing”. Hebrew – like all Semitic languages – uses the root to build words by adding (a) vowels (b) prefixes and (c) suffixes. A good example is ילדy-l-d “bring forth, bear”. ֶילֶד male child, boy יַלְ דָּ ה girl תֹּולֵדֹותgenerations מ ֶֹּלדֶ ת kindred יָּלִ יד slave, son born in the household But most importantly Hebrew also adds (a) vowels (b) prefixes and (c) suffixes to build verbs. Sometimes there are also (d) changes to the root itself. There are different kinds of root. There are roots that consistently show all three root letters when they are used to build words like nouns and verbs. These are called strong roots – or more frequently strong verbs when they are used to build verbs. But there are also roots that consistently show only two root letters when they are used to build words like nouns and verbs. And so when these roots are used to build words one of the three root letters is often missing. These are called weak roots – or more frequently weak verbs when they are used to build verbs. If the first root letter is often missing the verb is initial weak. The main class of initial weak verb is 1st י. 3 If the second root letter is often missing the verb is medial weak. If a verb is medial weak the missing root letter is יor ו. Medial weak verbs are also called hollow verbs. If the third root letter is often missing the verb is final weak. The main class of final weak verb is 3rd ה. And yes some verbs can be doubly weak. The main class of double weak verb is 1st י/ 3rd ה. Kittel provides some excellent “tricks” in her textbook – she calls them “missing letter rules” – that help identify the verb when a root letter is missing. Note them. Love them. Memorize them. *Warning! Danger Will Robinson!* One of the biggest headaches in learning Biblical Hebrew is terminology. What words do we use to talk about and learn Biblical Hebrew? There is an older system for talking about roots and verbs that comes from the Hebrew grammarians of the Middle Ages. They chose the verb פעלas a paradigm verb to describe verbs in Biblical Hebrew. And they used the paradigm verb פעלto classify weak verbs. If a verb is 1st יthat corresponds to פin פעלand so 1st יverbs are called פ״יin the older system. If a verb is medial weak or hollow the missing root letter corresponds to עin פעל and so hollow verbs are called ע״וin the older system. If a verb is 3rd הthat corresponds to לin פעלand so 3rd הverbs are called ל״הin the older system. Quick exercise So what would you call the verb נגדaccording to the older system? What would you call ?אכל Trick question. What would you call ?סבב 4 ֹּ2. Conjugations One of the most difficult parts of understanding the Hebrew verb system is getting your head around the concept of conjugations. Take a basic Hebrew root. Modify that root by adding letters (a) to the beginning or (b) middle of the word. There are several patterns for modifying Hebrew roots to create verbs. Each of these modification patterns is called a conjugation. Different conjugations change or convey the basic idea of the root in different ways. Stem = Root + Conjugation. In other words the The best example for illustrating this is the Hebrew verb “ פקדattend to, visit, muster”. Most Hebrew verbs appears in just one or only a few conjugations. פקדis the only verb in Hebrew that appears in all conjugations. The modification patterns are identified in one of two ways. Using (1) an invented name or (2) a descriptive term. Most Hebrew grammars use (1) the invented names that come from the Hebrew grammarians of the Middle Ages. Remember that the medieval Hebrew grammarians loved to use פעלas their paradigm verb and so the names they are invented for the different conjugations are based on different conjugations of the verb פעל. Anyways here is a chart that gives a good overview of the different Hebrew conjugations. Lifted shamelessly from Kittel 71. But organized a little differently. There are four “basic” conjugations in Biblical Hebrew. Conjugation Stem Description 1 2 Qal G Just the simple root ma’am Piel D Double middle root letter Hiphil H הbefore root Niphal N נbefore root 1 2 Meaning