BBH Chapter 27 — Hiphil Weak Verbs (הִפְעִיל)

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Basics of Biblical Hebrew, Pratico & Van Pelt
Builds on Ch26 (Hiphil Strong Verbs). Weak forms only — semantic functions not repeated.

Scope: This chapter extends the Hiphil paradigm to seven weak-root classes. Each class modifies
the strong pattern in a predictable, phonologically motivated way. Functions (Causative, Declarative,
Factitive, Simple Action, Denominative) were covered in Ch26 and are not repeated here.

1. The Eight Weak Classes — Overview

Key principle: None of these classes requires learning a new stem. Every change follows from
a standard phonological rule — quiescence, compensatory lengthening, assimilation, or patach
furtive — applied to the strong Hiphil pattern. Recognize the rule; the form follows.

2. I-guttural (Pe-Guttural) Verbs

Pattern

The Hiphil strong perfect (הִקְטִיל) shows hiriq under הִ. When R1 is a guttural, that hiriq remains in the perfect (gutturals do not affect the perfect prefix in the Hiphil). In the imperfect/wayyiqtol/imperative/infinitive construct, however, the strong form places dagesh forte in R1 after an assimilated prefix — gutturals refuse this dagesh. Instead, compensatory lengthening occurs: the prefix vowel patach (יַ) lengthens to tsere (יֵ). The guttural itself typically takes a composite shewa (hateph-patach for ע/ח, hateph-seghol for א).

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: הֶעֱמִיד — seghol under הֶ before א/ע; hateph-seghol under guttural
- Imperfect 3ms: יַעֲמִיד — composite shewa under R1; no dagesh in R1
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיַּעֲמֵד — patach under וַיַּ (same as strong); composite shewa under R1; tsere final (regular Hiphil wayyiqtol shift)
- Imperative 2ms: הַעֲמֵד — patach under הַ; composite shewa under R1
- Participle ms: מַעֲמִיד — patach under מַ; composite shewa under R1

Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

→ Full PGN tables: hiphil-weak-pe-guttural-paradigms.md

Key Corpus Examples

• הֶעֱמִיד (1 Kgs 7:21) — "he set up [the pillars]" — perfect 3ms; seghol + hateph-seghol mark the I-guttural perfectly
• וַיַּעֲמֵד (Gen 43:9) — "and he set [him] before" — wayyiqtol 3ms; composite shewa visible under ע
• יַעֲמִיד (Exo 9:16) — "I have raised you up [for this]" — imperfect 1cs (note: אַעֲמִיד); guttural takes hateph-patach
• הַעֲמֵד (Num 27:19) — "set him before Eleazar" — imperative 2ms; הַ + composite shewa

3. III-ח/ע (Lamed-Guttural) Verbs

Pattern

When R3 is ח or ע, the gutturals demand an a-class vowel in their syllable — they refuse e/i-class vowels before them. The main effect in the Hiphil:

• Before final ח/ע when the syllable is open and stressed: patach furtive (פַּתַח גְּנוּבָה) appears between the final vowel and the guttural. This is not a regular patach but a fleeting glide pronounced before the guttural, written below and before it.
• The Hiphil characteristic tsere (imperfect 3ms יַקְטֵל type wayyiqtol, and participle ms מַקְטִיל) shifts toward a-class when the guttural is final.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: הִשְׁלִיחַ / הִשְׁמִיעַ — patach furtive written under the penultimate position, pronounced before the ח/ע
- Imperfect 3ms: יַשְׁלִיחַ — same patach furtive in open final syllable
- Participle ms: מַשְׁלִיחַ / מַשְׁמִיעַ — same pattern; the patach furtive is always present before word-final ח/ע

Note: The patach furtive does NOT appear when ח/ע is followed by a suffix (e.g., הִשְׁמַעְתִּי — the guttural is now in a closed syllable and takes patach regularly).

Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

→ Full PGN tables: hiphil-weak-lamed-guttural-paradigms.md

Key Corpus Examples

• הִשְׁמִיעַ (Isa 48:6) — "I have made [you] hear" — perfect 3ms; patach furtive before final ע
• וַיַּשְׁמַע (1 Sam 15:14) — "and he made heard / let be heard" — wayyiqtol; patach (not tsere) before final ע
• מַשְׁמִיעַ (Isa 41:26) — "one who makes hear" — participle ms; patach furtive clearly visible
• הַשְׁמַע (Deut 4:10) — "make them hear" — imperative 2ms; patach before word-final ע

4. III-א (Lamed-Aleph) Verbs

Pattern

The final א of the root quiesces (becomes silent) in word-final position. The vowel that would stand before it lengthens compensatorily. The Hiphil prefix הִ and characteristic chiriq are otherwise intact. The main effect: perfect 3ms ends in a long vowel + silent א, and the imperfect/wayyiqtol shows the expected Hiphil pattern with a silent final א.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: הִמְצִיא — chiriq-yod + silent א; the form ends in visible א but it is silent
- Imperfect 3ms: יַמְצִיא — Hiphil chiriq before silent א; virtually identical to the strong root in pointing
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיַּמְצֵא — standard Hiphil wayyiqtol tsere before silent final א
- Participle ms: מַמְצִיא — מַ prefix + chiriq + silent final א

Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

→ Full PGN tables: hiphil-weak-lamed-aleph-paradigms.md

Key Corpus Examples

• הִמְצִיא (Neh 9:15) — "you gave them bread" (lit. caused to find) — perfect 3ms; chiriq-yod + silent א
• וַיַּקְרֵא (Gen 1:5) — "and he called" — wayyiqtol 3ms; one of the most frequent forms in the OT; tsere before silent א
• יַקְרִיא (Neh 8:8) — "and they read" — imperfect 3mp (יַקְרִיאוּ); chiriq before silent א
• מַקְרִיא (Neh 8:3) — "one who reads aloud" — participle ms; מַ prefix

5. III-ה (Lamed-He) Verbs

Pattern

The final ה of these roots is a vowel letter (mater lectionis), not a true consonant. In the Hiphil, III-ה roots show contracted endings throughout the paradigm. The distinctive Hiphil chiriq of the perfect is visible in the 3ms (הֶעֱלָה) but the stem vowel shortens before certain suffixes. The wayyiqtol apocopates (ה dropped) in the 3ms.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: הֶעֱלָה — qamets + ה mater; note I-guttural interaction in עָלָה
- Imperfect 3ms: יַעֲלֶה — final seghol + ה (cf. Niphal יִגָּלֶה but with Hiphil patach prefix)
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיַּעַל — apocopated; ה dropped; form ends in R2 with short vowel
- Imperative 2ms: הַעֲלֵה — tsere + ה (cf. strong הַקְטֵל but ה added as vowel letter)
- Participle ms: מַעֲלֶה — seghol + ה

Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

→ Full PGN tables: hiphil-weak-lamed-he-paradigms.md

Key Corpus Examples

• הֶעֱלָה (Gen 8:20) — "he offered up [burnt offerings]" — perfect 3ms; seghol + hateph-seghol due to I-guttural interaction in עָלָה
• וַיַּעַל (Gen 22:2) — "and he went up / offered up" — wayyiqtol apocopated; ה dropped; one of the most common apocopated Hiphil forms
• הַרְאֵה (Exo 33:18) — "show me your glory" — imperative 2ms; tsere + ה
• מַרְאֶה (Gen 2:9) — "pleasing to the sight" — participle ms functioning as adjective; seghol + ה

6. I-נ (Pe-Nun) Verbs

Pattern

In the strong Hiphil, the prefix הִ/יַ/הַ is added directly to R1. When R1 = נ, the root נ assimilates into the following consonant (R2), producing dagesh forte in R2. This happens in the imperfect, wayyiqtol, imperative, and infinitive construct — the same conjugations where the strong Hiphil has a simple prefix (no chiriq before R1). In the perfect and participle, the הִ/מַ prefix vowel stabilizes the root נ, so assimilation does NOT occur.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: הִגִּישׁ — chiriq + dagesh in R2 (ג); נ has already assimilated
- Imperfect 3ms: יַגִּישׁ — patach + dagesh in R2; no trace of נ
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיַּגֵּשׁ — patach under וַיַּ; dagesh in R2; tsere final
- Imperative 2ms: הַגֵּשׁ — הַ + dagesh in R2 + tsere
- Participle ms: מַגִּישׁ — מַ prefix; dagesh in R2 + chiriq

Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

→ Full PGN tables: hiphil-weak-pe-paradigms.md

Key Corpus Examples

• הִפִּיל (Gen 2:21) — "he caused to fall / cast" — perfect 3ms; dagesh in R2 (פ) is the give-away
• וַיַּפֵּל (Gen 2:21) — "and he cast [a deep sleep]" — wayyiqtol; dagesh in פ + tsere
• יַפִּיל (Pro 19:15) — "sleep brings on deep sleep" — imperfect 3ms; same pattern as perfect minus הִ
• הַגֵּשׁ (Gen 27:25) — "bring [me game]" — imperative 2ms; הַ + dagesh in ג

7. I-י (Pe-Yod) Verbs

Pattern

I-י/ו roots in the Hiphil follow a distinctive pattern. Many I-י roots in Biblical Hebrew derive historically from I-ו (Pe-Vav), and the Hiphil of these roots uses הוֹ- as the perfect prefix: הוֹרִיד (יָרַד), הוֹלִיד (יָלַד), הוֹשִׁיב (יָשַׁב). The prefix vowel is holem-vav (הוֹ). In the imperfect/wayyiqtol, the pattern is יוֹרִיד / וַיּוֹרֵד with holem-vav under the prefix consonant. This is the single most reliable diagnostic for this class in the Hiphil.

