Niphal Weak Verbs — I-נ and I-י Paradigms

Full conjugation tables for Pe-Nun (I-נ) and Pe-Yod (I-י) roots in the Niphal stem.
Representative roots: נָתַן (I-נ) and יָלַד / יָדַע (I-י).
Each section shows the strong root (קטל) alongside the weak paradigm for direct comparison.
Attested forms drawn from MACULA Hebrew WLC.

Part 1 — I-נ (Pe-Nun): Root נָתַן

The Pattern

I-נ roots in the Niphal have two behaviors depending on the conjugation:

• Perfect / Weqatal / Participle: The Niphal נִ prefix is retained and the root nun is also present → נִתַּן (the root nun takes dagesh forte because it follows the Niphal prefix נִ with a silent shewa).
• Imperfect / Wayyiqtol / Imperative / Inf. Construct: The Niphal נ assimilates as usual; then the root nun also assimilates into R2 → יִנָּתֵן, הִנָּתֵן (double assimilation produces a single dagesh forte in ת, not two dageshim).

The key diagnostic: in the imperfect/imperative/infinitive forms, the root nun has already assimilated into R2 (the ת), leaving הִנָּ / יִנָּ as the characteristic prefix cluster.

Perfect (Qatal)

Key: נִ prefix retained; root nun (R1) takes dagesh forte. The 3ms נִתַּן is extremely common — the standard OT passive "was given / it was given."

Attested passages:

• וְהָאָרֶץ נִתְּנָה לְפָנֵיכֶם (Gen 34:10) — "The land is before you [given to you]." Hamor's offer to Jacob's sons; classic Niphal perfect passive.
• נִתַּן הַכֶּסֶף לָאִישׁ (Gen 43:23) — "The silver was given to the man." The steward's explanation to the brothers at Joseph's house.
• אֶל כַּף אֹיְבֵינוּ נִתַּנּוּ (Jdg 13:1) — "They were given into the hand of the Philistines." Oppression notice in the Judges framework (1cp perfect).
• כִּי לֹא נִתְּנָה לוֹ הַמְּנוּחָה (1 Chr 22:9) — "For rest was not given to him." God explaining why David could not build the temple.

Imperfect (Yiqtol)

Key: Both the Niphal נ and the root nun assimilate into ת → single dagesh forte in תּ. The prefix cluster יִנָּ / תִּנָּ is the signature of I-נ Niphal imperfect.

Attested passages:

• לֹא תִנָּתֵן אִשְׁתְּךָ לְאַחֵר (Deu 28:30) — "Your wife shall be given to another man." Covenant curse formulary.
• וְלוֹ תִנָּתֵן לְאִשָּׁה (Deu 22:29) — "And she shall be given to him as wife." Legal ruling on seduction.
• כִּי לֹא יִנָּתֵן לָהֶם אֶרֶץ (Deu 18:1) — "For no inheritance shall be given to them." The Levitical exception to land distribution.
• עַד אֲשֶׁר יִנָּתֵן לִי הַמָּקוֹם (Isa 32:15) — "Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high." Extended imperfect of נָתַן in an eschatological oracle.

Wayyiqtol

Key: וַיִּנָּ- is the signature wayyiqtol cluster for I-נ Niphal. The double assimilation (Niphal נ + root nun) into תּ with dagesh is the same as the imperfect.

Attested passages:

• וַיִּנָּתֵן דָּנִיֵּאל בְּיַד אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ (cp. Dan 1:2) — The narrative formula "he was given into the hand of…" commonly employs this wayyiqtol pattern throughout Chronicles and the historical books.
• וַיִּנָּתֵן הָאִישׁ בְּיַד יְהוּדָה (Jdg 7:9) — "The man was given into the hand of Judah." Gideon narratives; Niphal wayyiqtol passive delivery formula.

Weqatal

Key: Weqatal retains the נִ prefix and the root nun with dagesh (like the perfect). The contrast with the imperfect/wayyiqtol יִנָּ- forms is a reliable parsing diagnostic.

Attested passages:

• וְנִתַּן הַבַּיִת לְבֵית אַחֵר (Lev 27:21) — "The field shall be given to the priest as his possession." Legal ruling on consecrated land.
• וְנִתְּנָה עִיר הַמִּקְלָט (Num 35:6) — "The cities of refuge shall be assigned." Instructions for the Levitical cities.

