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Biblic a\

MILES V. V,tN PELT


G,t RY D. PRATICO
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FOR BOTFI BEGINNING AN.D ADVANCED STUDENTS
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Chafis
Biblica\
Chon, ofnlbllcalHebrewprovides students of biblical Hebrew with a unique study aid.
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textbooks as well. The charts are also an ideal means of review flcrr advarrced srudcnts.

MILES V VAN
PELT (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is assistant
professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in lackson, Mississippi.
He has been teaching Hebrew and Greek for over ten years. He has also taught at Gordon-
Conwell Theological Seminary and at Gordon College.

GARY D. I']RATI CO (ThD, Harvard Diviniry Schoo) is professor of Old Testament and
director of the Hebrew Language Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary He
has been teaching Hebrew for over thirry years.

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Charts
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Also by Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar

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Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew

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Biblical Hebrew Survival Kit


Charts
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Miles V. Va n Pelt
Gary D. Pratico

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Charts of Biblical Hebrew


Copyright e2007 by Miles V. Van Pelt and Gary D. Pralico

Requests for information should be addressed to:


Zondervan. Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Van Pelt, Miles V., 1969-

Charts of Biblical Hebrew /Miles V. Van Pelt, Gary D. Pratico.


p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.


ISBN-ia 0-310-27509-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27509-1

1. Hebrew language—Grammar —Charts, diagrams, etc. 2. Bible. O.T. —Language, style —Charts, diagrams, etc. I. Pra-.ico.
Gary Davis. II. Title.
PJ4571-3.V36 2007
492.482-dc22

2006037558

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0 7 0 8 0 9 1 0 11 1 2 ! 2 3 2 2 2 1 2 0 1 9 1 8 1 7 1 6 1 5 1 4 1 3 1 2 11 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Table of Contents

Preface 10

Alphabet
11
Twenty-Three Consonants
Five Final Forms 12

13
Six Begadkephat Consonants
Vowels

. 1 4
Summary Vowel Chart: Long, Short, Reduced
Summary Vowel Chart: Vowel Letters 15

Syllabification
Two Basic Rules 16

17
Syllable Classification
Noims

18
Inflectional Endings
Patterns of Noun Pluralization: No Change 19

Patterns of Noun Pluralization: Propretonic Reduction 20

21
Patterns of Noun Pluralization: Segholate Nouns
Patterns of Noun Pluralization: Geminate Nouns 22

D e fi n i t e A r t i c l e

Basic Form 23

24
Summary of Possible Spellings
Conjunction Waw
Basic Form 25

. 2 6
Summary of Spellings
Prepositions
27
Three Types
28
Spelling of Inseparable Prepositions
29
Spelling of Inseparable Prepositions with Nouns that Have the Definite Article
30
The Preposition Ip
Adjectives
31
The Inflection of Hebrew Adjectives
. 3 2
The Attributive Use of Adjectives
3 3
The Predicative Use of Adjectives
34
The Substantive Use of Adjectives

3
4 Table of Contents

Pronouns

Independent Personal Pronouns 35

Demonstratives

Paradigm and Notes 36

Interrogatives
The Interrogative Particle 37

P r o n o m i n a l S u f fi x e s o n N o m i n a l s

Masculine Nouns 38

Feminine Nouns 39

Prepositions *7 and 40

Summary Chart: Type 1and Type 2 41

Construct Chain

Introduction 42

Definiteness and Indefiniteness 43

Multiple Construct Nouns 44

Construct Nouns with Attributive Adjectives 45

The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State: Masculine Plural and Dual 46

The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State: Feminine Singular Nouns


47 Ending
The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State: Feminine Plural 48

The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State: Certain Monosyllabic Nouns 49

The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State: Segholate Nouns 50

The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State: Nouns Ending in H 51


I n t r o d u c t i o n t o Ve r b s

Verbal Stems: Meaning 52

Eight Basic Verbal Conjugations . 5 3

Summary: Roots, Stems and Conjugations 54

Qal Perfect: Strong


Strong Verb Paradigm 55

Verbal Roots Ending in n 5 6

Verbal Roots Ending in 3 57

Stative Verbs: Qal Perfect Paradigms 58

Qal Perfect: Weak


I-Guttural, II-Guttural and III-TI/y Verbs 59

III-N Verbs 60

Ill-n Verbs 61

Geminate Verbs 62
Table of Contents 5

Biconsonantal Verbs 63

The Lexical Form of Biconsonantal Verbs 64

Qal Imperfect: Strong


65
Strong Verb Paradigm
66
Diagnostics and Notes
67
Stative Verb Paradigms
Qal Imperfect: Weak
III-N Verbs 68

Ill-n Verbs 69

I-Guttural Verbs 70

I-N Verbs 71

Geminate Verbs 72

Biconsonantal Verbs 73

I-’’ Verbs 74

I-] Verbs 75

Waw Consecutive

76
Basic Form with the Qal Imperfect
7 7
Qal Imperfect Paradigm with Waw Consecutive
Basic Form with the Qal Perfect 78

79
Qal Perfect Paradigm with Waw Consecutive
Qal Imperative
80
Strong Verb Paradigm
81
The Form of the Qal Imperative
82
The "Lengthened" 2ms Imperative
Qal Cohortative
Introduction . 8 3

84
The Ending
Qal Jussive
Introduction 8 5

Short" Forms 86

P r o n o m i n a l S u f fi x e s o n Ve r b s
87
The Spelling of the Qal Perfect with Pronominal Suffixes ..
88
The Spelling of the Qal Imperfect with Pronominal Suffixes
89
Summary of Pronominal Suffixes on the Perfect
90
Summary of Pronominal Suffixes on the Imperfect
6 Table of Contents

Qal Infinitive Construct


Introduction and Basic Form 91

The Spelling of HI-H Infinitive Constructs 92

The Spelling of 1-3 Infinitive Constructs 93

The Spelling of I-^ Infinitive Constructs 94

The Spelling of Biconsonantal Infinitive Constructs . 95

Qal Infinitive Absolute


Introduction and Basic Form 96

m-n Verbs 97

Biconsonantal Verbs 98

Qal Participle
Strong Verb Paradigm for the Qal Active Participle . 99

Diagnostics for the Qal Active Participle 100

Strong Verb Paradigm for the Qal Passive Participle 101

Diagnostics for the Qal Passive Participle 102

Niphal Strong
Perfect 103

Imperfect 104

Imperative 105

Participle 106

Summary of Niphal Strong Verb Diagnostics . 1 0 7

Niphal Weak
Summary of Niphal Diagnostics: Strong and Weak . 108

Piel Strong
Perfect 109

Imperfect 11 0

Imperative 111

Participle 11 2

Summary of Piel Strong Verb Diagnostics 11 3


Piel Weak

Summary of Piel Diagnostics: Strong and Weak 11 4

Pual Strong
Perfect 11 5

Imperfect 11 6

Participle 11 7

Summary of Pual Strong Verb Diagnostics 11 8


Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s 7

Pual Weak

11 9
Summary of Pual Diagnostics: Strong and Weak.....
Hiphil Strong
Perfect 120

121
Imperfect
122
Imperative
123
Participle
124
Summary of Hiphil Strong Verb Diagnostics
Hiphil Weak
125
Summary of Hiphil Diagnostics: Strong and Weak...
Hophal Strong
Perfect 126

127
Imperfect
128
Participle
129
Summary of Hophal Strong Verb Diagnostics
Hophal Weak
130
Summary of Hophal Diagnostics: Strong and Weak..
Hithpael Strong
Perfect 131

132
Imperfect
133
Imperative
134
Participle
135
Summary of Hithpael Strong Verb Diagnostics
Hithpael Weak
136
Summary of Hithpael Diagnostics: Strong and Weak
Summary Verb Charts
137
Qal Strong Verb: Diagnostics and Paradigms
138
Strong Verb Diagnostics: Qal and Derived Stems ...
139
The Participle Prefix in the Derived Stems
140
III-H Verbal Roots: Summary of Endings
Preface

The charts in this book and in the accompanying CD-ROM were developed over the course of
several years in the context of classroom instruction. It may be observed that the production of
these charts stemmed from one author's desire to simplify grammatical presentation as much as
possible and the other author's desire to be as thorough as possible in the presentation of the
basics of biblical Hebrew. Hopefully, these two approaches will have produced atool that will be
helpful for both students and instructors.

For beginning students, these charts will provide clear and condse summaries of important grammar
concepts. Additionally, the use of color in these summaries and in the presentation of paradigms
will emphasize grammar basics and important features of morphology. These charts have also
been designed to assist those who teach Hebrew. They may be printed and used as overheads in
the classroom or they may be imported into electronic presentation applications such as Microsoft's
PowerPoint to assist in classroom lectures and discussion. They may not, of course, be duplicated
and handed out to the students. But please note that those who purchase the book have permission
to print out any charts on the CD-RCDM/or personal use.