Basic Intensive, denominative, privative Causative Passive, reflexive for verbs used basically in Qal From Hebrew קַ לwhich means “light”. From German Grundstamm which means “basic stem”. Example פָּקַ ד פִ קֵ ד הִ פְ קִ יד נִ פְ קַ ד 5 There are a couple others that are variations of two of the basic conjugations. Conjugation Stem Description Pual Dp Double middle root letter and ֻ under 1st root letter Hophal Hp ה+ ֻ ּוor ָּ Meaning Passive of Piel Example פֻקַ ד Passive of Hiphil הָּ פְ קַ ד And finally there are a few that are related to the Piel conjugation Conjugation Stem Description Meaning Example Hitpael HtD Prefix ה+ infixed תReflexive, passive, הִ ְתפַקֵ ד and double middle iterative root letter 3 Polel L Polal Lp There are rare and occur with verbs that have only two strong letters Hitpolel HtL 4 Pilpel R 3 4 From “Long vowel stem”. From “Reduplicated stem”. 6 3. Forms First comes the root. Then comes the conjugation. Now we have forms which is a loose term for different… well… forms of the Hebrew verb which are different ways to express that verb within each conjugation. There are six main forms in Biblical Hebrew. We will stick with our nice strong paradigm verb פקדin the Qal conjugation. Example פָּקַ ד יִ פְ קד פְ קד פֹוקֵ ד פְ קד פָּקד Form Perfect Translation He visited He has visited He had visited He will have visited Imperfect Prefix, yiqtol He will visit He visits, he is visiting He would visit (constantly) He was visiting, he used to visit Imperative Visit! Participle (He is) visiting (Who) visits Infinitive (To) visit Construct (His) visiting Infinitive Absolute Alternative Affix, qatal Visiting Function Completed action Ongoing action Command Action in relation to something else The action itself There are at least two more forms worth listing here. Some scholars and grammars describe these forms as variations of two of the above forms. Some scholars and grammars treat them separately. I recommend treating them separately. 7 Example Form וַיִ פְ קד Wawconsecutive (with imperfect) וְ פָּקַ ד Wawreversive (with perfect) Alternative Wayyiqtol, Wawconversive with imperfect Weqatal, Wawconversive with perfect Translation He visited Function Past tense He will visit Future tense “But wait!” you ask. “How can you tell the difference between וְ פָּקַ דjust simple conjunction with perfect verb ‘and he visited’ and וְ פָּקַ דwaw-reversive with perfect ‘and he will visit’?” Based on form alone you can’t tell the difference. They look exactly the same. You will know from (1) context – does the verse refer to past or future time? (2) keep in mind 95% of the time when you encounter וְ פָּקַ דit is our friend the waw-reversive with perfect aka weqatal and you can translate the verb with the future tense. But the waw-consecutive with imperfect aka wayyiqtol is different. You can always tell the difference between וְ יִ פְ קדsimple conjunction with imperfect and וַיִ פְ קדwaw-consecutive with imperfect aka wayyiqtol. Look for the וַ־rather than simple וְ ־or ּו־. And weak verbs – especially hollow and 3rd – הalong with some conjugations like the Hiphil the simple imperfect is different from the imperfect form attached to the waw-consecutive. 8 Now so far you are hopefully pretty clear on the different forms and how they express the action or state of the verb within that conjugation. Let me add a couple more forms that might confuse you. Example יִ פְ קד Form Jussive אֶ פְ קְ דָּ ה Cohortative Alternative Translation Let him visit May he visit May I visit Let me visit I shall visit Function Desire, command (usually 3rd person) Desire, command (usually 1st person) “But wait!” you might ask. “How can I tell the difference between יִ פְ קדimperfect and יִ פְ קדjussive?” If a strong verb you can’t tell the difference. They look exactly alike. You have to infer the verb is jussive from context. But weak verbs – especially hollow and 3rd – הthe jussive form is often different from the imperfect. 9 Supplemental explanation of forms *Grab a drink and sit down. You’re going to need it.