BBA Chapter 18 — The Peil, Hithpeel, and Ithpeel Stems

Basics of Biblical Aramaic, Van Pelt
Chapter 18: The Peil, Hithpeel, and Ithpeel Stems

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1. Introduction — Passive and Reflexive Stems in Biblical Aramaic

Chapters 13–17 introduced all the conjugations of the Peal stem — the base verbal stem of Biblical Aramaic, equivalent to the Hebrew Qal. The Peal expresses the basic action of a root in the active voice: כְּתַב = "he wrote"; יִכְתֻּב = "he will write"; כָּתֵב = "one who writes."

Biblical Aramaic, like Hebrew, has derived stems — verbal stems formed from the same root consonants but with different vowel patterns and/or prefixes that alter the voice, action type, or causation of the verb. Chapters 18–22 introduce all the major derived stems. Chapter 18 begins with the two passive and reflexive counterparts of the Peal:

• The Peil (Gp stem) — the simple passive of the Peal
• The Hithpeel / Ithpeel (Gt stem) — the reflexive/passive of the Peal

These two stems are the Aramaic equivalents of patterns you already know from Hebrew:
- The Peil corresponds to the Hebrew Qal passive (a rare stem in Hebrew but standard in Aramaic)
- The Hithpeel / Ithpeel corresponds to the Hebrew Niphal (passive/reflexive of the Qal) and to a lesser extent the Hebrew Hitpael

The Three Ground-Stem Forms

The Peal and its two derived counterparts form a family:

The student who knows Hebrew will immediately recognize the logical structure: just as Hebrew has a Qal and a Niphal, Aramaic has a Peal and an Ithpeel. The Peil is an Aramaic feature without a common Hebrew parallel — it is the dedicated simple passive of the Peal, filling the role that Hebrew achieves only rarely with the Qal passive.

2. The Peil — Simple Passive of the Peal

2.1 What the Peil Means

The Peil (also written "Pe'il") is the simple passive of the Peal. Where the Peal says "he killed," the Peil says "he was killed." Where the Peal says "they threw," the Peil says "he was thrown." Every Peal action verb has a Peil counterpart that passivizes the action.

The Peil is the standard passive formation in Biblical Aramaic and occurs frequently in Daniel and Ezra wherever the subject receives rather than performs the action.

2.2 The Peil Perfect — Pattern: קְטִיל

The diagnostic feature of the Peil is the qəṭīl vowel pattern on the perfect:

• R1 takes a vocal shewa (ְ)
• R2 takes hireq (ִ) followed by yod (mater lectionis) — producing the long ī vowel
• The pattern reads: קְ-טִי-ל = qəṭīl

You have already seen this pattern: it is identical to the Peal passive participle. In fact, the 3ms Peil perfect and the Peal ms passive participle are formally identical. Context must determine which parsing applies. The key contextual clue is whether the form is:
- Functioning as a verbal predicate (finite claim about a subject at a point in time) → Peil perfect
- Functioning as an adjective or noun (describing a quality or state of the subject) → Peal passive participle

Using the model root קטל (to kill):

Key observation: The personal endings of the Peil perfect are identical to the Peal perfect endings. The stem's identifying mark is entirely in the vowel pattern — the hireq-yod on R2. The table below illustrates the Peal and Peil side-by-side:

2.3 The Peil Imperfect — Pattern: יִקְטֵל

The Peil imperfect uses the prefix pattern familiar from the Peal imperfect, but with a distinctive vowel pattern on the stem:

• The imperfect prefix (יִ- / תִ- / נִ- / אֶ-) is the same as the Peal imperfect
• R1 takes a vocal shewa
• R2 takes tsere (ē-class vowel)
• The stem pattern reads: קְ-טֵ-ל

Using model root קטל:

Note on the imperfect vowel pattern: The Peil imperfect (יִקְטֵל: vocal shewa on R1, tsere on R2) looks very similar to the Peal imperfect (יִקְטֻל: vocal shewa on R1, qibbuts on R2). The key diagnostic is the vowel under R2:
- Peal imperfect: qibbuts (ּ) under R2 — יִקְטֻל
- Peil imperfect: tsere (ֵ) under R2 — יִקְטֵל

2.4 The Peil Participle

The Peil does not form a distinct participle in the same way that the Peal does. The qəṭīl pattern itself functions as the passive participle of the Peal (as learned in Ch17). This creates the overlap between the Peil perfect and the passive participle. When a form like רְמִי or כְּתִיב appears in a text, ask:

1. Is it functioning as a finite verb (making a predicate claim)? → Peil perfect (passive past)
2. Is it functioning as an adjective (describing the state of a noun)? → Peal passive participle

In many contexts the difference is slight, since a passive perfect ("it was written") and a result-state participle ("it is written") convey closely related meanings. The formulaic כְּתִיב ("it is written") is best analyzed as a passive participle in its typical documentary citation use, but it overlaps with Peil perfect function.

