ch25-function-sort

Chapter 25 — Niphal Weak

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BBH Chapter 25 · Niphal Weak Verbs

A 20-item drill using weak-root Niphal forms exclusively (I-נ, III-ה, hollow, and guttural roots). Students classify each form as Passive (P), Reflexive/Reciprocal (R), or Simple Action (SA) based on the provided gloss and reference. Several items are intentionally ambiguous (e.g., items 1, 3, 16, 18, 20) to train students in the Niphal's inherent semantic flexibility. Roots include: גלה, ראה, עשׂה, בנה, נפל, נגש, נגד, נגע, נכה, עלה, כון, שׁים, שׁוב.

Sample Questions

Q1. 1 נִגְלָה Perf. 3ms Gen 35:7 "God was revealed to him"

A: P (or R) — "was revealed." Passive in that God's presence is disclosed to Jacob; also analyzed as reflexive (he revealed himself). Both are acceptable.

Q2. 2 יִפָּל Imperf. 3ms Gen 14:10 "the kings fell into the tar pits"

A: SA — "he fell." The Niphal is the standard intransitive form of נפל; no passive sense (falling is not done to someone).

Q3. 3 נִרְאָה Perf. 3ms Gen 12:7 "the LORD appeared to Abram"

A: R (or P) — "appeared / revealed himself." The LORD makes himself visible; reflexive element is strong (he showed himself), though "was seen" (passive) is also grammatically valid.