* You probably don’t want to know this but I’m going to tell you anyway. It won’t be on a test but it might help you understand what on earth is going on. And why the “imperfect” form sometimes changes when (1) attached to a waw-consecutive or (2) it is jussive. All(?) languages change and develop over time. And generally over time languages become simpler. Several different forms of a verb or a noun over time become just a few different forms. Case endings drop off and are no longer used. And so on. This is also true in Hebrew. Most Hebraicists recognize that once upon a time the prefix conjugation of ancient Hebrew had two tenses, each with three modes: Preterite Imperfect Energic Indicative Yaqtul Yaqtulu Yaqtulun(n)a Jussive Volitive Energic Injunctive Yaqtul Yaqtula Yaqtulun(n)a Take for example the “imperfect” form ( יִ פְ קדa) simple imperfect (b) attached to a waw-consecutive and (c) when jussive. Those three forms all look the same right? They look the same but historically they are not the same. They look the same but represent three distinct forms in ancient Hebrew. Perhaps a better way to say that is they represent three distinct types of the prefix form in ancient Hebrew. So the “imperfect” form יִ פְ קדattached to a waw-consecutive וַיִ פְ קדlooks is not really an imperfect at all. It is the old Hebrew preterite – “this action happened” – attached to ּ ַו־. And the jussive form יִ פְ קדis not the imperfect being used a different way. It is the old Hebrew jussive. Once upon a time the Hebrew imperfect ended in a short u vowel that dropped off. But the preterite and the jussive did not end in a short vowel. For most strong verbs this fact(?) does not make much of a difference. Imperfects look like jussives look like preterites after the waw-consecutive. But for weak verbs – especially hollow and 3rd – הalong with some conjugations like the Hiphil this fact(?) often makes a big difference. And is why for these verbs the imperfect looks different from the jussive looks different from the preterite after the waw-consecutive. This is not the 10 place to explain exactly why and how the lack of an original final short vowel results in different forms. But do remember that. And the cohortative is not really an imperfect with ־ָּה. It is the old Hebrew volitive. “I want this action to happen!” And the original final short a has been strengthened to –aa(h). So where does that leave us? Example Form Comes from Imperfect יִ פְ קד Imperfect וַיִ פְ קד Preterite יִ פְ קד Wawconsecutive (with imperfect), Wayyiqtol Jussive Original Translation ending -u He will visit He visits, he is visiting He would visit (constantly) He was visiting, he used to visit And he visited - Jussive - Let him visit May he visit אֶ פְ קְ דָּ ה Cohortative Volitive -a May I visit Let me visit I shall visit Function Ongoing action Past tense Desire, command (usually 3rd person) Desire, command (usually 1st person) And yes the energic is still around in Biblical Hebrew. You will see it sometimes. 11 4. Inflections There is no neat term for this. I’ve noticed that Hebrew grammars often find ways not to use any term for this. But by inflection I mean prefixes and/or suffixes added to the verb form to indicate the subject of the verb. And/or sometimes the object. a. Perfect, Imperfect, and Imperative verb forms – along with the wayyiqtol, Jussive, Cohortative forms that are related to the Imperfect5 – take prefixes and/or suffixes to indicate Person, Gender, Number aka PGN. b. Participles are verbal adjectives. They do not indicate Person, Gender, Number. Suffixes are added to indicate Gender, Number, Case. c. Infinitive construct verb forms do not indicate Person, Gender, Number or Gender, Number, Case. They often take pronominal suffixes to indicate the subject or even object of the verb. d. Infinitive absolute verb forms never change. So let us start with verb forms that take prefixes and/or suffixes to indicate Person, Gender, Number. Perfect verbs PGN 3ms 3fs 2ms 2fs 1cs 3mp7 3fp 2mp 5 Prefix/suffix Example Translation פָּקַ דHe visited ־ָּה פָּקְ דָּ הShe visited ־ת ָֹּּ פָּקַ ְד ָֹּּתYou (m) visited ־ת ְֹּ פָּקַ ְד ְֹּתYou (f) visited ־תי ִ פָּקַ ְד ִתיI visited ־ּו פָּקְ דּוThey visited ־ּו פָּקְ דּוThey visited ־תֶ ם פְ קַ ְדתֶ םY’all (m) visited From6 qatala qatalata qatalataa qatalti qataltii qataluu qataluu qataltém Yeah yeah I just finished explaining that the Imperfect, wayyiqtol, Jussive, and Cohortative are all distinct forms. But they are different types of the original Prefix form in ancient Hebrew. They all take the same prefixes and/or suffixes to indicate Person, Gender, Number. 