3. The Peil in the Biblical Text

3.1 Selected Peil Perfect Forms from Daniel and Ezra

Daniel 3:21 — רְמִי ("was thrown")

בֵּאדַיִן גֻּבְרַיָּא אִלֵּךְ כְּפִיתוּ בְּסַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן פַּטְּשֵׁיהוֹן וְכַרְבְּלָתְהוֹן וּלְבוּשֵׁיהוֹן וּרְמִיו בְּגוֹא אַתּוּן נוּרָא יָקִדְתָּא

"Then these men, bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, were thrown into the burning fiery furnace."

רְמִיו (also רְמִי in some forms): Peil perfect 3mp from root רמי/רמה (to throw). Passive: "they were thrown." The hireq-yod (ִי) between R2 and R3 is the Peil marker. Note: in the 3mp the form takes the -וּ suffix: רְמִיוּ.

Daniel 5:24 — שְׁבִיק ("was left / sent")

בֵּאדַיִן מִן-קֳדָמוֹהִי שְׁלִיחַ פַּסָּא דִי-יְדָה

"Then from his presence the palm of the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed."

שְׁבִיק (from root שׁבק, "to leave/release"): Peil perfect 3ms. "It was left / it was released." The qəṭīl pattern: vocal shewa on ש, hireq-yod on ב.

Daniel 6:18 (Eng. 6:17) — רְמִי

וּרְמִי בְּגֹב אַרְיָוָתָא

"And he was cast into the den of lions."

רְמִי: Peil perfect 3ms from root רמה (to throw/cast). Passive: "he was thrown." Core Peil form: R1 = rēš with vocal shewa, R2 = mēm with hireq-yod, R3 = yod (III-he root; the historical he appears as yod in some forms).

Ezra 5:8 — כְּתִיב / Daniel 5:25 — כְּתִיב ("is written")

כְּתִיב

"It is written" — the formulaic citation formula using the Peal passive participle / Peil perfect 3ms of כתב (to write). The form is ambiguous between passive participle and Peil perfect; in the citation formula it is most naturally a stative perfect.

Daniel 3:19 — שְׁנִי ("was changed")

כֵּן שְׁנִי בֵּהּ

"Then the expression of his face was changed against him."

שְׁנִי: from root שׁנה (to change). III-he root: the R3 he appears as yod in the Peil perfect. Peil 3ms: שְׁנִי. Passive: "it was changed."

Daniel 2:35 — חֲבִיל

חֲבִיל — "it was destroyed / ruined"

Root: חבל (to harm/destroy). Peil 3ms: חֲבִיל. The initial het (ח) is a guttural and takes a composite shewa (hateph-patach: חֲ-) rather than a simple vocal shewa. This is parallel to the behavior of guttural verbs in the Peal.

3.2 Selected Peil Imperfect Forms

The Peil imperfect appears in Daniel with verbs expressing actions that will be done to the subject:

Daniel 7:25 — יִשְׁתַּנֵּא ("will be changed") — Note: this is actually Ithpeel; see §4 below

Ezra 6:11 — יִתְנְסַח ("will be torn out / uprooted")

וּמִנֵּהּ אָע יִתְנְסַח

"And a beam shall be pulled out from his house."

יִתְנְסַח: This form (Ithpeel imperfect) will be analyzed in §4. The Peil imperfect in Daniel more commonly appears with verbs like יִבְנֵא (will be built) and יִתְּבְנֵא (will be built, Ithpeel).

4. The Hithpeel and Ithpeel — Reflexive/Passive of the Peal

4.1 One Stem, Two Names

The Hithpeel and Ithpeel are the same stem (the Gt stem — G for ground/Peal, t for the characteristic taw infix). They are called by two different names because the stem appears in two phonological forms in Biblical Aramaic:

• Hithpeel — prefixed with הִתְ- (hē + tāw): הִתְקְטִל
• Ithpeel — prefixed with אִתְ- (aleph + tāw): אִתְקְטִל

Both forms are attested in Daniel and Ezra. The initial consonant varies (he vs. aleph), but the essential shape — prefix consonant + tāw + stem — is identical. Many grammarians use "Ithpeel" for both, or "Hithpeel/Ithpeel" to indicate both forms.

