Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Kenneth:

On Jan 8, 2008 7:24 PM, kenneth greifer <greifer AT hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> … I am confused about hiphil verbs sometimes meaning "to cause to do
> something", and sometimes not meaning "to cause to do something", and what
> happens when you actually want to say "to cause to do something" and the
> hiphil form of the verb doesn't mean that.
>
> Kenneth Greifer


Here's where one comes across a place where Hebrew and English do not have a
one to one correspondence: the Hebrew uses a causative verb, but the English
rendered by lexicographers usually carries a causative meaning of a
different word.

An example is SWR "to leave" which in the Hiphil is rendered "to remove".
But removing is the causative of leaving, Another example is "hiding" H(LYM
is the causative of "being unknown".

What to do when the Hiphil is given a meaning that is already causative?
Consider that the wrong verb is being used, and look for a different verb
that carries the Qal meaning that has the meaning that you want to express,
then use the Hiphil of that verb.

Or you may be trying to express an idea where Biblical Hebrew did not have
surviving lexemes to express, and so you need to use more than one word to
express it.

Karl W. Randolph.