The charts in this text, in significant measure, derive from our Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar
(Zondervan, 2001). The corresponding section number in the grammar book is identified in the
lower left comer of each chart (e.g., BBH 1.1; BBH 1.4). Their organization and presentation in this
resource, however, are designed to complement the many beginning Hebrew grammars that a r e

now available. The CD-ROM contains 459 charts arranged, in general, by the grammatical categories
listed in the table of contents for the electronic version. The selection of 130 charts for the printed
edition represents asample of the 459 total charts contained on ihe CD-ROM. The charts that
appear in the printed version are marked in the electronic version with asmall book icon (ffl) at
the bottom center of each chart (e.g., pages 1, 3, and 4in the electronic version of the charts located
on the CD-ROM). The number following the icon indicates the page number for that chart in the
printed book,

Finally, we v^ish to express our gratitude to Zondervan for their support in the publication of this
language resource. Zondervan's visionary commitment to providing educational resources for the
study of biblical languages is commendable. Special thanks are due to Verlyn \^erbrugge. Jack
Kragt, and Jody DeNeef. We also thank Lee Fields, Jonathan Kline, and John Beckman for their
expert assistance with this project.

This text is dedicated to those students who submit themselves to the rigors of studying biblical
Hebrew recognizing the authority, the relevancy, and the sufficiency of Scripture for life and
ministry.

M i l e s V. V a n P e l t
Gary D. Pratico

October 18, 2006

8
Selected Hebrew Charts
«

! r

l
Alphabet
Twenty-Three Consonants
Letter Name Pronunciation Transliteration

K Alef (silent)
n Bet bas in boy b
Gimel gas in God g
1 Dalet das in day d
n H e has in hay h
1 W a w was in way I V

T Zayin zas in Zion 2

n Het ch as in Bach h

0 Te t tas in toy t

Yo d yas in yes y
D Kaf kas in king k
Lamed 1as in lion I
a M e m mas in mother m

2 N u n nas in now n

D Samek sas in sin s

Ayin (silent)
D Pe pas in pastor P
Ts a d e ts as in boots 5

Qof kas in king


Resh ras in run r

Sin sas in sin 5

Shin sh as in ship
n T a w tas in toy t

BBH1.1 11
Alphabet
Five Final Forms

F i v e H e b r e w l e t t e r s h a v e " fi n a l " f o r m s . W h e n o n e o f
these letters occurs at the end of aword, it is written
differently than when it appears at the begirming or in
the middle of aword. The changing of aletter's form
does not change its pronunciation or transliteration.

Regular Final Example Transliteration Translation


Form Form

D drk road, way

□ a y nation, people

1 PT zqn old man, elder

D n noD ksp money, silver

V n x ^rs earth, land

12 BBH1.4
Alphabet
Six Begadkephat Consonants
Six consonants have two possible pronunciations and
are known as begadkephat consonants. To distinguish
between the two pronunciations, adot called Daghesh
Lene is inserted into the consonant. The presence of
Daghesh Lene indicates a"hard" pronunciation and its
absence denotes a"soft" pronunciation.

Begadkephat Pronunciation Transliteration


Letter

bas in boy b
n Va s i n v i n e b

gas in God g
gh as in aghast g

■7 das in day d
1 dh as in the d

3 kas in king k
D ch as in Bach k

5 pas in pastor P
D oh as in alphabet P

r\ tas in toy t

n th as in thin t

BBH1.5 13
Vo w e l s
Summary Vowel Chart: Long, Short, Reduced

a e i 0 u

Long in
T
:n
Qamets Ts e r e Holem

Short 2 2 T

Pathach Seghol Hireq Qamets Qibbuts


Hatuf

Reduced ! ! !

t :

Hateph Hateph Hateph


Pathach Seghol Qamets

14 BBH 2.6
Vo w e l s
Summary Vowel Chart: Vowel Letters

a e i 0 u

With n nn nn/nn
T
! !
n n
Qamets SegholHe/ Holem

H e Ts e r e H e H e

With 1 i n i n
Holem Shureq
W a w

With *’ * ’ n / ^ n ■’ n
Seghol Yod/ Hireq
Ts e r e Yo d Yo d

BBH 2.9 15
Syllabification
Two Basic Rules

1. Every syllable must begin with one consonant and have


only one vowel. The following example has two
syllables, each beginning with aconsonant and. each
having only one vowel.

T T
“D7 da-bar
T T

2. There are only two types of syllables: open and closed.


Open syllables end with avowel and closed syllables
end with aconsonant. In the above example, the
syllable T(da) is open because it ends in avowel and
the syllable "13 (bar) is closed because it ends in a
consonant.

" i m
T T

Closed Open
Syllable Syllable

16 BBH 3.2
Syllabification
Syllable Classification

Syllables may be classified with reference to


the placement of the accent.

tonic pretonic prepretonic

Syllables may also be classified without


reference to the accent.

ultima penultima antepenultima

BBH 3.4 17
Nouns
nflectional Endings

Endings on Masculine and Feminine Nouns

Masculine Feminine

Singular DID horse min a w

Plural horses ninin a w s

Dual D’DID two horses □’’fnin


.- ! -T
two laws

Summary of Noun Endings


Masculine Feminine

Singular endingless n/n /n /n’ /m

Plural D’’ ni
<

Dual □’ fl / D ’ *
! “ T

18 BBH 4.2,4.4
Nouns
Patterns of Noun Pluralization: No Change

Some nouns are pluralized simply with the addition of


the masculine or feminine plural ending. Nouns of this
type may be monosyllabic with an unchangeable long
vowel. They may also be composed of two syllables
with Shewa or Hateph Pathach in the first syllable and
an unchangeable long vowel in the second syllable.

> -
song ! ! songs

niK sign niniK signs

ni‘?n dream niioi^n dreams

ninn street > - m m n n streets

BBH 4.8.1 19
Nouns
Patterns of Noun Pluralization: Propretonic Reduction

Two-syllable nouns accented on the final syllable and


having either Qamets or Tsere in the first or pretonic
syllable experience what is called "propretonic
reduction" with the addition of the plural ending.
With the addition of the plural ending, the Qamets or
Tsere is placed in an open, propretonic syllable. In an
open, propretonic syllable, the Qamets or Tsere will
reduce to Shewa. This is called propretonic reduction.

word words
T T
! T :

23’? heart Di22'7 hearts


T ;

T T
cloud > - □‘’31s;
! T
clouds

courtyard ! ! courtyards

20 BBH 4.8.2
Nouns
Patterns of Noun Pluralization: Segholate Nouns

Two-syllable nouns accented on the first syllable


(penultima) are classified as "Segholate" nouns. They
are called Segholate nouns because they frequently have
two Seghol vowels as in (king). Other vowel
patterns also appear in this class, usually with at least
o n e
Seghol as in “ISO (book), “IpS (morning) and y"lT
(seed). Even though not spelled with aSeghol, the
n o u n s (lord) and 1^5 (young man) a r e also

Segholate nouns because they are accented on the first


syllable. While the vowel pattern of Segholate nouns
will vary in the singular, they will always have the same
vowel pattern in the plural.

■n‘7a king
! ! ! !
2 ^ a’3‘?a
! T ;
kings

IDD book □n D D books


! T :

■ <

life > - l iv e s
T ;
! ! ! !

m n s w o r a m a i n swords
! ! ! !
T - :

BBH 4.8.3 21
Nouns
Patterns of Noun Pluralization: Geminate Nouns

Most Geminate nouns have only two consonants in the


singular as in (people), though originally they had
three consonants. For example, the Hebrew word for
"people" (Dy) was originally spelled D^y. When
Geminate nouns of this type are pluralized, the
consonant that originally appeared twice will now
be written once with Daghesh Forte. The Daghesh
Forte represents the "lost" Geminate consonant.

ai? people D ’ a s ; peoples

? n statute
!
statutes

r n a r r o w > - a r r o w s

22 BBH 4.8.4
Definite Article
Basic Form

In Hebrew, anoun is made definite


by prefixing the definite article, which consists of Hplus
aDaghesh Forte in the first consonant of the noun.

!n‘76 +!n='n’?an

Definite Article

J f

BBH 5.2 23
Definite Article
Summary of Possible Spellings

Basic Form !n : / ( J l

Begadkephat !n rv’nn

Gutturals nT ! T

Gutturals n/n n ‘?D’nn


Gutturals y/n/H
T T T
n
T T V

Initial ’’ or Q n
! T :

24 BBH 5.2-5
Conjunction Waw
Basic Form

Before most consonants,

the conjunction will appear as *

- <

*nin and aservant


! !

and a w o m a n
T

and the w o m a n
T ! T ;

! !
and a m a n

and the m a n
! T :

BBH 5.7.1 25
Conjunction Waw
Summary of Spellings

Basic Form 1
! T :

Before 2/?3/D 1

Before Vocal Shewa 1^ □n D D i


! T :

Before Hateph
A T
Vowels VV1
V- ! T -

Before Monosyllables/ 1
Initial Accent

26 BBH 5.7
Prepositions
Three Types

Independent Prepositions
These prepositions stand alone.