6 Even though I use פקדto give examples I use – קטלtransliterated as qtl – to show historical development. Many Hebrew grammars assume קטלwhen explaining the different forms of Hebrew words. 7 Because the 3mp and 3fp Perfect take the same suffix we could also list this as 3cp. 12 ־תֶ ן ־נּו 2fp 1cp פְ קַ ְדתֶ ןY’all (f) visited פָּקַ ְדנּוWe visited qataltén qatalnuu Note that different inflections have the stress on different syllables. Note that the vowel under the second root letter reduces before a vocalic suffix – a suffix that is or begins with a vowel. These suffixes for the Perfect form apply to all conjugations. Alright. Let’s move on. Imperfect – and other prefixed - verbs PGN 3ms 3fs 2ms 2fs 1cs 3mp8 3fp 2mp 2fp 1cp Prefix/suffix Example Translation י־ יִ פְ קדHe will visit ת־ ִתפְ קדShe will visit ת־ ִתפְ קדYou (m) will visit ת־־ִי ִתפְ קְ ִדיYou (f) will visit א־ אֶ פְ קדI will visit י־־ּו יִ פְ קְ דּוThey will visit ת־־נָּה ִתפְ ק ְדנָּהThey will visit ת־־ּו ִתפְ קְ דּוY’all (m) will visit ת־־נָּה ִתפְ ק ְדנָּהY’all (f) will visit נ־־ּו נִ פְ קְ דּוWe will visit From yaqtulu taqtulu taqtulu taqtulii ‘aqtulu yaqtuluu taqtúlnaa taqtuluu taqtúlnaa naqtulu Note that different inflections have the stress on different syllables. Note especially (a) that the vowel under the second root letter reduces before a vocalic suffix and (b) the stress is on the second root letter’s syllable before a consonantal suffix – a suffix that begins with a consonant. These prefixes/suffixes for the Imperfect – and other prefixed – forms apply to all conjugations. We are making progress! What’s next? Imperative verbs 8 Because the 3mp and 3fp Perfect take the same suffix we could also list this as 3cp. 13 PGN 2ms 2fs 2mp 2fp Prefix/suffix Example Translation פְ קדVisit! (m) ־ִי פִ קְ ִדיVisit! (f) ־ּו פִ קְ דּוY’all (m) visit! ־נָּה פְ ק ְדנָּהY’all (f) visit! From qtulu qtulii qtuluu qtulnaa In a nutshell the imperative form looks like the imperfect form without the verbal prefix. But keep in mind (1) in some cases without the verbal prefix you have two shwas so ( פִּקְ ִדי > פְ קְ ִדי2) in some conjugations without the verbal prefix the conjugation prefix – that otherwise disappears after a verbal prefix – will reappear. You will see what I mean below. Participles Participles are verbal adjectives. Like nouns and adjectives they take suffixes to indicate Gender, Number, and Case. GNC9 msa mpa fsa fpa Suffix ־ִים ־ָּהor ֶ־ת ־ֹות Example פֹוקֵ ד פִ ֹוקְ ִדים פֹוקְ דָּ הor פֹוקֶֹּדֶ ת פֹוקְ דֹות Translation Visiting (ms) Visiting (mp) Visiting (fs) Visiting (fp) From qootilu qootiliim qootilatu qootiloot GNC is not a standard abbreviation for Gender, Number, Case. Don’t use it outside this class or people will wonder what you’re talking about. 9 14 Infinitive Construct The infinitive construct can be described as a verbal noun. It can take a pronominal suffix to indicate the subject or object of the verb. 15 Strong verb overview chart aka “Strong verb principal parts” Last edited September 01 2011 You should know every form on this chart by heart. No fooling. If you memorize this chart you are well on your way to being able to recognize almost any strong verb form. Just add inflections. (I included 1cs Perfect and 3fp/2fp Prefix/Imperfect because in many conjugations verbs with consonantal suffixes show vowel changes. Make note!) Qal פָּקַ ד פָּקַ ְד ִתי יִ פְ קד ִתפְ ק ְדנָּה Piel פִ קֵ ד פִ קַ ְד ִתי יְ פַקֵ ד ְתפַקֵ ְדנָּה Niphal נִ פְ קַ ד נִ פְ קַ ְד ִתי יִ פָּקֵ ד ִתפָּקַ ְדנָּה Hiphil הִ פְ קִ יד הִ פְ קַ ְד ִתי יַפְ קִ יד תַ פְ קֵ ְדנָּה Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C פְ קד פֹוקֵ ד פְ קד פַקֵ ד ְמפַקֵ ד פַקֵ ד הִ פָּקֵ ד נִ פְ קָּ ד הִ פָּקֵ ד הַ פְ קֵ ד מַ פְ קִ יד הַ פְ קִ יד Infinitive A פָּקֹוד פַקֵ דֹּפַקד הִ פָּקֵ דֹּנִ פְ קד הַ פְ קֵ ד Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* 16 1st יverb overview chart aka “1st יverb principal parts” Last edited September 04 2011 Note – there are two types of 1st יverbs in Biblical Hebrew. All but six 1st יfollow the pattern below. They are not “true” 1st יverbs. They were originally 1st וverbs and in most conjugations the original 1st וreappears. If you memorize this chart you are well on your way to being able to recognize almost any 1st יverb form. Just add inflections. (I included 1cs Perfect and 3fp/2fp Prefix/Imperfect because in many conjugations verbs with consonantal suffixes show vowel changes. Make note!) Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C Infinitive A Qal יָּשַ ב Piel* Niphal נֹושַ ב Hiphil הֹושיב ִ יָּשַ בְ ִתי יֵשֵ ב תֵ שַ בְ נָּה יִ הַ לְ ִתי יְ יַבֵ ש נֹושַ בְ ִתי יִ ּוָּשֵ ב ִתּוָּשַ בְ נָּה הֹושַ בְ ִתי יֹושיב ִ תֹושֵ בְ נָּה שֵ ב יֹושֵ ב שֶ בֶ ת יָּשֹוב יַסֵ ד ְמיַהֵ ל יַסֵ ד יַסת הִ ּוָּשֵ ב נֹושָּ ב הִ ּוָּשֵ ב ?הִ ּוָּשֵ ב הֹושֵ ב מֹושיב ִ הֹושיב ִ הֹושֵ ב *Strangely enough there are not many examples of 1st * וPiel verbs. The examples are not all of the same root. But it appears they follow the regular pattern of Piel verb forms. Although note the original 1st וdoes not reappear in Piel prefix forms! This fact may shed light on the development of some stems in Biblical Hebrew. 17 Compare the above principal parts of 1st * > ו1st יverbs to the principal parts of true 1st יverbs below. Qal Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C Infinitive A Piel** יָּטַ ב יָּטַ בְ ִתי יִ יטַ ב ִתיטַ בְ נָּה יְ טַ ב יֹוטֵ ב יְ טב יָּטֹוב יִ שַ ְר ִתי יְ יַשֵ ר ְמיַשֵ ר יַשֵ ר Niphal*** Hiphil יטיב ִ ֵה הֵ יטַ בְ ִתי ֵיטיב ִ י תֵ יטֵ בְ נָּה הֵ יטֵ ב יטיב ִ ֵמ יטיב ִ ֵה הֵ יטֵ ב **Again there are few examples of true 1st יin Piel. But the available examples follow the regular pattern. ***Strangely enough I could find no examples of true 1st יin Niphal. This fact may shed light on the relationship between conjugations and different types of root. 18 Hollow verb overview aka Hollow verb “principal parts” Last edited September 05 2011 Hollow verbs are not – repeat not – really 2nd וor 2nd יverbs. There are true 2nd י and 2nd וverbs in Biblical Hebrew such as היהand קוה. Hollow verbs are basically verbs with two root letters with a vowel - *CvC.10 Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C Infinitive A Qal** קָּ ם קָּ ְמ ִתי יָּקּום תָּ קֹו ְמנָּה קּום קָּ ם קּום Niphal נָּקֹום נְ קּומֹו ִתי יִ קֹום ִתקֹו ְמנָּה הִ קֹום נָּקֹום הִ קֹום Hiphil הֵ קִ ים הֲקִ ימֹו ִתי יָּקִ ים תָּ קֵֹּ ְמנָּה הָּ קֵ ם מֵ קִ ים הָּ קִ ים קֹום הִ קֹום הָּ קֵ ם Polel* קֹומֵ ם קֹומַ ְמ ִתי יְ קֹומֵ ם ְתקֹומֵ ְמנָּה קֹומֵ ם ְמקֹומֵ ם קֹומֵ ם *There is no such thing as a Piel or Hitpael of a hollow verb because there is no middle root letter that can be doubled. Instead there is a Polel conjugation – and a Hitpolel – in which the final root letter is doubled. You do not need to learn these right now. Just be aware that they exist. One of the main unusual things to watch for is the ֹוthat is added before a consonantal suffix in Niphal and Hiphil perfect. Also note the long vowel becomes short – and is then lengthened according to normal short vowel rules – in the Hiphil imperative. **Different hollow verbs have different “thematic” vowels which we see in the perfect and prefixed forms. This can get a little confusing. Perfect 3ms 10 Qal A קָּ ם Qal A בָּ א Qal A שָּ ם Qal I מֵ ת Qal U בֹוש One of my first papers in graduate school suggested that hollow verbs come from CyvC and C vC verbs. There is evidence that some Semitic consonants were once “rounded” consonants like Cy and/or Cw. w 19 Prefixed 3ms יָּקּום יָּבֹוא י ִָּשים יָּמּות יֵבֹוש Yuck. The Qal A hollow verbs are not too bad. But there are some verbs –mainly that describe a state or condition – that follow a different vowel pattern in the Qal. The same thing is true for strong verbs in the Qal. The Qal U hollow verbs are perhaps the most difficult because they can be confused with some Hiphil forms. 