Niphal Weak Verbs — III-ה (Lamed-He) Paradigms

Full conjugation tables for Lamed-He roots in the Niphal stem.
Representative roots: גָּלָה (to uncover, reveal; go into exile) and רָאָה (to see).
Each section shows the strong root (קטל) alongside the weak paradigm for direct comparison.
Attested forms drawn from MACULA Hebrew WLC.

The Pattern

The final ה of III-ה roots is a vowel letter (mater lectionis), not a true consonant. When inflectional suffixes are added, the ה disappears and the preceding vowel contracts or shifts. The effect varies by conjugation:

• Perfect 3ms: ends in ָה (qamets-he) instead of a final consonant
• Perfect 3fs / suffixes: ה drops; the vowel contracts before suffixes
• Imperfect 3ms: ends in seghol-he (ֶה) — not tsere as in the strong root
• Wayyiqtol 3ms: the ה is apocopated (completely dropped) and the form is shortened
• Imperative/Inf. Construct: ends in וֹת (the ת suffix familiar from Qal III-ה inf. constructs)
• Participle ms: ends in seghol-he (ֶה) — same as imperfect

Note: רָאָה also has a guttural at R1 (ר), which prevents the dagesh forte expected in the Niphal imperfect/wayyiqtol/imperative. Instead, compensatory lengthening occurs (hiriq → tsere: יִ → יֵ / הִ → הֵ). This is a compounded weak behavior (III-ה + R1 ר).

Perfect (Qatal)

Key: 3ms ends in ָה (qamets-he). 3fs/3cp: the ה of the root drops; 3fs adds תָה; 3cp ends in וּ. The 2nd/1st person forms take an i-vowel (tsere) before the suffix: נִגְלֵיתָ.

Attested passages:

• נִגְלָה כְּבוֹד יְהוָה (Isa 40:5) — "the glory of the LORD will be revealed" — perfect 3ms passive
• נִרְאָה אֲלֵיכֶם (Lev 9:4) — "the LORD will appear to you" — perfect 3ms tolerative
• נִרְאֲתָה הַקֶּשֶׁת (Gen 9:14) — "when the rainbow appears in the cloud" — perfect 3fs; III-ה fs ending

Imperfect (Yiqtol)

Key: The tsere of the strong root (יִקָּטֵל) becomes seghol-he in III-ה (יִגָּלֶה). For רָאָה: the ר rejects the dagesh; hiriq prefix lengthens to tsere (יֵרָאֶה). The plural forms drop the final ה and show the vowel directly: יִגָּלוּ.

Attested passages:

• תֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה (Gen 1:9) — "let the dry land appear" — 3fs jussive/imperfect; creation narrative
• יֵרָאֶה כָּל־זְכוּרְךָ (Exo 23:17) — "all your males shall appear [before the Lord]" — 3ms imperfect; pilgrimage law
• יִגָּלֶה לָהֶם (Isa 53:1) — "to whom has it been revealed?" — 3ms imperfect passive

Wayyiqtol

Key: The ה is apocopated in the wayyiqtol — the final ה drops entirely and the form is shortened: יִגָּלֶה → וַיִּגָּל; יֵרָאֶה → וַיֵּרָא. This shortened wayyiqtol form is the most distinctive III-ה Niphal signal.

Attested passages:

• וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֶל־אַבְרָם (Gen 12:7) — "and the LORD appeared to Abram" — 3ms wayyiqtol; apocopated form וַיֵּרָא (not †וַיֵּרָאֶה)
• וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֵלָיו (Gen 18:1) — "and the LORD appeared to him" — same apocopated form at Mamre
• וַיִּגָּלוּ הַגֹּויִם (Isa 40:5; cp. Eze 39:23) — 3mp wayyiqtol; the nations are revealed / exposed

Weqatal

Key: Weqatal uses the perfect form (no apocopation). The 3ms ends in ָה; 3cp drops ה and ends in וּ.

Attested passages:

• וְנִרְאוּ רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים (Gen 8:5) — "and the tops of the mountains were seen" — 3cp weqatal; flood narrative
• וְנִגְלָה כְּבוֹד יְהוָה (Isa 40:5) — weqatal in a future sequence; eschatological revelation

Imperative

Key: 2ms ends in ֵה (tsere-he) rather than the inf. construct's וֹת. For רָאָה: הֵרָאֵה with tsere under ה (compensatory lengthening for ר). This tsere-he ending distinguishes the imperative from the infinitive construct.

Attested passages:

• הֵרָאֵה אֶל־אַחְאָב (1 Kgs 18:1) — "go, show yourself to Ahab" — 2ms imperative; Elijah commanded to present himself
• הֵרָאֵה נָא בְּכָבוֹדֶךָ (Exo 33:18) — "please show me your glory" — Moses's request; though here it may be Qal imperative of the causative sense; the Niphal form for "present yourself" is the same shape

Infinitive Construct

Key: III-ה Niphal infinitive construct adds the ת suffix (like the Qal inf. construct of III-ה roots): הִגָּלוֹת, הֵרָאוֹת. This distinguishes the inf. construct from the imperative (which ends in ֵה). The holem-vav before ת is characteristic.

Attested passages:

• לְהֵרָאוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהוָה (Exo 34:24) — "to appear before the face of the LORD" — inf. construct; pilgrimage law
• בְּהִגָּלוֹת כְּבוֹדוֹ (Isa 66:18) — "when his glory is revealed" — inf. construct with בְּ; eschatological context

Infinitive Absolute

Key: The III-ה Niphal inf. absolute ends in ֹה (holem-he) rather than the holem + consonant of the strong root. It is rare; most emphatic constructions use the inf. construct form instead.

Attested passages:

• נִגְלֹה נִגְלָה (Isa 24:11) — a possible inf. absolute + perfect construction meaning "it is utterly revealed/desolated" — the form is uncommon and sometimes questioned
• Note: Inf. absolute attestation for III-ה Niphal roots is sparse; the inf. construct form (הִגָּלוֹת) frequently serves double duty.

Participle

Key: The participle ms ends in seghol-he (ֶה) — the same ending as the imperfect ms. Context (predicate position vs. attributive position, or presence of the article) distinguishes participle from imperfect.

Attested passages:

• וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה … הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלָיו (Gen 12:7; 17:1) — "the LORD who had appeared to him" — ms participle attributive/relative clause; a participial description of the LORD as the one who appears
• נִרְאֶה לַכֹּהֵן (Lev 13:7) — "appears to the priest" — participial predicate in skin-disease law
• נִגְלִים (Isa 40:5) — mp participle; "revealed / made manifest [things]"

Summary — III-ה Niphal at a Glance