4.2 What the Hithpeel/Ithpeel Means

The Gt stem expresses:

1. Reflexive action — the subject acts on itself: "He killed himself" / "They gathered themselves"
2. Passive action — the subject is acted upon: "He was gathered" / "It was filled"
3. Reciprocal action — subjects act on each other (rarer): "They consulted with one another"

In Biblical Aramaic, the passive meaning is more common than the reflexive. The Hithpeel/Ithpeel thus overlaps with the Peil in expressing passive. The difference:
- Peil — simple passive, direct: "he was killed" (no agent expressed)
- Ithpeel — passive with nuance of process or reflexive involvement: "he was gathered together" / "she was filled"

4.3 Comparison to Hebrew

The Ithpeel is the primary passive/reflexive of the Peal in Aramaic, just as the Niphal is the primary passive/reflexive of the Qal in Hebrew. A student who thinks "How would Hebrew say this with a Niphal?" is often looking at an Ithpeel.

The tāw prefix of the Ithpeel corresponds to the nûn of the Hebrew Niphal: both are prefixed consonants that signal the passive/reflexive derivation. In Hebrew, the Niphal uses nûn (נִ-); in Aramaic, the Ithpeel uses tāw (הִתְ- / אִתְ-). The Hithpeel's hitreflexive prefix (הִתְ-) also parallels the Hebrew Hitpael, but the Aramaic Gt stem functions more like the Niphal than the Hitpael.

5. The Hithpeel/Ithpeel in Full — Forms and Paradigms

5.1 The Perfect — Pattern: הִתְקְטִל / אִתְקְטִל

The Hithpeel/Ithpeel perfect is recognized by:
- The הִתְ- / אִתְ- prefix before the stem
- A vocal shewa under R1 of the stem
- The regular Peal personal endings attached to the stem

Using model root קטל (to kill):

5.2 The Imperfect — Pattern: יִתְקְטֵל / יֶתְקְטֵל

The imperfect of the Hithpeel/Ithpeel uses the standard imperfect prefix (יִ- / תִ- / נִ- / אֶ-) plus the characteristic תְ- of the Gt stem built into the prefix syllable:

• The prefix syllable takes the form יִתְ- (or יֶתְ- in some forms)
• R1 then takes a vocal shewa
• R2 takes tsere (ē)

Using model root קטל:

Diagnostic: The presence of תְ after the imperfect prefix vowel — specifically יִתְ- or תִּתְ- — is the mark of the Ithpeel/Hithpeel imperfect. Where the Peal imperfect reads יִקְטֻל and the Peil reads יִקְטֵל, the Ithpeel reads יִתְקְטֵל (tāw after the imperfect prefix vowel, before the stem).

5.3 The Infinitive — Pattern: הִתְקְטָלָה / לְהִתְקְטָלָה

The Hithpeel/Ithpeel infinitive construct:

The infinitive takes the same -āh ending seen in the Peal infinitive construct when preceded by a preposition.

5.4 The Participle — Pattern: מִתְקְטֵל

The Hithpeel/Ithpeel participle uses the prefix מִתְ-:

• מ- is the characteristic participle prefix (same as in Hebrew — the Niphal participle uses נִ- while derived stems use מ-)
• תְ is the Gt stem marker
• R1 takes a vocal shewa
• R2 takes tsere (ē)

Using model root קטל:

6. Metathesis in the Ithpeel/Hithpeel

6.1 What is Metathesis?

Metathesis is the transposition (switching of position) of two consonants. In the Ithpeel/Hithpeel, when the root begins with a sibilant (a hissing/whistling consonant), the characteristic tāw of the prefix and the initial root consonant switch places.

You already know this feature from the Hebrew Hitpael: when a root beginning with שׁ, שׂ, ס, or ץ appears in the Hitpael, the tāw and the sibilant metathesize. Aramaic follows the same rule in the Hithpeel/Ithpeel.