■n'?an ’jd"? before the king


!!!!
! !
«!!
!
!!

ym nnri under the tree


! !
T

Maqqef Prepositions
These prepositions are joined to their objects wi^ Maqqef.

T - V ^
to the temple
from the land
V T T

Inseparable Prepositions
These prepositions are prefixed directly to their objects.

i n a fi e l d
! ! ♦

! ! ! ! like aking

BBH 6.2-4 27
Prepositions
Spelling of Inseparable Prepositions

B e f o r e m o s t c o n s o n a n t s : Vo c a l S h e w a

i n a fi e l d
V T :

for ayoung man

Before Hateph vowels: corresponding short vowel


D‘’tZ;3K3 like m
! T -
e n

!!!!! !!
in truth

Before consonants with Vocal Shewa: Hireq

as prophets

for acovenant

28 BBH 6.4.1-3
Prepositions
Spelling of Inseparable Prepositions
with Nouns that Have the Definite Article

With nouns that have the definite article, the


v o
and Daghesh Forte of the article are
w e

retained but the consonant of the preposition


replaces
the nof the definite article.

t h e fi e l d 5 ^ in the field
V T - V T -

the king ■n’7a3 like the king

!! T
the fire m'D. ! !
in the fire

BBH 6.4.4 29
Prepositions
The Preposition

The preposition ID occurs both as aMaqqef


preposition and as an inseparable preposition.

Maqqef Preposition

■n'7S‘p from aking

Inseparable Preposition
1. ! !
Ti'7aa
assimilated] with Daghesh Forte

2. rr’Sa
assimilated]withDagheshLenebecomingDagheshForte

3.
! !

assimilated] with compensatory lengthening

4.
VT T
n^n;:)
V T T ! !

assimilated] with compensatory lengthening

5. n n a
assimilated] with virtual doubling

30 BBH 6.5
Adjectives
The Inflection of Hebrew Adjectives

Hebrew adjectives are inflected


for gender and number.

Inflected Adjective
Masculine Feminine

Singular m u n m u
T

Plural □' ’ m u nimu

Inflectional Endings
Masculine Feminine

Singular n

Plural a ’ ni

BBH 7.2 31
Adjectives
The Attributive Use of Adjectives

Attributive Use

In the attributive usage, the adjective modifies anoun


and agrees with that noun in gender, number, and
definiteness. In this usage, the adjective follows the
noun that it modifies.

agood man
niisn the good man

nnit3 agood woman


nniisn nmr] the good woman

! ! T good men
□^nitsn T T the good men

m m t ) ! T good women
ninitsn T “ the good women

32 BBH 7.4.1
Adjectives
The Predicative Use of Adjectives

Predicative Use

In the predicative usage, the adjective is used as part of


averbless clause and agrees with its noun in gender and
number, but not in definiteness. The predicative adjective
never takes the definite article. In this usage, the
adjective may either precede or follow the noun.

nit) The man is good.


! T

7]mr] nnin The woman is good.

T T The men are good.


T “ The women are good.

BBH 7.4.2 33
Adjectives
The Substantive Use of Ad ectives

Substantive Use

In the substantive usage, an adjective is used


independently as anoun.

□Dnn the wise one (man)


T T V

n^ltsn the good one (woman)

the great ones (men)

the righteous ones (women)

34 BBH 7.4.3
Pronouns
Independent Personal Pronouns

Singular Plural

1com ■’ : i N I w e

2masc n m you n m you


T “

2fern m you you

3masc Kin he/it nan, nn they

3fern Kin, K'’n she/it nan, in they

Notes

1. The independent personal pronoun is labeled


independent because it stands alone and is not
prefixed or suffixed to another word.
2. Independent personal pronouns are subjective,
meaning they are used as the subject of averb and
never as the object of the verb.
3. Independent personal pronouns may also appear as
the subject of averbless clause. For this reason, they
are sometimes called subject pronouns.

BBH 8.2-3 35
Demonstratives
Paradigm and Notes

Singular Plural

Masc nt this nVX these


Fern DKT this HVK these
Masc Xin that n?3n, on those
Fern X‘’n that nan, those

Notes

1. Demonstratives may be used either as adjectives (this


man, those women) or as pronouns (this is the man,
those are the women).
2. The masculine and feminine singular forms (KW and
K’n) are identical to the third person masculine and
feminine singular independent personal pronouns.
3. The demonstrative (these) is both masculine and
feminine plural. Remember that the designation for
this phenomenon is "common," meaning not inflected
for gender.

36 BBH 8.5-6
Interrogatives
The Interrogative Particle

n
The interrogative particle is prefixed to the first word of
asentence. The first sentence below is astatement. The
second sentence is aquestion because the interrogative
particle has been prefixed to the first word.

N’nariTiK T h e k i n g s e n t t h e p r o p h e t .

^''nanTlN d m t h e k i n g s e n d t h e p r o p h e t ?

The Spelling of the Interrogative Particle


1. nbefore most consonants, as in the above example

2. nbefore gutturals or any consonant with Shewa


3. nbefore gutturals with Qamets

BBH 8.10 37
Pronominal Suffixes on Nominals
Masculine Nouns

Type 1Suffixes Type 2Suffixes


Noun ms Noun mp
Ics my horse ’DID my horses
2ms ^P=1D your horse your horses
2/s ■HDID your horse your horses
3ms 1D1D his horse VD^D his horses
T

3fs HD1D
T
her horse n’oiD her horses
T V

Icp lp=lD our horse irp^D our norses

2mp QDD1D your horse □3 ^ 0 1 0 your horses


2fp DD1D your horse P’DID ! ! your horses
3mp □D ^ D
T
their horse □n ’ D = i D
!! !*
their horses

3fp pID
T
their horse P’DID their horses

Note: When pronominal suffixes are added to masculine


plural nouns, the masculine plural ending (□’’ )is
dropped. In the absence of this ending, amasculine n o u n

is recognizable as aplural only by the spelling of the


Type 2pronominal suffix.

38 BBH 9.4-5
Pronominal Suffixes on Nominals
Feminine Nouns

Type 1Sujfixes Type 2Sujfixes


Nounfs Nounfp

Ics ! T my law my laws


2ms ^ m i n your law
: I T
your laws
2fs your law your laws
3ms imin T
his law vniiin
T
his laws

3/s nmin T T
her law n ’ fl i n i n her laws

Icp ^3n“nn!! T
our law i r fi i i i n
! «
our laws

2mp □Drn_in your law □D ’ n i “ i i n your laws


2fp pmin
!! !— your law your laws

3mp nmin their law DTJnPin their laws

3fp i n n n their law iTninin their laws

Note: When afeminine singular noun ending in H^(as


in nnin) receives apronominal suffix, the His replaced
by n(rvnin becomes n*lin )before the suffix.

BBH 9.6-7 39
Pronominal Suffixes on Nominals
Prepositionsand

Type 1Suffixes Type 2Suffixes


Ics to me on me
“ T

2ms to you ' V T on you

2/s to you * “ T on you


3ms 1^2 to him T T
on him

3/s to her on her


T V T

Icp =i:i’7 to US
.. ^
on us

2mp n : h to you
V T on you

2fp 13^
V T to you D^'7y on you

3mp an^V T
to them □n ’ ^ y on them

3fp '[Tib
V T
to them n’*2y on them

Note; The prepositions ^(to, for), 3(in, on), 33 (with),


and hX (with) all take Type 1suffixes. Prepositions that
take Type 2suffixes include: ’73 (on, upon), ’?X (to, for),
rinp (under), and '’“inx (after).

40 BBH 9.10-11
Pronominal Suffixes on Nominals
Summary Chart: Type 1and Type 2

Type 1 Type 1 Type 2 Translation


Suffixes Alternate Suffixes PossesivejObjective

!)
Ics my/ me
!
5
2ms your/you

2fs your/you

3ms 1 i n his/him

3/s n n her/her

Icp our/us

2mp □D u y your/you

2fp ID '{T your/you

3mp □ n n an*’ their/ them

3fp in in’ their/ them

BBH 9.16.14 41
Construct Chain
Introduction

Hebrew expresses the "of" relationship between two


nouns by what is called the construct chain. This
grammatical (possessive) relationship is created by
placing two or more nouns side by side.

Absolute Noun Construct Noun

/ / / /

the servant of the king

The first of the two nouns in the construct chain is called


the construct noun and is said to be in the construct state.
The second of the two nouns is called the absolute noun
and is said to be in the absolute state. The absolute form
of asingular noun is also its lexical form.