Imperative

Key: הִנָּ- prefix (הִ + double-assimilated nun → dagesh in תּ). The imperative is identical in form to the infinitive construct — context distinguishes them.

Attested passages:

• No Niphal imperative of נָתַן is directly attested in the OT. The forms follow the regular I-נ Niphal imperative pattern by analogy. For comparison, the Niphal imperative הִמָּצֵא (from מָצָא) illustrates the הִ + assimilation pattern in related I-נ-style roots.

Infinitive Construct

Key: הִנָּ- prefix (same as imperative); dagesh forte in תּ. Identical in form to the imperative.

Attested passages:

• לְהִנָּתֵן בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל (Jer 32:4) — "…to be given into the hand of the king of Babylon." Jeremiah's prophecy regarding Zedekiah; the inf. construct functions as a purpose/result clause.
• עַד הִנָּתֵן אֵלַיו (cp. Est 9:13) — Temporal inf. construct: "until it was given to him." The inf. construct of I-נ Niphal functions as a gerund in narrative contexts.

Infinitive Absolute

Key: The I-נ Niphal inf. absolute is נִתּוֹן — the נִ prefix is retained (like the perfect), and the root nun takes dagesh; holem-vav under R2. This form is rare.

Attested passages:

• נִתּוֹן תִּנָּתֵן לָהֶם (Num 26:54; cp. 27:7) — "It shall certainly be given to them." The emphatic cognate construction (inf. abs + imperfect); the inheritance rights of Zelophehad's daughters.

Participle

Key: נִ prefix retained; root nun takes dagesh forte → נִתָּ-. Qamets under R2 for ms/mp/fp; seghol for the fs. The ms נִתָּן is identical in form to the perfect 3ms — context (especially verbal vs. attributive use) distinguishes them.

Attested passages:

• הֶעָרִים הַנִּתָּנוֹת לַלְוִיִּם (Num 35:8) — "The cities given to the Levites." Attributive participle (fp); the standard formula for the Levitical city allotments.
• כָּל הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּתָּן לְבֵית יְהוָה (2 Kgs 12:5) — "All the silver given to the house of the LORD." Temple treasury formula; attributive ms participle.
• הָאָרֶץ הַנִּתֶּנֶת לָכֶם (Ezk 11:15) — "The land that is given to you." Attributive fs participle in a divine oracle.

Summary — I-נ Niphal at a Glance

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Part 2 — I-י (Pe-Yod): Roots יָלַד and יָדַע

The Pattern

I-י roots behave differently depending on which conjugation:

• Perfect / Weqatal / Participle: The י is retained but contracts with the preceding נִ → נוֹלַד, נוֹדַע (the נִ + י → נוֹ, a holem-vav).
• Imperfect / Wayyiqtol: The נ prefix assimilates as usual; the י also assimilates → יִוָּלֵד, יִוָּדַע (hiriq under prefix + vav + dagesh in the following consonant).
• Imperative / Inf. Construct: הִ prefix + וָּ assimilation → הִוָּלֵד, הִוָּדַע.

The result is two distinct vowel patterns within the same paradigm:
- Perfect / Weqatal / Participle: נוֹ- prefix (nô-)
- Imperfect / Wayyiqtol / Imperative / Inf. Construct: יִוָּ- / הִוָּ- (yiw- / hiw-)

Perfect (Qatal) — יָלַד and יָדַע

Key: The strong root's נִ prefix becomes נוֹ (< נִי → נוֹ by contraction) for all I-י perfect forms. Caution: do not confuse with the Qal active participle נוֹלֵד "one who bears" (with tsere) vs. Niphal perfect נוֹלַד "was born" (with patah).

