Biblical Hebrew

by Chris Heard

Getting to Know הפעל Verbs

Table of Contents

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AbbreviationsGetting ReadyUsing הפעל VerbsThe Basic PatternsRecognizing הפעל VerbsCredits

Abbreviations

1, 2, 3 indicate grammatical personm, f, c indicate grammatical genders, p indicate grammatical numberR1, R2, R3 indicate root letters

3

Getting Ready

Before we start getting to know the הפעל בנין, let’s run a few preflight checks.

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Do you remember how a Hebrew verb changes to form the various combinations of person, gender, and number, as well as perfect and imperfect?

5

Do you know your Masoretic vowels well enough to distinguish between the three classes (a, i, and u)?

6

If you answered “yes,” you’re ready for the הפעל בנין!

7

Remember that certain patterns can create predictable variations. This slideshow focuses on core patterns. It does not illustrate every possible variation.

8

Furthermore, this slideshow is intended to supplement, not replace, classroom instruction and practice.

9

Using הפעל Verbs

The הפעל is a fairly infrequent used fewer than 400 times ,בניןin the תנ״ך.

10

You can think of the הפעל as the passive version of the הפעיל. In other words, the subject of a הפעל verb receives the verb’s action.

11

For example, you might say the LORD“ *”,ײ הכין כסאו“established his throne,” using the הפעיל of כון.

12* Slightly modified from Psalm 103:19.

Alternately, you could say a throne“ *”,הוכן כסא“was established,” using the הפעל of כון.

13* Slightly modified from Isaiah 16:5.

If you know how a שרש is used in the הפעיל, you can usually reason to how it is used in the הפעל.

14

The most reliable approach, though, is to learn how each specific .הפעל is used in the שרש

15

The Basic Patterns

Memorize the following basic patterns first, and then we’ll go through the specifics.

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Note that the prefix’s vowel is a קמץ–הטוף, not קמץ.Thus the first example above is hoshlak, not hashlak.

It was thrown (3ms perfect)It will be thrown (3ms impf.)Being thrown (ms participle)

השלךישלךמשלך

Pattern 1   

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It was thrown (3ms perfect)It will be thrown (3ms impf.)Being thrown (ms participle)

השלךישלךמשלך

Pattern 2   

That list of basic patterns omitted the imperative and infinitives because they appear extremely rarely in the תנ״ך.

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Recognizing הפעל Verbs

The most distinctive featureof the הפעל is the u-class vowel (either קמץ–חטוף or קבוץ) associated with its prefix.

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No other בנין features a prefixed u-class vowel (though the פעל does normally give R1 a u-class vowel).

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Recognizing the הפעל Perfect

In the perfect, the הפעל has a - - or ה .prefix ה

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שלכ

פקדה

ה

שלכה

טבעה

תי

The prefixed ה with a u-class vowel indicates a הפעל.

The suffix indicates a perfect.

ו

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  ה

Recognizing the הפעל Imperfect

In the imperfect, the הפעל has the usual imperfect prefix with a קמץ–חטוף or .as the prefix’s vowel קבוץ

24

קטר

חרםי

ת

עמד

שלכי

The u-class vowel indicates a הפעל.

The affixes indicate an imperfect.

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ו  

 י

Recognizing the הפעל Participle

The ms הפעל participle looks like the 3ms perfect, but with a prefixed – – or מ :and a lengthened R2 vowel מ

שלך

מ

3ms perfect

ms participle26

 

 שלך

ה

The mp and fp participles take the familiar plural endings ים and ות .

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–– 

שלכ

The fs participle is a little bit different from the others. Its R2 has a סגול and it takes the suffix ת  as follows:

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– 

 

ms participle

fs participle ת

 שלךמ

מ

Notable Variations in the הפעל

This slideshow focuses on core patterns. It does not try to illustrate every possible variation. However, some variations are so common they deserve special attention here.

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Two important changes occur in verbs where:

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* Called biconsonantal or “hollow” verbs.** Called geminate (from Gemini) verbs.

• R1 is י• R2 is ו or י*• R2 = R3**

First, the prefix’s vowel, usually – or –,  changes to ו instead. Note that this is still a u-class vowel.

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Second, R2 undergoes aphaeresis (disappears).

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3ms perfect3ms imperfectms participle

שבקםיו

מוסב

   

ישבהוקוםסבב

שרשהפעל

Summary

3ms perfect3ms imperfectms participle

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שלך Look for a u-class vowel in the prefixes of all forms.

שלךימשלך

   

ה

CreditsDead Sea photo by Wikimedia Commons contributor Xta11. Used under a CC-SA license.

All other content by Dr. Chris Heard, Associate Professor of Religion, Pepperdine University. Released under a CC-BY license.

Grammatical terminology used in this presentation follows J. Cook and R. Holmstedt, Beginning Biblical Hebrew (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013).