42 BBH 10.2.1
Construct Chain
Definiteness and Indefiniteness

Construct chains are either definite (the ... of the ...) or


indefinite (a ... of a...). The definiteness or indefiniteness
of aconstruct chain is determined by the absolute noun. If
the absolute noun is definite, both nouns in the construct
chain are definite. If the absolute noun is indefinite, both
nouns in the construct chain are indefinite.

D e fi n i t e C o n s t r u c t C h a i n

^'’nan idd
! 7 —

/ / / /

the book of the prophet

I n d e fi n i t e C o n s t r u c t C h a i n

! T
"IDD
/ / f t

abook of aprophet

BBH 10.2.2 43
Construct Chain
Multiple Construct Nouns

Aconstruct chain can have multiple construct nouns but


there can be only one absolute noun. The absolute noun is
always the last noun in the construct chain. Again, the
definiteness of each noun in the construct chain depends
on the definiteness of the one absolute noun.

'n'?an ’ns ! !

the servant of the brother of the king

■n'7an ri’a
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

the servant of the house of the king

niin
VT T
nm
! ! !

the words of the king of the land

44 BBH 10.2.3
Construct Chain
Construct Nouns with Attributive Adjectives

when an attributive adjective modifies either


the construct noun or the absolute noun, it
must follow the entire chain and it must agree
with the noun it modifies in gender, number,
a n d d e fi n i t e n e s s .

! ♦ # !

V T T

the good king of the land

n a i t a n ■n ’ 7 a
T V T T
#! !!

the king of the good land

BBH 10.3.1 45
Construct Chain
The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State:
Masculine Plural and Dual

The masculine plural D’’ and the dual O'] _endings are
replaced by ’’ (Tsere Yod) in the construct state.

D'’n'7X God
! ! !

!
!

!
’ri’7X ! ! !
God of

! T
s o n s !’n sons of

O'TV (two) eyes (two) eyes of


words ! ! !
words of
! T ;

In the last example, both propretonic reduction and Rule


of Shewa are applied to produce the construct plural.

a n a ? » ! ’ ■□ I j .
! T
! ! ! !

46 BBH 10.5.2
Construct Chain
The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State:
Feminine Singular Nouns Ending in

Feminine singular nouns ending in H^change


this ending to Fl _in the construct state.

nmn T
law nnin law of
n3’?a
T :
queen
> - ns*??: queen of

T]W T T
year
> -
year of

BBH 10.5.3 47
Construct Chain
The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State:
Feminine Plural

Feminine plural nouns ending in HI


retain this plural ending.

niD’pan
kingdoms kingdoms of

! !
n a m e s names of

niTto fields
T
fi e l d s o f

n1D "1S blessings > -


mDn3blessings of

In the last example, both propretonic reduction and Rule of


Shewa are applied to produce the construct plural.

T :

48 BBH 10.5.4
Construct Chain
The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State:
Certain Monosyllabic Nouns

Certain singular monosyllabic nouns add Hireq Yod to


their stem in the construct state. Do not confuse lliis Hireq
Yod with the Ics pronominal suffix ('’3X "my father").

DK father father of
T

nK brother brother of

< <

The diphthong _(as in n’3) changes to


Tsere Yod in the construct state.

TV’S house rv’n house of

v v spring 1'’^ spring of

BBH 10.5.5-6 49
Construct Chain
The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State:
Segholate Nouns

The construct spelling of asingular Segholate noun is the


same as its lexical (or absolute) spelling.

king !! !! king of

! !
book IDD book of
! ! ! !

! ^ ! - <

-ipn mormng npn morning of


boy nyi boy of

The plural construct form follows the


pattern of ’’5*?^ (kings of).

* T J
kings ! ! kings of
servants servants of
! T

50 BBH 10.5.7
Construct Chain
The Spelling of Nouns in the Construct State;
Nouns Ending in H ! !

Nouns ending in H(Seghol He) change this ending


to n(Tsere He) in the construct.

r r n i ^ fl e w ! ! ♦
fi e l d o f
V T

nana camp camp of

BBH 10.5.8 51
Introduction to Verbs
Verbal Stems: Meaning
Qal Simple/Active. Qal verbs are primarily active
in voice. The Qal stem exhibits simple action.

Niphal Simple/Passive or Reflexive. The Niphal is


the passive (or reflexive) of the Qal. It is used
to express simple action with either apassive or
reflexive voice.

Piel Intensive/Active. The Piel stem is sometimes


used to express an intensive type of action
with an active voice.

Pual Intensive/Passive. The Pual is the passive of


the Piel. The Pual stem is used to express an
intensive type of action with apassive voice.

Hiphil Causative/Active. The Hiphil stem is used to


express causative action with an active voice.

Hophal Causative/Passive. The Hophal is the passive


of the Hiphil. The Hophal stem is used to
express causative action with apassive voice.

Hithpael Intensive/Reflexive. The Hithpael stem is


used to express an intensive type of action
with areflexive (or passive) voice.

52 BBH 12.7
Introduction to Verbs
Eight Basic Verbal Conjugations

Perfect Completed Action. The Perfect aspect denotes completed


action, whether in the past, present, or future.

Imperfect Incomplete Action. The Imperfect aspect denotes


incomplete action, whether in the past, present, or future.

Imperative 2nd Person Volitional The Imperative is used primarily to


express direct commands, demanding immediate action
from the one being addressed.

C o h o r t a t i v e 1st Person Volitional The Cohortative is used to express a


wish, request, or command. It may also be used to express
purpose (in order to) or result (resulting in).

Jussive 3rd Person Volitional. The Jussive conjugation is also used


to express some type of mild command or strong wish.

I n fi n i t i v e Verbal Noun. Among is several uses, the Infinitive


Construct Construct can function much like an English Infinitive,
usually translated with the preposition "to" plus averb as
in "to study" or "to learn."

I n fi n i t i v e Verbal Noun. The Hebrew Infinitive Absolute has no real


Absolute English counterpart. It may be used in conjunction with
other verbs to emphasize or intensify the verbal action. It
may also be used in the place of an Imperative to express i
command.

Participle Verbal Adjective. Verbally, the Participle expresses some


type of verbal action such as "studying" or "learning."
Adjectivally, it is used much like aHebrew adjective:
attributively, predicatively, or substantively.

BBH 12,11 53
Introduction to Verbs
Summary: Roots, Stems and Conjugations

Root

Qal Stem

Derived Stems

Niphal Piel Pual Hiphil Hophal Hithpael


'?pi7ri
Verbal Conjugations
Perfect

Imperfect
Imperative
Cohortative
Jussive
Inf Construct
Inf Absolute
.Participle ,

54 BBH 12.7-11
Qal Perfect: Strong
Strong Verb Paradigm

Perfect Perfect Tr a n s l a t i o n

Sufformative Paradigm

3ms he killec
" T

3/s n n'^op
T : I T
she killed

2ms n n’76?
T ;
you killed

2/s n you killed


: -T

Ics ’ n : “T
Ikilled

3cp I T
they killed

2mp a n an'7t3? you killed

2fp w in’70? you killed

we killed
Icp : ”T

BBH 13.5 55
Qal Perfect: Strong
Verbal Roots Ending in D

When averbal root ending in Dreceives aPerfect


sufformative beginning with fl, the two identical
consonants become one consonant with Daghesh
Forte (nn 2^ n). Five of the Perfect
sufformatives begin with n.

2ms
T: - T T " T you cut

n m s > - m 3 2fs you cut


“ T — T

“ T
> - ’nis — T
Ics I c u t

a n m s
! !
a m s 2mp you cut

2fp you cut

56 BBH 13.8
Qal Perfect: Strong
Verbal Roots Ending in 1

When averbal root ending in 3receives aPerfect


sufformative beginning with 2, the two identica
consonants become one consonant with Daghesh Forte
(33 >▶ 3). The only sufformative that begins with 3is the
Icp (33). The final 3of averbal root may also assimilate
into sufformatives ending in P(P3P ) .

Icp we dwelt
: - T “ T

’nafia : “ T “ T
Ics Igave

BBH 13.9 57
Qal Perfect: Strong
Stative Verbs; Qal Perfect Paradigms
The differences in the spelling of stative verbs,
compared to the Qal Perfect strong verb,
are indicated in red.

Pathach- Ts e r e - Holern-
Stative Stative Stative

3ms
— T T Pi? 4-

3fs m a s
T : I T T : I T T : I T

! <

2ms n’7'7J
T ; - T T : - T T :

2/s m a s ruD?
! ! * : - T

! <

Ics
— T : - T
’riAD?

3cp n n s M m
: I T : I T I T

Imp an'ATA
!!

! !
! M!

!
D m 2 3 !!!T !
! !! !

2fp !!

! !
! !