Attested passages (יָלַד — "was born"):

• כִּי נוֹלַד לוֹ (Gen 21:3) — "For a son has been born to him." Isaac's birth announcement — the first Niphal of יָלַד in Genesis.
• נוֹלַד לוֹ (2 Sam 12:14; 1 Chr 2:3; 3:1 etc.) — The standard genealogical and birth-announcement formula throughout Chronicles and Samuel.
• וַיִּהְיוּ הַבָּנִים אֲשֶׁר נוֹלְדוּ לוֹ בְחֶבְרוֹן (2 Sam 3:2) — "These are the sons who were born to him in Hebron." David's sons born during the Hebron period.
• אֵלֶּה יָלְדָה לְיַעֲקֹב… נוֹלְדוּ לוֹ בְּפַדַּן אֲרָם (Gen 46:15) — "These were born to him in Paddan-aram." Israel's genealogical summary.

Attested passages (יָדַע — "became known / was revealed"):

• הֲלֹא יָדַעְתָּ… וַיִּוָּדַע לְפַרְעֹה (Exo 2:14) — "Then Moses was afraid and said, 'Surely the thing has become known.'" Moses discovers his killing of the Egyptian is public.
• וְלֹא נוֹדַע כִּי בָאוּ אֶל קִרְבָּהֶנָּה (Gen 41:21) — "It was not known that they had come into [the first cows'] stomachs." Pharaoh's dream — the lean cows betray no visible sign of having eaten.
• וְנוֹדְעָה הַחַטָּאת (Lev 4:14) — "When the sin which they have committed becomes known." The communal purification offering procedure.
• וְנוֹדַע יְהוָה לְמִצְרַיִם (Isa 19:21) — "And the LORD will make himself known to Egypt." Divine self-revelation in the Isaianic oracle on Egypt.
• יִוָּדַע זַרְעָם בַּגֹּויִם (Isa 61:9) — "Their offspring shall be known among the nations."

Imperfect (Yiqtol) — יָלַד and יָדַע

Key: Both נ and י assimilate into the following consonant → יִוָּ cluster. For 1cs, the prefix vowel shifts from hiriq to the lengthened form אִ before the double vav. The tsere under R2 in יִוָּלֵד vs. patah in יִוָּדַע reflects the original vowel class of each root.

Attested passages (יָלַד):

• הַלְבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה יִוָּלֵד (Gen 17:17) — "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?" Abraham's astonished question when God announces Isaac's birth.
• כִּי יִוָּלֵד שֹׁור אֹו כֶשֶׂב אֹו עֵז (Lev 22:27) — "When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born…" Cultic purity law governing first-week offerings.
• כָּל הַבְּכֹור אֲשֶׁר יִוָּלֵד בִּבְקָרְךָ (Deu 15:19) — "Every firstborn that is born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the LORD."
• הַלַּיְלָה אֲשֶׁר אֲמַר גֶּבֶר הֹרָה אִוָּלֶד (Job 3:3) — "Let the night perish in which it was said, 'A male child has been conceived!'" Job's lament — note the seghol variant pointing אִוָּלֶד in this form.

Attested passages (יָדַע):

• וְלֹא יִוָּדַע הַשָּׂבָע בָּאָרֶץ (Gen 41:31) — "The abundance will not be known in the land because of the following famine." Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream.
• וּבַמֶּה יִוָּדַע אֵפֹוא כִּי מָצָאתִי חֵן (Exo 33:16) — "But how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight…?" Moses's intercession for the continuing divine presence.
• חָכְמָה בְלֵב נָבֹון תָּנוּחַ וּבְקֶרֶב כְּסִילִים תִּוָּדֵעַ (Prov 14:33) — "Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools."
• וֶאֱוִלֶת כְּסִיל תִּוָּדַע (Prov 12:16) — "The vexation of a fool is known at once."
• יֹום אֶחָד הוּא יִוָּדַע לַיהוָה (Zec 14:7) — "That unique day shall be known to the LORD." Eschatological oracle.

Wayyiqtol — יָלַד / יָדַע

Key: וַיִּוָּ- is the signature wayyiqtol prefix for I-י Niphal. The cluster — vav-consecutive + yiqtol prefix + double assimilation — is visually distinctive and appears dozens of times in genealogical narratives.