20 3rd הverbs overview aka “principal parts” Last edited September 12, 2011 The most important thing to remember and understand about 3 rd הverbs is this. Most 3rd הverbs were originally 3rd יverbs. In many forms if there is a suffix the original 3rd יreappears. Qal Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C Infinitive A ָּגלָּה Piel גִ לָּה Niphal נִ גְ לָּה Hiphil הִ גְ לָּה יתי ִ ִגָּל יתי ִ ִגִ ל יתי ִ נִ גְ ֵל יִ גְ לֶה ִתגְ ֶלינָּה גְ לֵה יְ ַגלֶה ְת ַג ֶלינָּה ַגלֵה גַל ְמ ַגלֶה גַלֹות ַגלֵה יִ ָּגלֶה ִת ָּג ֶלינָּה הִ ָּגלֵה הִ ַגָּל נִ גְ לֶה הִ גָּלֹות נִ גְ ֹלה הִ ָּגלֵה יתי ִ הִ גְ ֵל יתי ִ ִהִ גְ ל ַי ְגלֶה תַ גְ ֶלינָּה הַ גְ לֵה גֹולֶה גְ לֹות גָּלֹוה מַ גְ לֶה הַ גְ לֹות הַ גְ לֵה Hoo boy. Where to start? For the most part 3rd הverbs are pretty regular if you account for the fact that the 3rd הwas originally a 3rd י. Without a suffix the 3rd י disappears and just leaves a הvowel letter. But there are some odd and unexpected forms worth noting. 1) The 3fs perfect ending is ־תָּ ה. So 3ms perfect ָּגלָּהbut 3fs גָּלְ תָּ ה. 1b) The 3cp perfect ending is ־ּו. So 3ms perfect ָּגלָּהbut 3cp גָּלּו. 1c) Similarly Qal participle mpa גֹולִ יםand fsa גֹולָּה. 2) Note the characteristic ־ֹותof the 3rd הinfinitive construct. 21 3) Note the occasional difference between ־ֶהand ־ֵה. Advanced – If there was an original final short vowel then ־ֶהotherwise ־ֵה. This explains the difference between imperfect, jussive, and imperative forms. This also explains the difference between masculine singular absolute and construct participles. 4) Note that sometimes the Piel and Niphal imperatives the final syllable is lost and the result is a shortened form. These are also called apocopated forms. 5) I cannot entirely explain Hiphil 3ms perfect הִ גְ לָּהas opposed to something like *הִ גְ לֶה. Gleason Archer suggests that the Hiphil perfect originally had an a class not i class vowel and developed an i class vowel by analogy with the prefixed pattern. I think his suggestion makes a lot of sense. *higlaya > *higlaa > הִ גְ לָּהhiglaa(h). 6) By the way the Qal passive participle is גָּלּויgaluuy. We have not discussed passive Qal participles much but you need to start recognizing them. Qal passive participle פָּקּודmsa. 22 1st נverbs overview aka “principal parts” Last edited October 6, 2011 Most 1st נverbs are weak. Which is to say the 1st root letter נdisappears in many forms. But it is important to recognize that different kinds of 1 st נbehave differently in the Qal conjugation depending on what thematic vowel they show in the prefixed forms. Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C Infinitive A Wayyiqtol 3ms Qal A Qal U* ָּנגַש ָּנפַל Qal I נָּתַ ן Niphal Hiphal נִ גַש הִ גִ יש Hophal ֻהגַש ָּנ ַג ְש ִתי יִ גַש לתי ִ ָּנ ַפ יִ פל נָּתַ ִתי יִ תֵ ן נִ ַג ְש ִתי יִ ָּנגֵש הִ ג ְַש ִתי יַגִ יש ֻה ַג ְש ִתי יֻגַש ִת ַג ְשנָּה ִתפלְ נָּה ִתתֵ נָּה ִת ָּנ ַג ְשנָּה תַ ֵג ְשנָּה תֻ ַֹּג ְשנָּה גַש נְ פל תֵ ן הִ ָּנגֵש הַ גֵש נגֵש נפֵל נתֵ ן נִ גָּש מַ גִ יש ֻמגָּש ֶגשֶ ת נְ פל תֵ ת הִ ָּנגֵש הַ גִ יש ֻהגַש נָּגוש וַיִ גַש נָּפֹול וַיִ פל נָּתון וַיִ תֵ ן הִ ָּנגֵש וַיִ ָּנגֵש הַ גֵש ַו ַיגֵש ֻהגֵש ַויֻגַש 1. There’s not much to say except that most of the time the 1st root letter נ disappears because after a vowel it assimilates into the second root letter which doubles. 2. And they behave a little like 1st יverbs – in the infinitive C forms (a) the 1st נ disappears and (b) there is a “feminine” ־תending. 3. However נפלis an important exception. The 1st root letter נdoes not disappear (c) in the imperative (d) or in the infinitive C and (e) the infinitive C is a more normal “strong” form without final ־ת. 4. I am unsure about Qal imperfect 3fp/2fp ִת ֵֹּתנָּה. That form/PGN apparently does not appear in BH. My guess is it should be תתֵ נָּה. ִ 23 Can you figure out why the above chart does not include Piel conjugation? 