6.2 The Rule

When R1 of the root is a sibilant:

Example with שׁכח (to find/discover):
- Expected (without metathesis): הִתְשְׁכַח
- With metathesis (shin and tāw switch): הִשְׁתְּכַח

"it was found" → הִשְׁתְּכַח (Hithpeel/Ithpeel 3ms perfect of שׁכח)

Example with שׁנה (to change):
- Expected: הִתְשְׁנֵא / אִתְשְׁנֵא
- With metathesis: הִשְׁתַּנִּי (3ms perfect — note that the root is III-he and there is additional assimilation)

6.3 Why This Matters

Metathesis means that the tāw does not always appear right after the prefix vowel. When you see a form beginning with הִשְׁתַּ- or אִשְׁתַּ-, recognize that:
1. The שׁ is R1 of the root (not part of the prefix)
2. The תַּ is the transposed Gt tāw
3. The root begins with שׁ, and the overall form is Ithpeel/Hithpeel

This is one of the key diagnostic puzzles in reading Biblical Aramaic: a form like הִשְׁתְּכַח looks unfamiliar at first, but once you know metathesis occurs, you can recover the root (שׁכח) and the stem (Hithpeel/Ithpeel).

7. Summary: Peal → Peil → Ithpeel Comparison Table

The following table shows how all three ground-stem forms relate to each other, using two model verbs: קטל (to kill) and כנשׁ (to gather):

Using Root קטל (to kill):

Using Root כנשׁ (to gather):

How to Distinguish the Three Forms

8. Hithpeel and Ithpeel Examples from Daniel and Ezra

Daniel 3:3 — אִתְכְּנִישׁ ("were gathered")

בֵּאדַיִן מִתְכַּנְּשִׁין אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּא

"Then the satraps were gathered together..."

אִתְכְּנִשׁ / מִתְכַּנְּשִׁין: Ithpeel forms of root כנשׁ (to gather). The 3ms perfect is אִתְכְּנִישׁ ("was gathered"); the participle mp is מִתְכַּנְּשִׁין ("being gathered / gathering together"). Note: in the Pael-form participle the root has dagesh — the Pael doubling can affect the Gt stem participle form.

Daniel 3:19 — הִשְׁתַּנִּי ("was changed" — with metathesis)

כֵּן הִשְׁתַּנִּי זִיו אַנְפּוֹהִי

"Then the expression of his face was changed against him."

הִשְׁתַּנִּי: Hithpeel 3ms perfect of root שׁנה (to change). Metathesis: הִתְ + שׁ → הִשְׁתַּ-. The root is III-he, so the final he appears as yod (-נִּי). The dagesh forte in the nun reflects assimilation of the final he/vowel contraction. Translation: "his expression was changed."

Daniel 6:20 (Eng. 6:19) — אִתְמְלִי ("was filled")

מַלְכָּא בְּעֵה לְדָנִיֵּאל שַׁלְמָה

"...whether Daniel was whole / the king was anxious for Daniel."

אִתְמְלִי (attested elsewhere in Daniel): Ithpeel perfect 3ms of root מלא (to be full/fill). III-aleph root. "He was filled / it was filled."

Ezra 4:23 — וּבְטֵל ("was stopped" — Peil)

בֵּאדַיִן מִן-דִּי פַּרְשֶׁגֶן נִשְׁתְּוָנָא דִי-אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מַלְכָּא קֱרִי קֳדָם רְחוּם

"Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum..."

קֱרִי: Peil perfect 3ms of root קרה (to read/call). Passive: "it was read." III-he root: R3 he appears as yod/he in the Peil. Peil marker: hireq under R2.

Daniel 7:4 — הִתְנְסַח / Ezra 6:11 — יִתְנְסַח ("will be torn out")

כָּל-גְּבַר דִּי יְהַשְׁנֵא פִּתְגָמָא דְנָה יִתְנְסַח אָע מִן-בַּיְתֵהּ

"Whoever alters this decree, let a beam be pulled from his house..."

יִתְנְסַח: Ithpeel imperfect 3ms of root נסח (to tear out/uproot). Form: יִתְ- (Ithpeel imperfect prefix) + נְ-סַח (root stem). Translation: "it will be torn out."

Daniel 7:25 — יִשְׁתַּנֵּא ("will be changed" — with metathesis)

וְיִסְבַּר לְהַשְׁנָיָה זִמְנִין וְדָת

"and he will intend to change the times and the law"

יִשְׁתַּנֵּא: Ithpeel imperfect 3ms of root שׁנה (to change). Metathesis: יִתְ + שׁ → יִשְׁתַּ-. The doubled nun reflects III-he assimilation. Translation: "it will be changed."

Daniel 5:27 — הִשְׁתְּכַח ("was found" — with metathesis)

תְּקִיל תְּקִילְתָּה בְמֹאזַנְיָא וְהִשְׁתְּכַחַת חַסִּיר

"Tekel — you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient."

