Basics of Biblical Aramaic, Van Pelt — Ch22: The Aphel, Shaphel, and Hophal Stems
This is a capstone review covering all nine Aramaic stems. For each numbered verb form from Daniel or Ezra, enter: Stem (Peal / Peil / Ithpeel / Pael / Ithpaal / Haphel / Aphel / Shaphel / Hophal), Conjugation, Root, PGN, and Translation. Click ▶ Answer to reveal the answer key row.
| Prefix / Marker | R2 Dagesh? | Stem |
|---|---|---|
| No prefix; standard root vowels | no | Peal |
| qəṭīl vowel pattern | no | Peil |
| אִתְ-/הִתְ- prefix | no | Ithpeel |
| No prefix | yes | Pael |
| אִתְ-/הִתְ- prefix | yes | Ithpaal |
| הַ- perf / יְהַ- imperf / מְהַ- ptcp | no | Haphel |
| אַ- prefix, Tsere in R2 | no | Aphel |
| שַׁ-/שֵׁ- prefix | no | Shaphel |
| הֻ- (heh + Qibbuts = u-vowel) | no | Hophal |
| # | Form | Stem | Conjugation | Root | PGN | Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | שֵׁיזִב |
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| Shaphel | Perfect | יזב | 3ms | he delivered / he rescued (Dan. 3:28: שֵׁיזִב לְעַבְדוֹהִי "he delivered his servants"; שֵׁ- = Shaphel prefix with Tsere due to I-yod root; root יזב; the key Shaphel verb in Daniel) | |||
| 2 | הֻנְעַל |
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| Hophal | Perfect | עלל | 3ms | he was brought in (Dan. 5:13: דָּנִיֵּאל הֻנְעַל קֳדָם מַלְכָּא "Daniel was brought in before the king"; הֻ- = Hophal prefix [heh + Qibbuts u-vowel]; passive of Haphel הַעֵל "to bring in"; nun of root assimilates) | |||
| 3 | אַחֲוִי |
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| Aphel | Perfect | חזה | 3ms | he showed / he declared (Dan. 5:12; 7:16; אַ- = Aphel causative prefix [aleph + Pathach]; alternate causative to Haphel; root חזה "to see" → Aphel "to cause to see / to show / to declare"; III-he root with -ִי ending in 3ms perfect) | |||
| 4 | יְשֵׁיזְבִנְּכוֹן |
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| Shaphel | Imperfect | יזב | 3ms + 2mp object suffix | he will deliver you (pl.) / who will deliver you? (Dan. 3:15: מַן הוּא אֱלָהּ דִּי יְשֵׁיזְבִנְּכוֹן "who is the god who will deliver you?"; יְ- imperfect prefix + שֵׁי- Shaphel stem + זְבִן- root + כוֹן 2mp object suffix; Nebuchadnezzar's taunt) | |||
| 5 | לְשֵׁיזָבָה |
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| Shaphel | Infinitive | יזב | N/A | to deliver / to rescue (Dan. 6:15: "he tried to deliver him"; לְ- prefix + שֵׁי- Shaphel + זָ R2 with Qamets [infinitive lengthening] + בָה R3 + -ָה infinitive ending; structure parallels Haphel infinitive) | |||
| 6 | אַסְגִּי |
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| Aphel | Perfect | סגא/סגה | 3ms | he made great / he magnified / he increased (Aphel of סגא/סגה "to be great/many" → Aphel causative "to make great / to increase / to magnify"; אַ- prefix + III-he/III-aleph root; -ִּי ending = III-he Aphel/Haphel 3ms pattern) | |||
| 7 | הֻרְמִי |
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| Hophal | Perfect | רמה | 3ms | he was cast / was thrown (Hophal of III-he root רמה "to throw / cast"; הֻ- = Hophal prefix [heh + Qibbuts]; passive of Haphel causative "to cause to be thrown / to cast" → Hophal "to be cast"; -ִּי = III-he Hophal 3ms ending) | |||
| 8 | שֵׁיזְבָךְ |
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| Shaphel | Perfect | יזב | 3ms + 2ms object suffix | he delivered you (Dan. 6:21: אֱלָהָךְ הוּא שֵׁיזְבָךְ "your God — he has delivered you!"; שֵׁיזְבָ + ךְ 2ms suffix; the king's climactic recognition of Daniel's God as the true deliverer) | |||
| 9 | כְּתַב |
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| Peal | Perfect | כתב | 3ms | he wrote (Peal = G stem, simple active; no prefix, no R2 dagesh, a-vowel under R1; base-level action "to write"; appears in Daniel and Ezra contexts with royal decrees and inscriptions) | |||
| 10 | כְּתִיב |