24 Guttural Verbs Principal Parts last edited October 24, 2011 For the most part guttural consonants – ע ח ה אand sometimes – רare not weak. They do not disappear. But (a) they resist simple shwa (b) they resist strong dagesh and (c) they prefer a class vowels. And so verbs with guttural root letters often appear different from normal strong verbs. This handout does not cover first or third אverbs. Unfortunately we cannot use just one simple principal parts chart. We need a different chart for first guttural, middle guttural, and third guttural. And אneeds charts of its own as we shall see. First guttural Qal Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C Infinitive A Wayyiqtol 3ms עָּמַ ד עָּמַֹּ ְד ִתי ַיעֲמד ֶי ֱחזַק תַ עֲמ ְדנָּה תֶ ֱחזַקְ נָּה עֲמד ֲחזַק עֹומֵ ד חָּ זָּק עֲמד עָּמֹוד ַו ַיעֲמד Niphal ֶנעֱמַ ד ֶנעֱמַ ְד ִתי ֵיעָּמֵ ד Hiphil הֶ ע ֱִמיד הֶ עֱמַ ְד ִתי ַיע ֲִמיד Hophal הָּ עֳמַ ד הָּ עֳמַ ְד ִתי ָּיעֳמַ ד תֵ עָּמַ ְדנָּה תַ עֲמֵ ְדנָּה תָּ עֳמַ ְדנָּה הֵ עָּמֵ ד הַ עֲמֵ ד ֶנעֱמָּ ד מַ ע ֲִמיד מָּ עֳמָּ ד הֵ עָּמֵ ד הֵ אָּ סף ַנעֲמֹוד ַו ֵיעָּמֵ ד הַ ע ֲִמיד הַ עֲמֵ ד הָּ עֳמֵ ד ַו ַיעֲמֵ ד As you can see for the most part this is what happens: 1) First guttural resists simple shwa and takes a compound shwa usually patah hatuph. 25 2) In the Niphal first guttural resists strong dagesh so we see compensatory lengthening of the preceding vowel. 3) For the most part because as you can see there are plenty of exceptions. My observation is that when a first guttural would have a shwa it takes a compound shwa that is the same class as the preceding vowel or what the preceding vowel would be.* For example Niphal 3ms perfect נִ פְ קַ ד. Note the i class vowel under the conjugation prefix. And so first guttural ֶנעֱמַ דwith i class compound shwa and i class short vowel under the conjugation prefix. There is no hiriq hatuph which is why we see segol + segol hatuph. Yeah I know. Clear as mud. Compare Qal 3ms imperfect ַיעֲמדand ֶי ֱחזַק. That seems strange compared to יִ פְ קד right? You are about to learn something important about the Qal imperfect. יִ פְ קד actually developed from * יַפְ קֻ דyapqud. Short a frequently becomes short i in closed unaccented syllables. This is called attenuation and happens most often toward the beginning of words. So ַיעֲמדis from * יַעְ מֻדand you can see why there is an a class not i class short vowel + compound shwa. You have recently learned that in addition to Class A verbs like פָּקַ דthere are Class I verbs like כָּבֵ דand Class U like קָּ טן. Class I and Class U verbs are generally verbs that express a state or condition like “be heavy” or “be small”. Class I and Class U verbs do not take the Qal imperfect * יַפְ קֻ דyapqud but rather Qal imperfect *יִ פְ קַ ד yipqad pattern. Got that? Clear as river water. Class A Class I Class U Perfect * פָּקַ דpaqad(a) * כָּבֵ דpaqid(a) * קָּ טןpaqud(a) Imperfect * יִ פְ קדyapqud(u) יִ כְ בַ ד *yipqad(u) יִ קְ טַ ן That Class A verbs take imperfect *yapqud(u) pattern and Class I and U verbs take imperfect *yapqid(u) pattern is called Barth’s Law. *By the way the Niphal forms seem to contradict everything I have just explained. That’s my problem not yours. 4) I assume Hophal 3ms perfect is ho`omad not haa`omad. Remember scholars actually debate whether Naomi(?) ָּנע ֳִמיis naa`omi(y) or no`omi(y). But the whole point of the Hophal and Pual forms is a u class vowel indicates the passive. 26 27 Second Guttural and ר Qal Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C Infinitive A Wayyiqtol 3ms Niphal Piel Pual גָּאַ ל נִ גְ אַ ל גָּאַ לְ ִתי יִ גְ אַ ל נִ גְ אַ לְ ִתי יִ גָּאֵ ל בֵ ַרְך בֵ ֵרְך בֵ ַרכְ ִתי יְ בָּ ֵרְך ִתגְ אַ לְ נָּה גְ אַ ל ִתגָּאַ לְ נָּה הִ גָּאֵ ל ְתבָּ ֵרכְ נָּה בָּ ֵרְך ְתב ַרכְ נָּה גֹואֵ ל גְ אל גָּאֹול נִ גְ אָּ ל הִ גָּאֵ ל הִ גָּאֵ ל נִ גְ אֹול וַיִ גָּאֵ ל ְמבָּ ֵרְך בָּ ֵרְך בָּ ֵרְך ְמב ָּרְך וַיְ בָּ ֵרְך וַיְ ב ַרְך וַיִ גְ אַ ל ב ַרְך ב ַרכְ ִתי יְ ב ַרְך ברְך Notice that instead of Hiphil-Hophal we list Piel-Pual. For the most part what we see is that the second guttural resists strong dagesh and we see compensatory lengthening of the vowel before it. Although no such forms are listed above a second guttural also resists simple shwa and will take a compound shwa of the same class as the vowel before it. We also appear to see the second guttural prefer an a