הִשְׁתְּכַחַת: Hithpeel 2ms perfect of root שׁכח (to find). Metathesis: הִתְ + שׁ → הִשְׁתְּ-. Translation: "you were found."

The related form הִשְׁתְּכַח (3ms) means "it was found." Root שׁכח (shin-kaph-het). Metathesis marker: the שׁ precedes the תְּ.

Ezra 5:2 — יִתְבְּנֵא ("will be built")

בֵּאדַיִן קָמוּ זְרֻבָּבֶל בַּר-שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל וְיֵשׁוּעַ בַּר-יוֹצָדָק

"Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose..."

יִתְבְּנֵא: Ithpeel imperfect 3ms of root בנה (to build). Ithpeel prefix יִתְ- + III-he stem. Translation: "it will be built."

9. Key Diagnostic Summary

How to Identify a Peil Form

1. Perfect: Does the form show a hireq-yod (ִי) between R2 and R3, with a vocal shewa under R1? → Peil perfect (or Peal passive participle — check context)
2. Imperfect: Does the form show the standard imperfect prefix with a tsere (ֵ) under R2? → Peil imperfect (compare Peal imperfect which has qibbuts/u-vowel under R2)
3. There is no distinct Peil participle — use the Peal passive participle (qəṭīl pattern) for participial function

How to Identify a Hithpeel/Ithpeel Form

1. Perfect: Does the form begin with הִתְ- or אִתְ-? → Hithpeel/Ithpeel perfect
2. Imperfect: Does the form show יִתְ- (tāw after the prefix vowel, before R1)? → Ithpeel imperfect
3. Participle: Does the form begin with מִתְ-? → Ithpeel participle
4. Metathesis: Does the form show הִשְׁתַּ- / אִשְׁתַּ- / יִשְׁתַּ-? → Ithpeel with sibilant R1 (root begins with שׁ, שׂ, ס, etc.)

10. Key Points for Hebrew Students — Summary

1. The Peil is the Aramaic simple passive where Hebrew uses the Qal passive (rare) or Hophal. The qəṭīl pattern (hireq-yod on R2) is Aramaic's standard passive perfect. Whenever you see this pattern functioning as a finite verbal predicate, identify it as Peil perfect.

2. The Peil 3ms perfect looks exactly like the Peal passive participle. Both are קְטִיל in form. Parse them by function: finite predicate = Peil perfect; adjectival/nominal = Peal passive participle.

3. The Ithpeel is the Aramaic Niphal. Just as Hebrew uses the Niphal (נִקְטַל) as the passive/reflexive of the Qal, Aramaic uses the Ithpeel (אִתְקְטִל / הִתְקְטִל). The prefix consonant differs (Hebrew nûn vs. Aramaic tāw), but the function is identical.

4. The Hithpeel (הִתְ-) and Ithpeel (אִתְ-) are the same stem. Both forms appear in the biblical text; context does not require distinguishing them. Some texts use the he-prefixed form, others the aleph-prefixed form.

5. The Ithpeel imperfect adds tāw after the prefix vowel: יִתְקְטֵל. This distinguishes it from the Peal (יִקְטֻל) and Peil (יִקְטֵל) imperfects. The three-way contrast יִקְטֻל / יִקְטֵל / יִתְקְטֵל is one of the core diagnostics for these stems.

6. Metathesis with sibilant R1 is the same rule as Hebrew Hitpael metathesis. When a root begins with שׁ, שׂ, ס, or צ, the tāw and the sibilant switch positions. הִשְׁתְּכַח (was found) = root שׁכח + Hithpeel + metathesis. Always check: "Could the initial שׁ or ס be R1, with a metathesized tāw after it?"

7. The Ithpeel participle uses the מִתְ- prefix. The ms form is מִתְקְטֵל; mp is מִתְקְטְלִין. The מ- prefix signals participle (as in Hebrew and as in other Aramaic derived stem participles), and the תְ- signals the Gt stem.

8. Chapters 18–22 have no vocabulary list — the derived stems use roots you already know from the Peal. Your job is to recognize the stem and read the familiar root in its new functional guise.

11. Practice

The exercise for this chapter presents twenty verb forms from the Peil and Ithpeel drawn from Daniel and Ezra. For each form, identify the stem (Peil or Ithpeel), the conjugation (perfect, imperfect, participle), the root, and provide a translation.