Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

John:
When working as a lexicographer, trying to make sense out of the words, I
found it very useful to recognize that the binyanim impart meaning to verbs,
in the same manner as helper verbs and adverbs do to English verbs.

The basic ones are:
Qal, simple active
niphal, simple passive
piel, stative active
pual, stative passive
hiphil, causative
hophal, causative passive (was caused to do)
hitpoel, reflexive

A serious problem when reading an unpointed text, is that the binyan of a
verb is often unrecognizable from the form, just from the context.

On some verbs, there is a sometimes doubling of the final letter, hence
pilel, polal, hitpolel. (piel, pual, hitpoel). Another patter to watch out
for is when a hitpoel is applied to a verb that starts with a sibilant, the
tau follows the sibilant.

But then you came with those really strange binyanim, one used only once
(typo, i.e. copyist error?). Aren't they just irregular verbs? How many of
the others are also typos?

Karl W. Randolph.

On Thu, Feb 5, 2009 at 8:38 PM, Brak <Brak AT neo.rr.com> wrote:

> Jason:
> I am fully aware that not all words appear in all stems. So the
> assumption that I'm wanting to put any root into any stem is false.
> Again, I just want to know what these forms are, and how to handle them
> when I come across them. So if I see a word in stem X, I want to know
> how the stem is dictating the translation. I'm not trying to build words
> - just take them apart.
>
> Lloyd and George
> I want to thank you two VERY much for helping me to understand this
> stuff!!!
>
> So would the following chart be correct:
> Qal: Active, Simple - "Bob broke it"
> Nifal/Qal Passive: Passive Simple - "Bob was broken"
> Piel/Polel/Poel/Palel/Pilpel/Pealal: Active, Intensive - "Bob REALLY
> broke it"
> Pual/Polal/Poal/Pulal: Passive, Intensive - "Bob was REALLY broken"
> Hifil/Tifil: Active, Causative - "Bob caused it to break"
> Hofal/Hotpaal: Passive, Causative - "Bob caused it to be broken"
> Hitpael/Hitpalpel/Hishtafel: Reflexive - "Bob caused himself broken"
>
> Am I right so far?
>
> I have just three items I need clarified:
> Pilel: According to George its a hybrid, according to Lloyd it is the
> same as Piel.
> Polpal: According to George its the same as Piel, according to Lloyd it
> is the same as Pual.
> Nitpael: According to George its "intensive passive (half nifal, half
> piel)". Wouldn't that make it the same as Pual?
>
>
> Thanks again for the help!!!
>
>
> B"H
> John
>
> "He who makes a mistake is still our friend; he who adds to or shortens
> a melody is still our friend; but he who violates a rhythm unawares can
> no longer be our friend."
> -Ishaq Ibn Ibrahim 767-850 CE.
>
> "If you don't behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you
> behave."
> -Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
>
> "The difference between the intelligent man and the simpleton is not the
> correctness of their decisions, but rather the cunning sinner can more
> skillfully defend and justify his iniquity."
> - Rabbi Tovia Singer
>