class vowel such as יִ גְ אַ לnot יִ גְ אל. And בֵ ַרְךas well as more expected בֵ ֵרְך. But this is not consistent. As long as you can recognize forms – because you do not have to produce them. 28 Third Guttural Remember that a long i or long u class vowel before a guttural will often take a furtive patah. Perfect 3ms 1cs* Prefix (Imperfect) 3ms 3fp / 2fp* Imperative 2ms Participle msa Infinitive C Infinitive A Wayyiqtol 3ms Qal שָּ לַח Niphal נִ ְשלַח Piel ִשלַח Pual שֻ לַח Hiphil ַֹּ ִהִ ְשל יח Hophal הָּ ְשלַח ה ְֻשלַח הָּ ְשלַחְ ִתי י ְָּשלַח י ְֻשלַח שָּ לַחְ ִתי יִ ְשלַח נִ ְשלַחְ ִתי יִ שָּ לַח ִשלַחְ ִתי יְ שַ לַח שֻ לַחְ ִתי יְ שֻ לַח הִ ְשלַחְ ִתי ַֹּ ִי ְַשל יח ִת ְשלַחְ נָּה ְשלַח ִתשָּ לַחְ נָּה הִ שָּ לַח ְתשַ לַחְ נָּה שַ לַח ְתשֻ לַחְ נָּה תַ ְשלַחְ נָּה הַ ְשלַח תָּ ְשלַחְ נָּה ַֹּ שֹול ֵח נִ ְשלָּח ַֹּ ְמשַ ל ֵח ְמשֻ לָּח ַֹּ ִמַ ְשל יח מָּ ְשלָּח מ ְֻשלַח ֹֹּלח ַ ְש ַֹּ ָּש לֹוח וַיִ ְשלַח הִ שָּ לַח ַֹּ נִ ְש לֹוח וַיִ שָּ לַח שַ לַח ַֹּ שַ ל ֵח וַיְ שַ לַח וַיְ שֻ לַח ֹּיח ַ ִהַ ְשל ַֹּ הַ ְשל ֵח ַוי ְַשלַח ֹּהָּ ְשל ֵַח ַוי ְָּשלַח Well. Not too much to say except the third guttural often takes an a class vowel when we would expect something else. But for some reason there are exceptions. I understand that one exception is true long vowels such as יח ַֹּ ִ הִ ְשלand even then there is a furtive patah. But I don’t quite understand why forms like ֵח ַֹּ שֹולand ֵח ַֹּ משַ ל. ְ There may be a pattern and/or explanation. My guess – without digging further – is it has to do with the position of the stress/accent and/or the form originally ended in a short vowel. Update – Did a little digging. Tsere is often treated like a true long vowel and takes furtive patah. Also sometimes in pause a more original form reappears for example Piel 3ms perfect ִשלַחbut pausal ֵח ַֹּ של. ִ 29 Geminate verbs principal parts Last edited January 16, 2012 We have saved geminate verbs aka ע”עverbs for last. They are perhaps the most difficult category of verbs. Largely because in some conjugations they have more than one pattern. Although we have not reviewed the Polel conjugation yet I include it in the principal parts chart so that later you will already have it. Qal Perfect 3ms תַּ ם סָ בַּ ב 1cs* סַּ ּבֹוֹ֫ ִתי Prefix יִ סֹּ ב (Imperfect) יָסֹּ ב 3ms יִ מַּ ל יֵקַּ ל 3fp / 2fp* ִתסֹֹּ֫בְ נָה ְתסֻּבֹ֫ינָה Imperative סֹּ ב 2ms *סֹֹּּ֫בּו Participle סֹּ בֵ ב msa Infinitive C סֹּ ב Infinitive A סָ בֹוב Wayyiqtol ַּו ָֹ֫יסָ ב Niphal נָסַּ ב נָמֵ ס נְ סַּ ּבֹוֹ֫ ִתי יִ סַּ ב Hiphil הֵ סֵ ב הֵ סַּ ב ה ֲִסּבֹוֹ֫ ִתי יָסֵ ב Hophal הּוסַּ ב Polel סֹובֵ ב הּוסַּ ּבֹוֹ֫ ִתי יּוסַּ ב סּובַּ בְ ִתי יְ סֹובֵ ב ִתסַּ ּבֹ֫ינָה ְתסַּ ּבֹ֫ינָה תּוסַּ ּבֹ֫ינָה ְתסֹובֵֹ֫בְ נָה הִ סַּ ב *הִ סַֹּּ֫בּו נָסָ ב *נְ סַּ ּבִ ים הִ סֵ ב הִ סֹוב הִ מֵ ס הָ סֵ ב *הָ סֵֹּ֫בּו מֵ סֵ ב הָ סֵ ב הָ סֵ ב סֹובֵ ב מּוסָ ב ְמסֹובֵ ב הּוסַּ ב סֹובֵ ב סֹובֵ ב ַּו ָֹ֫יסב Ouch. You can already see how irregular and unpredictable final geminate forms can be! But we can make a few comments and observations: 1) In general if there is a prefix/preformative then one of two things happens. Either the second root letter is doubled. Or the first root letter is doubled – which is not something we would normally expect. 2) In general if there is a consonantal suffix then most conjugations add ֹוbefore the suffix in the perfect form. 30 3) If there is a vocalic suffix then usually the second root letter is doubled. But sometimes both second and third root letters appear and are separated by a shwa. 4) If there is no suffix then usually we see only the second root letter. This is because Hebrew does not tolerate final consonant clusters or geminate consonants. For example the 2ms Qal imperative *subb > *sub > sob סֹּב. But compare 3ms Qal סָ בַּ בin which both second and third root letters are present. 5) You will notice that I included some extra examples in some of the boxes in order to show what happens if there is a vocalic suffix because of PGN/inflection. 6) Strangely enough the only time final geminate verbs are easy to analyze is the Polel conjugation. In the Polel the second and third root letters consistently appear.