!
HM imnD
!
!
! !
!
M !
!
m!! ! !
! !T
m
! c

Icp - T : “ T T

58 BBH 13.10
Qal Perfect: Weak
Ill-n Verbs

III-T] Strong

3ms H33 T T
'707

3/s nri33 n7Dp


T : I T T : [ I T
T

2ms n’b
T ! T T: - T

2fs m !
2
T
n’7Dp
! ! *

Ics
! T

3cp 133 T I T

2mp QrT’33 an'7Dp


! ! !

2fp ^ m 2
! ! in‘7ap
! ! !

Icp m !
2 T
13'7B?: -T

BBH 14.6-7 61
Qal Perfect: Weak
The Lexical Form of Biconsonantal Verbs

Biconsonantal verbs are composed of two consonants.


These verbs are also called "Hollow" or II-'’/1 verbs.

□*? he arose

nti? he set

le entered

The lexical or dictionary form of aBiconsonantal verb is


not the Qal Perfect Sms form. These verbs are listed in
the lexicon under their Infinitive Construct forms with
the vowel letter of their respective classes
(Shureq, Hireq Yod, or Holem Waw).

Qal Perfect Lexical Form


3ms (Infinitive Construct)

□T> □1 7

Kin

64 BBH 14.12-13
Qal Imperfect: Strong
Strong Verb Paradigm

Sujfor- Imperfect Prefer- Translation


mative Paradigm mative

3ms he will kill

3/s Vopn n she will kill

2ms Vopn n ! ! !
you (ms) will kil

2/s
!)
■’'?opn n
!
!
!
!
! ! ! you (fs) will kill

Ics Vo p s s !

!
!

!
!
Iwill kill

3mp 1 =l‘7t3p'’ ! !
they (mp) will kill

3fp na niVupn n
! !
they (fp) will kill

Imp iVupn n !

# !
! ! !
you (mp) will kill

2fp na n3V6?n n
T :
you (fp) will kill

Icp Vo?: 3 we will kill

BBH 15.3 65
Qal Imperfect: Strong
Diagnostics and Notes

The following graphic identifies the preformative and


stem vowel that are diagnostic for most forms of
the Qal Imperfect strong verb.

Qal Imperfect
Strong Verb

1. In the Qal strong verb, all preformative consonants have


Hireq, except the Ics form which has Seghol (VtDpK).
2. The stem vowel is Holem, except in those forms that have
sufformatives that consist of avowel (2fs, 3mp, and 2mp).
In these forms, the Holem stem vowel reduces to Vocal
Shewa.

3. Two sets of forms are identical in the Imperfect paradigm.


In each case, context must suggest the correct
i d e n t i fi c a t i o n .

both 3fs and 2ms ("she will kill" or "you will kill")
both 3fp and 2fp ("they will kill o r
you will kill")

66 BBH 15.4
Qal Imperfect; Strong
Stative Verb Paradigms

— T
*713!! T

Pathach Ts e r e Holem
Stative Stative Stative

Sms ID?’

3/s M B! !
l a a n iD?n
! »

2ms !!! —
Ta a n «*
’D?n

2fs !!!! ! !
'’laDn ! !
’3H7H
!! ! !

Ics ’773iN 733 S !!!


#!
»
t
!!!
!
1D?N

3mp l'?7r 1 7 3 3 ’ !!!


!!
!
! !
!! !

!
!

!
#

3fp n3'775in rm33n


! ! * ! ♦
nafipn
2mp i’?7An i 7 3 3 n
!«!
!!
!
! !
!! i30pn! !

2fp ni‘?7An ru733n


T : - T : -
n33?n
T "

Icp "77^1 7333 10i?3

BBH 15.6 67
Qal Imperfect: Weak
III-S Verbs

f fl - K Strong

3ms
T: ! I ! !

3/s T :

2ms
T :
VDpn
2/s ’'7i3pn ! !

Ics
T ;
! ! Vopx !

!
!

!
!

3mp !

!
!

!
! l‘7Dp’ ! !

3fp T«« !
! !
#
niVopn
T# ! ! ! !

2mp !

#
!

!
! I’rapn !

!
!

«

2fp T
n3V6?n
T :

Icp x s a j
T: !
Vd?^

68 BBH 16.4-5
Qal Imperfect: Weak
m-n Verbs

III-T] Strong

3ms !! !

3/s nann Vapn


2ms n n n Vopn
2/s *’nn ’■^Dpri
!

!
! !

!
!

Ics ! ! ! Vaps !

#
!

!
!

3mp l'7Bp’ ! !

3fp nrbn
T ! !
njVfipn
r :

Imp i'?apn !

!
!

!
!

2fp n r n n
T
#! ! noVopn
T :

lap

BBH 16.6-7 69
Qal Imperfect: Weak
I-Guttural Verbs

l-Guttural TGuttural
Type 1 Type 2 Strong

3ms ‘pm*’ * ! !
! !

3/s pTnn ^!99

9 9
99
ibsn !!! —
!
!
!
!
7bpn

2ms PTnn ^ 9 9 9

9
TOvn Vbpn
2/s *’‘7Tnn nabn ’7bpn ! !
! ! I!
!
!

Ics ^ 9

99
9 9

9
ibsrs Vi3PX !!! !!
!!!
!
!
!
!
!

3mp "’PiD*: 9 9 9
rrai?’ iPa?'’ !

!
!

!
!

! <

3fp njpfnn
T :
999

99
9 9

9
nnavn naVbpp
T : T! ^ !

2mp ^pTnri ! !f
navn i7dpp !

9
!

!
!

! <

2fp n^pfnn
T : ! ! !
n3ia5;n naVapn
T : T :
! !

Icp !?Tn:i 9 9
*7)oy:: Va ? :

70 BBH 16.8-9
Qal Imperfect: Weak
Geminate Verbs

Geminate Alternate Geminate


Type 1 Type 1 Type 2 Strong

3ms ao’ T
3D’ an’ ! —
V d !
? ’
!

3/s n o n T
aon ann V ! —
a !
n n !

2ms a o n T
abn ann V o n n
! <

2fs ’aon T
’aon ! ! !
’ann ’’7D?n
— ! ! !
! !
!

Ics noK T
abs anx V ! !
o n !

!
!
x
!
!

! - <

3mp lao’ T
lao’ laf)’ ! !

3fp nj’aon
T '*,
n r a o n n r b n n n a Va n n
TV**.: T *.* - ; T: : !

! - <

2mp laon T
laDn lann i‘?D?n ! ! !
! !
!

^fp nj’aon
T
n r a o n n r b n n n ^ Vo n n
T « !
!*.
!!
!
!!
Y**"*
.

!
!
m m
!

Icp T
ab: an] V o ? ]

72 BBH 16.12-13
Qal Imperfect: Weak
1-1 Verbs

Type 1 Type 2Doubly Weak Strong

3ms yo’

3fs Van VQT\ 7nan Vtspn ! #

2ms Vsn yDn ! !


VBpn
2/s ■’'7n:n ’'?t3pn ! !

!

!
!

Ics Vss 9 9
s?sx 9 9 ^

!!
!

!
!

!
Vaps !

3mp l'7S’ WD’ l'?n3’ l'7t3p'’ ! !

! c

3fp i
T :
niiyon
r : “
ni’rnin naVapn
T :

2mp i'?9n w o n i’7n:n I'^apn ! !

! <

2fp I
T :
n w o n
T; -
n:'?n3n niVupn
T: —^
- !
T!
!!
!
9
!

Icp VS3 i?03 ’7H33 V l 3 7 3

BBH 16.18-19 75
Waw Consecutive
Basic Form with the Qal Imperfect

Qal Imperfect without Qal Imperfect with


Waw Consecutive Waw Consecutive

he will observe and he observed

n'Dr’ n 3 n

he will remember and he remembered

Imperfect with
Waw Consecutive

76 BBH 17.2
Waw Consecutive
Qal Imperfect Paradigm with Waw Consecutive

3ms and he killed

3/s Vopm and she killed

2ms VDpm and you killed

2/s ’7Dpm ! #
and you killed

Ics Vopxi !
!
!!
!
7
*
and Ikilled

3mp ! !
and they killed

3fp niVapm
! !
and they killed

Imp I'^Dpm ! !
and you killed

2fp njVDpm
T :
and you killed

Icp VCI731 and we killed

BBH 17.2 77
Waw Consecutive
Basic Form with the Qal Perfect

Qal Perfect without Qal Perfect with


Wa w C o n s e c u t i v e Wa w C o n s e c u t i v e

T :

he observed and he will observe

“ T
n o n
" T ;

he remembered and he will remember

Perfect with
Wa w C o n s e c u t i v e

78 BBH 17.5
Waw Consecutive
Qal Perfect Paradigm with Waw Consecutive
In the Perfect, the regular conjunction 1and the Waw
Consecutive are identical in form.