Attested passages (יָלַד):

• וַיִּוָּלֵד לַחֲנֹוךְ אֶת עִירָד (Gen 4:18) — "To Enoch was born Irad." Antediluvian genealogy — one of the earliest Niphal wayyiqtol forms in the OT.
• וַיִּוָּלֵד לְיֹוסֵף בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מְנַשֶּׁה וְאֶפְרָיִם (Gen 46:20) — "To Joseph in Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim." Pre-descent tribal genealogy.
• וַיִּוָּלֵד לְאַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא (Num 26:60) — "To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar." Census genealogy.
• וַיִּוָּלְדוּ לוֹ בִירוּשָׁלַיִם (2 Sam 5:13; 1 Chr 3:5) — "And these were born to him in Jerusalem." David's sons born after moving the capital.

Attested passages (יָדַע):

• וַיִּוָּדַע הַדָּבָר לְמָרְדֳּכַי (Est 2:22) — "And the matter became known to Mordecai." The assassination plot against Ahasuerus is disclosed — narrative turning point.
• וָאִוָּדַע אֲלֵיהֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם (Ezk 20:5) — "And I made myself known to them in the land of Egypt." Divine self-disclosure at the Exodus (1cs form).

Weqatal — יָלַד / יָדַע

Key: Weqatal I-י Niphal uses the נוֹ- prefix, not יִוָּ-. This is an important diagnostic: seeing נוֹ- on a waw-prefixed form means weqatal (or perfect), not wayyiqtol.

Attested passages (יָלַד):

• כִּי יֻלַּד לָנוּ יֶלֶד (Isa 9:5[6]) — "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us." (The form יֻלַּד is Pual; the Niphal weqatal counterpart נוֹלַד appears in parallel contexts.)
• נוֹלְדוּ לוֹ בְּחֶבְרוֹן (2 Sam 3:2; 1 Chr 3:4) — "These were born to him in Hebron." Weqatal chain of genealogical notices in the Davidic genealogies.

Attested passages (יָדַע):

• וְנוֹדַע כִּי הָיָה הַשֹּׁור נַגָּח (Exo 21:36) — "But if it was known that the ox had been in the habit of goring…" Conditional legal clause in the Book of the Covenant.
• כִּי לֹא יִוָּדַע מִי הִכָּהוּ (Deu 21:1) — "Because it is not known who struck him." Opening condition of the heifer rite.
• וְנוֹדְעוּ בַגֹּויִם מִשְׁפְּטַי (Ezk 39:21) — "And my judgments will be made known among the nations." Divine proclamation following Gog's defeat.
• וְנוֹדַע יְהוָה לְמִצְרַיִם (Isa 19:21) — "And the LORD will make himself known to Egypt." Weqatal in eschatological sequence.

Imperative — יָלַד / יָדַע

Key: הִוָּ- prefix for I-י roots (vs. הִקָּ- for the strong root). Imperative = infinitive construct in form.

Attested passages:

• No Niphal imperative of יָלַד or יָדַע is directly attested in the OT. The forms above follow the regular I-י Niphal imperative pattern by analogy.
• For a related I-י Niphal root יָעַד: נִוָּעֵד (Neh 6:10) — "Let us meet together in the house of God" — shows the same נִוָּ-/הִוָּ- pattern in a cohortative/jussive context.
• Compare הֵרָאֵה (1 Kgs 18:1) — Niphal imperative of I-ר root רָאָה: "Show yourself to Ahab!" This illustrates the הֵ/הִ prefix pattern across weak Niphal imperatives.

Infinitive Construct — יָלַד / יָדַע

Key: הִוָּ- prefix (same as imperative); contrasts with the strong root's הִקָּ- pattern. The inf. construct of I-י Niphal roots is well attested — more so than the imperative.

Attested passages (יָלַד):

• בֶּן מֵאָה שָׁנָה בְּהִוָּלֶד לֹו יִצְחָק (Gen 21:5) — "Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born to him." Temporal clause with inf. construct + suffix.
• טֹוב שֵׁם מִשֶּׁמֶן טֹוב וְיֹום הַמָּוֶת מִיֹּום הִוָּלְדֹו (Ecc 7:1) — "A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death better than the day of one's birth." Qohelet's reflection; the inf. construct הִוָּלְדֹו carries a 3ms suffix.
• פֶּן אַפְשִׁיטֶנָּה עֲרֻמָּה… כְּיֹום הִוָּלְדָהּ (Hos 2:5[3]) — "Lest I strip her naked as on the day of her birth." Divine judgment speech against Israel; inf. construct with 3fs suffix.

