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b-hebrew - [b-hebrew] Inflexions?

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  • From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • To: "Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Inflexions?
  • Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 17:20:14 -0500

To All:

When I took the introductory class to Biblical Hebrew, I was taught that
there are seven inflexions to Hebrew verbs: Qal, Niphal, Piel, Pual, Hiphil,
Hophal, Hithpael, and that all verbs exhibited these forms.

Is the Piel a true, independent form? Or is it just a different conjugation
of the Qal, in the same way as there are different conjugations in Spanish
for -a and -o verbs?

When reading a pointed Tanakh, I noticed that if a verb is pointed as a Qal,
it almost never has a Piel expression, or if Piel almost never Qal. When
reading an unpointed text, it is usually impossible to recognize any
difference between the two (except in the case of participles and possibly
infinitives which introduce other questions). Hence my question above.

I also can’t tell any difference in meaning between Qal and Piel.

The Pual occures more often, but is that the Qal passive mentioned by George
Athas recently?

Would not a more accurate picture be that there is a Qal conjugated as Qal
and Piel, passive Qal (Pual), Niphal, Hiphil, Hophal, Hithpael? These at
least have definitional distinctions that can be recognized as well as
consonental variations that show up (usually) in an unpointed text?

Let me get behind my shield while you shoot your arrows . . . . ;-)

Karl W. Randolph.
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