Perfect with Waw Consecutive

3ms and he will kil

3/s n’7Qpi
T: I T :
and she will kill

2ms
T: “ T;
and you will kil

2/s n'^Dpi
! ! * !
and you will kill

Ics ■’ri‘?api and Iwill kill

3cp l’7Dpi : IT
;
and they will kill

2mp an'7t3pi
! ♦ !
and you will kil

2fP in'7Dpi
! ! !
and you will kill

Icp and we will kil


T :

BBH 17.5 79
Qal Imperative
Strong Verb Paradigm

Imperative Sufformative Translation

2ms (you) kill!

2fs (you) kill!

2mp I*?!:? 1 (you) kill!

2fp T :
(you) kill!

80 BBH 18.3
Qal Imperative
The Form of the Qal Imperative

The form of the Qal Imperative is related to the form of


the Qal Imperfect. Remove the preformative (consonant
and vowel) from the four second person Imperfect
forms and the Imperative paradigm remains (Rule of
Shewa applies in the 2fs and 2mp forms).

I m Subtract Imperative
o r m
Preformative Form

2ms Vopn Vopln


2fs # !
'’'7Qp|n! !
> ’‘7DP
2mp i’7Dpn !

!
!

!
! i‘7Dp|n !
! !
! ! >l‘?Dp
2fp T ; T : T :

BBH 18.4.1 81
Qal Imperative
The “Lengthened” 2ms Imperative

Qamets He (H ^) may be added to the 2ms form of the


Imperative (242 times in the Hebrew Bible). It is thought
that the lengthened form of the Imperative is either a
polite or emphatic form of the regular Imperative.

Lexical Regular Lengthened


Form Imperative Imperative Translation

'7D7 - T T : ! t
you (2ms) kill!

T: T
you (2ms) observe!

“ T
ODtz; ntoDti? you (2ms) judge!

~ T T ;
you (2ms) listen!

Note that the vowel in the first syllable of alengthened


Imperative is Qamets Hatuf as in I n s o m e v e r b s ,
this vowel is Hireq as in

82 BBH 18.4.3
Qal Cohortative
The Ending

Approximately 65% of the time, the Cohortative appears


with an H^ending, as in n’ptppN (may Ikill)t eorl ( u s

kill). With the addition of this ending, note that the stem
vowel reduces to Vocal Shewa. It may be helpful to think of
this ending as adiagnostic indicator of the Cohortative.

!T T! ! ! !

May Iobserve your law (Ps 119:44).

mn nmD:i
T

Let us make (cut) acovenant (Gen 26:28).

nrni nD"?!
T : T T ; ! !

Let us go to Dothan (Gen 37:17).

D’a’7is?
T : T T:
mus T T

May Idwell in your tent forever (Ps 61:5 [4]).

84 BBH 18.13
Qal Jussive
“Short" Forms

Approximately 23% of the time, the spelling of the Jussive


3ms or 3fs is a"shortened" form of the Imperfect. These
shortened forms are most common in the 111-11 class of

weak verbs but they also occur in Biconsonantal and


Hiphil verbs.

Perfect Sms Imperfect Sms Jussive (short) Sms

<

nn he built he will build in*’ let him build


I!! !
T T

he made h e W 1 ill make ' et him make


T T

rf7V he went up
T T
he w i l l go up let him g o u p

T T
he (it) w a s n*’rr’ he (it) will be !’rr’ let him (it) be

mn*' ! ! ! !
in

And let him build the house of Yahweh (Ezra 1:3).

!'m'7 n’3-nn’ sin ! !

He will build ahouse for my name (2 Sam 7:13).

86 BBH 18.14
Pronominal Suffixes on Verbs
The Spelling of the Qal Perfect with Pronominal Suffixes

Qal Perfect Qal Perfect


Without Suffixes Before Suffixes

3ms ’70? ’7B? T ;

3/s n’70?T: I T
n'7op
“ T :

2ms n’76p
T : - T
ri'7i3p! !

2fs n‘70p
! ! *
■’ri'70?

Ics ’n'7D7 !’ri’7a7

3cp l'7D? I T
=l’7I3? T :

2mp □n'?op
! ! !

2fp in’7Dp
! ! !

Icp ia'7D? 1l'70?

BBH 19.4 87
Pronominal Suffixes on Verbs
The Spelling of the Qal Imperfect with Pronominal Suffixes

Qal Imperfect Qal Imperfect


without Suffixes before Suffixes

Sms

3fs 7t3pn '?Bpn! !

2ms Vopn '?Dpn« !

2/s ’"7apn
!

!
! !

!
♦ '’’70pn
!

!
! !

!
!

Ics Vopx !

!
!

!
! '7t3pX
! ! !

3mp I’rtsp’ ! !

3fp naVfipn
! !

2mp ’I'jDpn ! !
i'?D7n

2fp n:V6pn
T :

Icp

88 BBH 19.7
Pronominal Suffixes on Verbs
Summary of Pronominal Suffixes
on the Perfect

The following chart presents the most frequently


attested spellings of pronominal suffixes on Perfect
verbs. In this chart, connecting vowels are included and
suffixes are placed in one of two categories; (1) those
attached to Perfect forms ending in aconsonant; and (2)
those attached to Perfect forms ending in avowe .

Suffixes after Suffixes after Objective


Consonant Vowel Translation

Ics m e
! !T ! “

2ms you

2fs you

Sms inVin/vi
T
i/=in him (it)

3fs n / nT T
n her (it)

Icp ^3 u s

2mp Q3 DD you

2fp you

3mp n / a n them
T ~

3fp them

BBH 19.13 89
Pronominal Suffixes on Verbs
Summary of Pronominal Suffixes
on the Imperfect

The following chart presents the most frequently


attested spellings of pronominal suffixes on Imperfect
verbs. In this chart, cormecting vowels are included.

Type 1Suffixes Nun-Suffixes Objective


with Imperfect with Imperfect Translation

Ics ’3 m e

2ms you

2/s you

3ms in ! !
/in 13 him (it)
3/s n/nVn
TTV T
n3
T V
her (it)
Icp ijVi3 13 u s

2mp □ 3 you

2ff you

3mp n / □ them

3fp them

90 BBH 19.14
Qal Infinitive Construct
Introduction and Basic Form

The Hebrew Infinitive Construct is averbal noun. It is not

inflected for person, gender, or number. There is,


therefore, only one form. The vowel pattern for this form
is consistent for all strong verbs and even for most weak
verbs. Note that the basic form of the Qal Infinitive
ConstructisidenticaltotheQalImperative2ms(^t3p).

Qal Infinitive Construct


Strong Verb

BBH 20.1-2 91
Qal Infinitive Construct
The Spelling of III-H Infinitive Constructs

With Ill-n verbs, the Infinitive Construct ends in Jll.


Either Vocal Shewa (or areduced vowel with gutturals)
will appear under the first root consonant.

Ve r b a l Infinitive
Root Construct Translation

T T
n m to build, building

riD3 T T
nlD3 to weep, weeping

T T
n1"7s; to go up, going up

m y T T
ni2S7 to answer, answering

n w v to do, doing
T T

n‘>n T T
n v n ! ! ! to be, being

to see, seeing

92 BBH 20.4
Qal Infinitive Construct
The Spelling of I-^ Infinitive Constructs
With 1-3 verbs, there are two possible forms of the
Infinitive Construct. The first form conforms to the

strong verb pattern. The second form drops the 3in first
root position and adds Hto the end of the verb.

Ve r b a l Infinitive Alternate

Root Construct Form

with 3 with n

yo3 n y o
— T

“ T
n n

— ^
nyt3

m T
i
T
m i n m
! <

m —
i
T
n m

ini n n
— T

BBH 20.5 93
Qal Infinitive Construct
The Spelling of I-*’ Infinitive Constructs

Most I-’’ verbs drop the in first root position and add n
(just like the alternate form of 1-3 verbs).

Ve r b a l Infinitive
Root Construct

< !

T
nnu;
! <

! !
“ T

I*?’ — T
m’?! ! ! !

I “
T T
m i! !

V T — T
n m

T T ! #

*nin — T
riDi

94 BBH 20.6
Qal Infinitive Construct
The Spelling of Biconsonantal Infinitive Constructs

The Infinitive Construct form of the Biconsonantal verb


is the lexical form. Note that the basic form of the

Infinitive Construct and the Imperative 2ms are


identical in this weak verb class.

Ve r b a l Infinitive
Root Construct

Kin Kin
! !

tz^in tz;in

r*7

BBH 20.7 95
Qal Infinitive Absolute
Introduction and Basic Form

The Infinitive Absolute is also averbal noun. Like the


Infinitive Construct, the Infinitive Absolute is not inflected
for person, gender, or number. This form is easy to
identify and varies little with weak verbal roots.

Infinitive Absolute
Strong Verb

1. The Qamets -Holem Waw vowel pattern of the


strong verb also occurs in most weak verb types.

2. The Holem Waw stem vowel may be written


defectively as Holem

3. Unlike the Infinitive Construct, the Infinitive


Absolute does not occur with prepositional prefixes
or pronominal suffixes.