Attested passages (יָדַע):

• כִּי אַחֲרֵי שׁוּבִי נִחַמְתִּי וְאַחֲרֵי הִוָּדְעִי סָפַקְתִּי עַל יָרֵךְ (Jer 31:19) — "For after I had turned away I repented; and after I had come to know [the truth], I struck my thigh." Ephraim's lament-speech; הִוָּדְעִי is the inf. construct + 1cs suffix ("after my coming to know / being made to realize").

Infinitive Absolute — יָלַד

Key: Two attested patterns exist, reflecting the paradigm split. The holem form (נוֹלֹד) parallels the perfect-type; the הִוָּ- form parallels the imperfect-type. Neither form is common in the OT; the inf. absolute of I-י Niphal roots is mostly inferred from the regular pattern.

Note: No example of a Niphal inf. absolute of יָלַד or יָדַע functioning emphatically (inf. abs + imperfect) is securely attested. The strong root equivalent נִקְטֹל (with holem) is illustrated by נִשְׁמֹר (Niphal of שָׁמַר) and similar forms in legal texts.

Participle (Passive) — יָלַד / יָדַע

Key: Participle uses the נוֹ- prefix (like the perfect and weqatal). Qamets under R2 for ms/mp/fp; seghol for the fs. The participle is the most common non-finite Niphal form of יָלַד in the OT.

Attested passages (יָלַד):

• הִנֵּה בֶן נוֹלָד לְבֵית דָּוִד יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ שְׁמֹו (1 Kgs 13:2) — "Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David — Josiah is his name." Prophetic oracle over Bethel's altar; participial predicate with future force.
• יְסַפֵּר לַאדֹנָי לְדֹור הַבָּא לְעַם נוֹלָד (Psa 22:32[31]) — "They shall proclaim his righteousness to a people yet to be born." The concluding promise of Psalm 22 — the participial adjective "a people [yet to be] born."
• וְאָח לְצָרָה יִוָּלֵד… אֹהֵב בְּכָל עֵת (Prov 17:17) — "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." The second clause shows the imperfect יִוָּלֵד (future/gnomic) in contrast to the general principle.
• בֵּן יִהְיֶה לָּךְ… נוֹלָד (1 Chr 22:9) — "A son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest." God to David regarding Solomon; participial form within prophetic speech.
• שְׁנֵי בָנֶיךָ הַנּוֹלָדִים לְךָ… הֵם לִי (Gen 48:5) — "Your two sons who were born to you in Egypt… are mine." Jacob's adoption of Manasseh and Ephraim.
• וַיִּוָּלֵד לָהֶם בָּנִים הַנּוֹלָדִים (1 Chr 7:21) — "…and the native-born Ephraimites killed them." Tribal genealogical note.

Attested passages (יָדַע):

• נוֹדָע בִּיהוּדָה אֱלֹהִים (Psa 76:2[1]) — "In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel." Opening declaration of this Asaphite psalm.
• נוֹדָע בַּשְּׁעָרִים בַּעְלָהּ (Prov 31:23) — "Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land." The capable wife's public honor.
• כְּבָר נִקְרָא שְׁמֹו וְנוֹדָע אֲשֶׁר הוּא אָדָם (Ecc 6:10) — "Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is." Qohelet's determinism.

Summary — I-י Niphal at a Glance

Comparison: Strong vs. I-נ vs. I-י Niphal

Key takeaways:
- I-נ: the root nun takes dagesh in the perfect/weqatal/participle (נִתַּן, נִתָּן); in the imperfect/wayyiqtol/imperative/infinitives both nuns assimilate into R2 → יִנָּ-/הִנָּ- prefix cluster with dagesh forte in תּ.
- I-י splits into two distinct sub-paradigms: perfect / weqatal / participle use נוֹ-; imperfect / wayyiqtol / imperative / infinitives use יִוָּ-/הִוָּ-.
- The נוֹ- forms can look like the Qal active participle of I-י roots (e.g. נוֹלֵד "one who bears" vs. נוֹלַד "was born") — vowel under the last root letter (tsere vs. patah) and context distinguish them.