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| Peil | Participle (stative passive) | כתב | ms | written / it is written (Peil = Gp passive stem; qəṭīl vowel pattern [i-vowel under R2]; no prefix, no dagesh; stative meaning "it stands written / is recorded"; frequently used in Ezra for official documents) | |||
| 11 | אִתְכְּתִב |
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| Ithpeel | Perfect | כתב | 3ms | it was written / was recorded (Ithpeel = Gt reflexive/passive of Peal; אִתְ- prefix [no R2 dagesh]; the process of being written as opposed to the Peil stative; appears in Ezra for royal edicts and records) | |||
| 12 | קַטֵּל |
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| Pael | Perfect | קטל | 3ms | he killed (intensively) / he slaughtered (Pael = D stem; dagesh forte in R2 [טּ] is the defining marker; Pathach under R1 + Tsere under R2; D-stem intensive/declarative/factitive function; parallel to Hebrew Piel) | |||
| 13 | אִתְקַטַּל |
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| Ithpaal | Perfect | קטל | 3ms | he was killed / he was slaughtered (Ithpaal = Dt reflexive/passive of Pael; אִתְ- prefix plus R2 dagesh forte [טּ]; combines the reflexive אִתְ- prefix with the D-stem doubling; the presence of BOTH the אִתְ- prefix AND the R2 dagesh is the decisive Ithpaal marker) | |||
| 14 | הוֹדַע |
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| Haphel | Perfect | ידע | 3ms | he made known / he revealed (Dan. 2:23: הוֹדַעְתַּנִי "you made known to me"; Haphel of I-yod root ידע; הַ- prefix + I-yod contraction → הוֹ-; most common Haphel verb in Daniel; causative of "to know" = "to make known / to reveal") | |||
| 15 | מְהַקְטֵל |
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| Haphel | Participle | קטל | ms | causing to kill (model form); מְ- = derived-stem participle prefix + הַ Haphel marker + קְטֵל strong root; no R2 dagesh (contrast Pael participle מְקַטֵּל which has R2 dagesh); the הַ inside the stem after מְ- is the decisive Haphel participle marker | |||
| 16 | יְהַקְטֵל |
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| Haphel | Imperfect | קטל | 3ms | he will cause to kill (model form); יְ- imperfect prefix + הַ Haphel marker in stem + קְטֵל; the Haphel imperfect is recognized by: imperfect prefix (יְ-/תְּ-) + visible הַ inside the stem; the הַ does not disappear in the imperfect — it remains embedded in the stem | |||
| 17 | מְהוֹדֵעַ |
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| Haphel | Participle | ידע | ms | making known / revealing (Dan. 2:28: גָּלֵא רָזִין מְהוֹדַע; מְ- participle prefix + הוֹ- [Haphel + I-yod contraction] + דֵעַ; the הַ appears as הוֹ- due to I-yod root; III-aleph ַע ending on R3; Haphel participle of ידע) | |||
| 18 | הַקִּים |
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| Haphel | Perfect | קום | 3ms | he set up / he established (Dan. 3:1: "he set it up in the plain of Dura"; Haphel of hollow root קום; הַ- prefix + contracted hollow root → הַקִּים; dagesh in מ is compensatory from hollow root contraction, NOT D-stem doubling; causative of קום "to stand/rise" = "to cause to stand / to set up") | |||
| 19 | מְקַטֵּל |
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| Pael | Participle | קטל | ms | killing intensively / slaughtering (Pael participle ms; מְ- derived-stem participle prefix + קַ R1 Pathach + טּ R2 with dagesh forte [D-stem doubling] + ֵל R2-Tsere + ל R3; the R2 dagesh is the decisive Pael marker; contrast Haphel participle מְהַקְטֵל [no R2 dagesh, but הַ in stem]) | |||
| 20 | יְשֵׁיזִב |
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| Shaphel | Imperfect | יזב | 3ms | he will deliver / he will rescue (Dan. 3:15: base form without suffix; יְ- imperfect prefix + שֵׁי- Shaphel stem + זִב root; Shaphel imperfect of "to deliver"; this form answers Nebuchadnezzar's rhetorical question — the answer of Daniel 3 is: Israel's God will indeed deliver) |