96 BBH 21.2-3
Qal Infinitive Absolute
Ill-n Verbs

With III-H verbs, the Infinitive Absolute may


appear in one of two forms.

Verbal Root Infinitive Absolute

T T
' >■ n’tz;y T
o r w v
T

nnti?T T T
o r
T

m T
i
T
m i
T
o r
T

n*’n > - n*’n T


o r v n T
T T

BBH 21.4.2 97
Qal Infinitive Absolute
Biconsonantal Verbs

With Biconsonantal verbs, the Infinitive Absolute


appears with aHolem Waw (or Holem)
stem vowel in each of the three classes.

Verbal Root Infinitive Absolute

Kin Kin o r Kn

n w

Di?

98 BBH 21.4.3
Qal Participle
Strong Verb Paradigm for the Qal Active Participle

The active Participle inflects like an adjective, with both


gender and number. It is not inflected for person.
The inflectional endings of the Participle
are highlighted in red.

Singular Plural

Masculine '?D'? n’‘?D'7

Feminine n’76? ni'713?

Feminine
T :

BBH 22.2 99
Qal Participle
Diagnostics for the Qal Active Participle

The Holem in the first syllable of all forms is diagnostic


of the Qal active Participle. The Holem-Tsere vowel
pattern is distinctive of the masculine singular
Qal active Participle.

Qal Active Participle


Strong Verb

! !

The diagnostic Holem may also be


w r i t t e n a s H o l e m Wa w.

100 BBH 22.3


Qal Participle
Strong Verb Paradigm for the Qal Passive
Participle

The passive Participle inflects like an adjective, with


both gender and number. It is not inflected for person.
The inflectional endings of the Participle are
highlighted in red.

Singular Plural

Masculine

Feminine niViD?

BBH 22.7 101


Qal Participle
Diagnostics for the Qal Passive Participle

The diagnostic feature of the Qal passive Participle


is the Qamets-Shureq vowel pattern in the
masculine singular.

Qal Passive Participle


Strong Verb

The diagnostic Shureq may be


written defectively as Qibbuts.

’7137T

102 BBH 22.8.1


Niphal Strong
Perfect

Niphal Perfect
Strong Verb

Qal Niphal Tr a n s l a t i o n

3ms ‘?DP '7t)p3 -T “: !


he was killed

3/s n’?Bp n'70p3


T;IT T :;!
she was killed

2ms n‘70p n‘?Dp3


T: -T T :-: !
you were killed

2/s n'?Dp n’^ap]


! ! ! ! ! !
you were killed

Ics ’n‘?6p !’n'?6pi


»T ! !
Iwas killed

3cp I'^Dp l'?Dp3 : IT :: !


they were killed

Imp nn'7i3p an'?Dp:


!!! ! !!
you were killed

2fp in"?Bp in’7t3p3


!!! ! !!
you were killed

Icp >n'7D73 we were killed

BBH 24.4-5 103


Niphal Strong
Imperfect

Niphal Imperfect
Strong Verb

.. T.

Qal Niphal Tr a n s l a t i o n

3ms Vap’' : > D p ’ ;! .. 4- .


le will be killed

3/s Vopn '7Dpn :! .. 4- !


she will be killed

2ms VDpn ’?D?n ! ! you will be killed

2/s ’'7Dpn
!
!
! !
!
!
IT !
you will be killed

Ics Vups V d p s ! ! ! ,
Iwill be killed

3mp !!!
!
*
! ! L
1I T- !
they will be killed

3fp naVfipn n3'?6pn


T : they will be killed

2mp i’7i3pn ’i*?Dpn


::! ; IT !
you will be killed

2fp njVopn nj'^Dppi


T : :! T :“4- ♦ you will be killed

Icp Vt373 ' 7 0 ? : ! !


we will be killed

104 BBH 24.6-7


Niphal Strong
moerative

Niphal Imperative
Strong Verb

! !

Qal Niphal Tr a n s l a t i o n

2ms Vop ’ 7 D p n
♦ !! T!
be killed!

2/s ’Vd? '’’70pn


! ; ! ! ; IT !
be killed!

Imp i'7t37 i'7npn


: ! : IT !
be killed!

2fp be killed!
T: : T :-'t !

BBH 24.8-10 105


Niphal Strong
Particiole

Niphal Participle
Strong Verb

Qal Niphal Tr a n s l a t i o n

m s
being killed

/s nVSp nPS?:
!

!
! !

!
! ! ! being killed

mp □'’Pap a’PD?] ! T being killed

fP niPDp nlPD?3 being killed

106 BBH 24.13-14


Niphal Strong
Summary of Niphal Strong Verb Diagnostics

Perfect Imperfect Imperative Infinitive Infinitive Participle


Construct Absolute

'7Dp3 ' ^ p p n
n^topi ^opn ’'^tDpn
!! 't ! ! :'it !
'^iDpn n'7t3pj
't ! V V:!

n^0p3
T: “ ' : !
'7t3pn i*7t3pn *T!: !

! ! *IT * T
n:i‘70pn
:“T!
ni'7i2p3
T!: !

’n'70p3 *7t}px
! : - :! !! T%!

^‘7ipp3 IT !

V:~:! T :-'t !

*in'7t)p3I'^tipn
I3'70p3 n3'70pn
!! T!

BBH 24.15.3 107


Niphal Weak
Summary of Niphal Diagnostics: Strong and Weak

Perfect Imperfect Imperative Infinitive Infinitive Participle


Construct Absolute

Strong "7i3|>n * 7 i o p ; i

I-Gutt 3Ty3 nTS?n T ! ! !! T


nryn
! ! f . .

niTS/n T ! '

f fl - N xijaiT: ! .. 7 . T ! !! T!

iii-n rm*> nnn nmn nn;i m:


T : ! V T ! T !

T !
n^nn
!! T

JJ 7X3 ' !!
7 T!
2 J
T !
3 !!
n
T! «. ^. T !

7-^ 2\I;^2 n u ; i n
!! T! .. T. !! T!

108 BBH 25.13


Piel Strong
Perfect

Piel Perfect
Strong Verb

! !

Qal Piel Tr a n s l a t i o n

Sms Vis? he slaughtered

3/s nVDi?T: : I Tt
nVtsp T : !
she slaughtered

2ms nV6p
T : - T
nV6p you slaughtered

2fs nVisp
! ! *
nVQp
! !
you slaughtered

Ics ’nVo? ■’nVfi? Islaughtered

3cp iVis? I T
they slaughtered

2mp onVisp
! ! !
□nVisp you slaughtered

2fp inVop
! ! !
inVisp! !
you slaughtered

Icp uVS? uVh? we slaughtered

BBH 26.3-4 109


Piel Strong
Imperfect

Piel Imperfect
Strong Verb

! !

Qal Piel Tr a n s l a t i o n

3ms he will slaughter

3/s Vopn ’7B7D she will slaughter


2ms ! ! '?Bpn you will slaughter

2/s ’’?Dpn ! !
’'TBpn ! 9
you will slaughter
Ics Vops ! !
’?E)pN Iwill slaughter

3mp # !
l'7Bp'’ they will slaughter

3fp naVopn
T9 !
9 !
9 n]’7Bpn
T* ! !! ! !
they will slaughter

2mp i’7Dpn ! !
i'7Bpn ! !
you will slaughter

2fP T : na'?Qpn
! 9
you will slaughter

Icp we will slaughter

110 BBH 26.5-6


Piel Strong
Imoerative

Piel Imperative
Strong Verb

9 9

Piel Piel

Imperfect Imperative Translation

2ms (you) slaughter!

2fs ’7t3pn ! !
(you) slaughter!

2mp I'TQpn # !
(you) slaughter!

2fp n3’7i3?n
T : ! !
n3’7fi?
T :
! ! (you) slaughter!

BBH 26.7-8 111


Piel Strong
ParticiDle

Piel Participle
Strong Verb

Qal Piel Tr a n s l a t i o n

m s 'TBpa slaughtering

/s n’7Dp nPapa
! ♦ ! ! !
slaughtering

mp q’Pd'p □’Papa
! ! !
slaughtering

fP nlPa? niPa?a slaughtering

11 2 B B H 2 6 . 11 - 1 2
Piel Strong
Summary of Piel Strong Verb Diagnostics

Perfect Imperfect Imperative Infinitive Infinitive Participle


Construct Absolute

7
' DP*;
’7t3p '^tSp ^I3p *7l3p;p
n'^tsp ^i3pn
n'^tsp '^tspn
ri'ptsp *>^i3pri n:i'7t37
T : !
ni^ppD
’ri'pgp ’?t3px

□n'^tsp ni^tspn
Vj— * ▼ ? * * ' " ;

ii^§p na^fpri
^t3p3

BBH 26.13.3 11 3
Piel Weak
Summary of Piel Diagnostics: Strong and Weak

Perfect Imperfect Imperative Infinitive Infinitive Participle


Construct Absolute

Strong

f fl - n / y

f fl - X

III-7]
T !