A small subset of I-י roots that do not have a historical I-ו variant use a different vowel pattern (הֵיטִיב from יָטַב), but הוֹ- is the dominant sub-paradigm.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: הוֹרִיד — הוֹ prefix (holem-vav) + chiriq in second syllable
- Imperfect 3ms: יוֹרִיד — holem-vav under prefix consonant + chiriq
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיּוֹרֵד — dagesh in י (contraction of וַיּ) + holem-vav + tsere
- Imperative 2ms: הוֹרֵד — הוֹ prefix + tsere
- Participle ms: מוֹרִיד — מוֹ prefix (holem-vav) + chiriq

Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

→ Full PGN tables: hiphil-weak-pe-paradigms.md

Key Corpus Examples

• הוֹצִיא (Gen 15:7) — "I brought you out" — perfect 1cs (הוֹצֵאתִי); הוֹ prefix unmistakable
• וַיּוֹצֵא (Gen 1:12) — "and [the earth] brought forth" — wayyiqtol; holem-vav under יּ
• יוֹרִיד (1 Sam 2:6) — "he brings down to Sheol" — imperfect 3ms; הוֹ/יוֹ pattern
• הוֹרִד (Gen 39:1) — "Joseph was brought down" — perfect 3ms Hophal (for contrast); note הוֹ without chiriq

8. Biconsonantal (II-י/ו) Verbs

Pattern

Biconsonantal roots have only two true consonants (R1 and R3), with a medial long vowel that is historically a middle radical (R2 = י or ו). In the Hiphil, these roots use הֵ- as the perfect prefix (tsere under הֵ), and the root's medial vowel (holem-vav or hireq-yod) appears in the perfect. In the imperfect, the prefix takes patach (standard Hiphil) but the root's long vowel contracts: יָקִים from קוּם.

The key to identifying this class: the expected chiriq-yod of the Hiphil is replaced by the root's own medial vowel letter.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: הֵקִים — הֵ prefix (tsere); chiriq + yod-vav medial cluster; ends in R3 (ם)
- Perfect 3ms (שׂים): הֵשִׂים — הֵ prefix; chiriq + yod medial; ends in מ
- Imperfect 3ms: יָקִים — qamets under prefix (not the usual patach); chiriq + yod
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיָּקֶם — dagesh in י; qamets; short seghol final
- Imperative 2ms: הָקֵם — הָ prefix (qamets); tsere final
- Participle ms: מֵקִים — מֵ prefix (tsere); chiriq-yod

Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

→ Full PGN tables: hiphil-weak-biconsonantal-paradigms.md

Key Corpus Examples

• הֵקִים (Gen 6:18) — "I will establish my covenant" — perfect 1cs (הֲקִמֹתִי); הֵ prefix in 3ms
• וַיָּקֶם (Gen 23:20) — "it was deeded" — wayyiqtol apocopated form; qamets + seghol
• יָקִים (Deu 18:15) — "he will raise up" — imperfect 3ms; qamets prefix vowel
• מֵקִים (1 Sam 2:8) — "he raises up the poor" — participle ms; מֵ prefix with tsere

9. Geminate (Ayin-Doubled, II=III) Verbs

Pattern

Geminate roots (R2 = R3) in the Hiphil produce forms that are nearly identical to the Biconsonantal (Hollow) Hiphil. The הֵ prefix (tsere) in the perfect, qamets under the imperfect prefix, and מֵ prefix in the participle are all shared. The only reliable distinguisher is knowing the root: Biconsonantal roots contain a hollow vowel letter (ו/י) as the medial consonant, while Geminate roots have an identical repeated R2/R3 consonant.

Diagnostic markers:
- Perfect 3ms: הֵסֵב — tsere under הֵ; same as Biconsonantal הֵקִים. Root examination required.
- Imperfect 3ms: יָסֵב — qamets under prefix consonant (יָ); same as Biconsonantal יָקִים
- Wayyiqtol 3ms: וַיָּסֶב — qamets + contracted root + seghol; same as Biconsonantal וַיָּקֶם
- Imperative 2ms: הָסֵב — qamets under הָ; same as Biconsonantal הָקֵם
- Participle ms: מֵסֵב — tsere under מֵ; same as Biconsonantal מֵקִים

Paradigm Summary (3ms per conjugation)

→ Full PGN tables: hiphil-weak-geminate-paradigms.md

Key Corpus Examples

• הֵסֵב (1 Kgs 21:4) — "he turned his face toward the wall" — perfect 3ms Hiphil from סָבַב (causative: "turned"); הֵ prefix unmistakable
• וַיָּסֶב (Josh 6:14) — "they marched around the city" — wayyiqtol 3ms; the Jericho narrative uses this root repeatedly
• הָסֵב (2 Sam 2:22) — "turn aside from following me" — imperative 2ms; qamets under הָ; Abner commands Asahel
• יָסֵב (Isa 44:20) — "a deluded heart has led him astray" — imperfect 3ms; qamets prefix; Hiphil of causation

10. High-Frequency Weak Hiphil Lemmas

The following roots are among the most common weak-class Hiphil lemmas in the OT. Frequency counts represent Hiphil tokens only.

Sources: MACULA Hebrew WLC (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · BBH = Pratico & Van Pelt, Basics of Biblical Hebrew, 3rd ed.