Geminate '?Vn '?Vn

II-Gutt am anr a m am am ama

II-Gutt ■nna
!! T ^-13 7173 -n3a

11 4 BBH 27.12
Pual Strong
Perfect

Pual Perfect
Strong Verb

Piel Pual Tr a n s l a t i o n

Sms ’?Dp le was slaughtered

3/s n’?Bp
T: !
n'7Bp ! ! !
she was slaughtered

2ms n'7Sp n‘70p ! ! !


you were slaughtered

2/s n'rtsp
! !
n’?t3p
# ! * !
you were slaughtered

Ics
! * !
1was slaughtered

3cp l'7Hp !
they were slaughtered

2mp an'7i3p
! !
an'^Eip
!!

! !
! m. * you were slaughtered

2fp 'in’?i3p
! !
in‘7E)p
!!
! !
! A m
you were slaughtered

Icp we were slaughtered

BBH 28.3-4 11 5
Pual Strong
Imperfect

Pual Imperfect
Strong Verb

!
*! !

Piel Pual Translation

3ms ‘7137’ le will be slaughtered

3/s ‘7i3pn 7
‘ 13PD ! !
she will be slaughtered

2ms ‘7i3pn '?i3pn you will be slaughtered

2/s ’‘7i3pn ’‘7Dpn


! !
you will be slaughtered

Ics
?
‘ 13PS 7
‘ 13PK 1will be slaughtered

3mp l'713p’ l‘7Bp’


! !
they will be slaughtered

3fp n3‘7Dpn n3'7i3pn


T« !
!! V!
! T :
they will be slaughtered

Imp i'7t3pn i‘7i3pn


! !
you will be slaughtered

2fp n3‘7S7n n3‘7Hpn


T : ! *9 !
you will be slaughtered

Icp '7I373 '71373 we will be slaughtered

116 BBH 28.5-6


Pual Strong
ParticiDle

Pual Participle
Strong Verb

—P# !

Piel Pual Translation

m s
! ! '70i?a !
being slaughtered

/s !!!! —!
!!!
!!
!
!! !
!!
being slaughtered

mp D’'7t3pn D’^Bpa ! ! ! !
being slaughtered

fP n1'?i3pa ni'jtspa being slaughtered

BBH 28.7-8 117


Pual Strong
Summary of Pual Strong Verb Diagnostics

Perfect Imperfect Participle

T*!. :

n'?t3p ^i3pri n'7t3p^


!9 99 1*^ 9

r\^^p ! T :

ni'7t3pa
!>ri^§p

an'7i3p
!! !Mla^ n]'7i;3pn
T: “ ' ! » . :

^'7i3pri
13^§P T: - !

118 BBH 28.9


Pual Weak
Summary of Pual Diagnostics: Strong and Weak

Perfect Imperfect Participle

Strong T

zn-x T
T T*« !

zzj-n !! !
T ! . : ! !

!
T

II-Gutt □n : □ n r n m a

II-Gutt *nns !nnn*’ *nnnj2 T

BBH 29.10 119


1-1
Hiphil Strong
Imperfect
Hiphil Imperfect
Strong Verb

Qal Hiphil Tr a n s l a t i o n

Sms Vop’ "7’OP’ ! !


he will cause to kill

3/s Vopn ‘?'’Dpn ! !


she will cause to kill

2ms Vapn ’7’Dpn # !


you will cause to kil

2fs ■’'7D?n ’'7’6pn


!!!!
!!
!
!
you will cause to kill
Ics Vd?s 'r’opx Iwill cause to kill

3mp iVo?’ 1'7’Sp'' !


!!
!
!
! ! ! “
they will cause to kill

3fp naVapn n:‘76pn


!! !! !
they will cause to kill

2mp i’?i3pn I'^’fipn


!
!! !
! ! ! !
you will cause to kill

2fp n^Vfipn ni’^Dpn


T :
you will cause to kil

Icp Va ? 3 V ’ a ? ! we will cause to kill

BBH 30.5-6 121


Hiphil Strong
Imperative

Hiphil Imperative
Strong Verb

Qal Hiphil Tr a n s l a t i o n

2ms ViDp ':'Dpn


! !
cause to kill!

2fs '’’7DP !’'7’Spn


! !
cause to kill!

2mp i'?Qp i*?'>6pn


!
!
!
!
! ! H
cause to kill!

2fp niVfi? n]'76?n


T : T ;
! !
cause to kill!

122 BBH 30.7-8


Hiphil Strong
Particiole

Hiphil Participle
Strong Verb

Qal Hiphil Tr a n s l a t i o n

m s ’7D'P P’Dpa causing to kill

/s nP6p nP6pn
♦ ! ! ! !
causing to kil

mp D’pDp a’P’upa
! !
causing to kill

fP nipQ? niP'’t3?n causing to kit

BBH 30.13-14 123


Hophal Strong
Participle

Hophal Participle
Strong Verb

o r
T T ; T

Hophal Hophal
u-class o-class

m s
’7Dpa ’ ? D p a
T: T :T

n’70pa n ' 7 6 ? a
!!!! I!
! !T

mp a’‘7t)pa a ’ ' 7 t 3 p n
!T: ! T: T

fP n1’?D?a n i ' ? D ? a
T T : T

BBH 32.7-8 128


Hophal Weak
Summary of Hophal Diagnostics: Strong and Weak

Perfect Imperfect Participle

Strong (u) “ : ’7t)pa


T :

Strong (o) : T
‘713?'’ : r r : T

I-Gutt
-t; T -t: T T T: T

III-T] n‘73H T ; T
n‘73’’
! ! *
n‘73a ! ! *

1-2 ‘7S'’ ‘7sa T

p n\i;v

B/con □* ? i n

Geminate noin n o r

BBH 33.14 130


Hithpael Strong
Perfect

Hithpael Perfect
Strong Verb

'7tD?nn
Qal Hithpael Translation

3ms bm ’7iD?nn

4
!! V

!
! !
he killed himself

3/s T: IT T:
n'7iD?nn she killed herself
!

2ms
tj-t t : -
n^tDjpnnyouklUedyourself
* - ; *

2/s ri‘7Dp n'papnn youkilledyourself


J J “ T ! ! !

Ics ’n’?6? ■>n‘7H?nn killed


!
I myself * ! !

3cp I T ! !
they killed themselves

2mp □n'?o? Dn'?t3pnn


!!
!
!
!
B
!
!
!
!!
!
!
!
!> you killed yourselves
*— ! !

2fp in'70p in'7i3pnn


! ! ! ! ! !
you killed yourselves

Icp ^n’76? i3’7i3?nn we killed ourselves

131 BBH 34.3-4


Hithpael Strong
mperfect

Hithpael Imperfect
Strong Verb

Qal Hithpael Translation

3ms Vop’ '7Bpn'’


! !
he will kill himself

3fs VDpn ! !
she will kill herself

2ms Voprt 'TQpnn


! !
you will kill yourself

2/s ’‘?Dpri ’*7tDpnri you


will
kill
yourself
Ics Vops !

!
! Iwill kill myself
!
! ! « ! «

3mp iVop’ !
!
TOpri’ they will kill themse
i !
!
! i v e s

3fp n3V6pnn:'7Hpnntheywillkillthemselves
! ! ! ! ! !

Imp i’?Dpn I'jiapnri you will


kill
yourselves
2fp njVfipn ni’pfippri you
T : will
kill
yourselves
Icp Vd?: ! !
we will kill ourselves

BBH 34.5-6 132


Hithpael Strong
mperative

Hithpael Imperative
Strong Verb

*7tD?nn

Qal Hithpael Translation

2ms
!
^tD*7nn kill yourself!

2/s '’'7to*? *’^tD*7nn kill yourself!


! ! !

2mp ! ! !
1^tD*7nnkillyourselves!
^fP T :
n3^tD*7linkinyourselves!

133 BBH 34.7-9


Hithpael Strong
Participle

Hithpael Participle
Strong Verb

! !

Qal Hithpael

m s
'7D'P pDpna
fs nP6p nPapna
!!!!
!!
!
!
! ! ! — !
!!
!

mp a’^op n’Papna
* ! !

fP nlPoP niPD?na

BBH 34.10-11 134


Summary Verb Charts
The Participle Prefix in the Derived Stems

Stem Prefix Example

Niphal

Piel a

Pua a '7\27'a
T :

Hiphil a

Hophal (u-class) 72

(o-class) 72 “^apa
T: T

Hithpael n)2 '?a?na

139 BBH 23-35


Summary Verb Charts
lll-n Verbal Roots: Summary of Endings

Ending Qal Example

Perfect n n n
T T

Imperfect n

Imperative 2ms n r m

Inf Construct n m

Participle ms n nl3

BBH 14-35 140

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