Chapter 26 — "Spot the Hiphil" Passage Exercise

Genesis 6–8 · Genesis 22 · Deuteronomy 7

Instructions: For each numbered verb, answer Is it Hiphil? (Yes / No). Then for every verb:
  1. Parse it — give the conjugation, PGN (use — for non-finite forms), and root.
  2. State the semantic function (Causative / Declarative / Factitive / Simple action — or "NOT Hiphil" for distractors).
Distractors (#1, #18, #22) include Niphal and Qal verbs from the same passages. Click ▶ Answer on any row to reveal the correct parsing inline.

Passage A — Genesis 6:12–20

6:12
וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְהִנֵּ֣ה נִשְׁחָ֑תָה כִּֽי־הִשְׁחִ֧ית כָּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר אֶת־דַּרְכּ֖וֹ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ
"And God saw the earth, and behold, it [1] ____; for all flesh had [2] ____ its way upon the earth."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
1 נִשְׁחָתָה
✗ נִשְׁחָתָה No Weqatal 3fs שָׁחַת NOT Hiphil — Niphal passive: was corrupt; נ assimilates: Niphal weqatal passive
2 הִשְׁחִית
✓ הִשְׁחִית Yes Perfect (qatal) 3ms שָׁחַת Causative — had corrupted
6:13
הִנְנִ֤י מַשְׁחִיתָם֙ עִם־הָאָ֔רֶץ
"Behold, I am [3] ____ them with the earth."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
3 מַשְׁחִיתָם
✓ מַשְׁחִיתָם Yes Participle ms + 3mp sfx שָׁחַת Causative — destroying them
6:17
וַאֲנִ֗י הִנְנִ֤י מֵבִיא֙ אֶת־הַמַּבּ֣וּל מַ֔יִם עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ
"As for me, behold, I am [4] ____ the flood of waters upon the earth."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
4 מֵבִיא
✓ מֵבִיא Yes Participle ms בּוֹא Causative — bringing
6:18
וַהֲקִמֹתִ֥י אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ
"But I will [5] ____ my covenant with you."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
5 וַהֲקִמֹתִי
✓ וַהֲקִמֹתִי Yes Weqatal 1cs קוּם Factitive — I will establish
6:19
מִכָּל־בָּשָׂר֙ שְׁנַ֣יִם מִכֹּ֔ל תָּבִ֥יא אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֖ה
"Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall [6] ____ two of every kind into the ark."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
6 תָּבִיא
✓ תָּבִיא Yes Imperfect 2ms בּוֹא Causative — you shall bring
6:19–20
לְהַחֲיֹת֙ אִתָּֽךְ … לְהַחֲיֽוֹת
"to [7] ____ them alive with you … to [8] ____ them"
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
7 לְהַחֲיֹת
✓ לְהַחֲיֹת Yes Inf. Construct — חָיָה Causative — to keep alive
8 לְהַחֲיוֹת
✓ לְהַחֲיוֹת Yes Inf. Construct — חָיָה Causative — to keep alive

Passage B — Genesis 7:4

7:4
כִּ֣י לְיָמִ֗ים ע֚וֹד שִׁבְעָ֔ה אָנֹכִ֥י מַמְטִ֣יר עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם
"For in seven days I will [9] ____ rain on the earth forty days."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
9 מַמְטִיר
✓ מַמְטִיר Yes Participle ms מָטַר Causative/Denominative — causing rain to fall

Passage C — Genesis 8:1–21

8:1
וַיַּ֤עֲבֵר אֱלֹהִים֙ ר֣וּחַ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ
"And God [10] ____ a wind over the earth."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
10 וַיַּעֲבֵר
✓ וַיַּעֲבֵר Yes Wayyiqtol 3ms עָבַר Causative — caused to pass over
8:9
וַיָּבֵ֥א אֹתָ֛הּ אֵלָ֖יו אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה
"And he [11] ____ her back to him into the ark."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
11 וַיָּבֵא
✓ וַיָּבֵא Yes Wayyiqtol 3ms בּוֹא Causative — brought
8:13
וַיָּ֤סַר נֹ֙חַ֙ אֶת־מִכְסֵ֣ה הַתֵּבָ֔ה
"And Noah [12] ____ the covering of the ark."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
12 וַיָּסַר
✓ וַיָּסַר Yes Wayyiqtol 3ms סוּר Causative — removed
8:17
הַיְצֵ֣א אִתָּ֗ךְ כָּל־הַחַיָּ֤ה
"[13] ____ with you every living thing."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
13 הַיְצֵא
✓ הַיְצֵא Yes Imperative 2ms יָצָא Causative — bring out!
8:20
וַיַּ֥עַל עֹלֹ֖ת בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ
"And he [14] ____ burnt offerings on the altar."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
14 וַיַּעַל
✓ וַיַּעַל Yes Wayyiqtol 3ms עָלָה Causative — offered up
8:21
לֹֽא־אֹ֠סִף לְהַכֹּ֨ת אֶת־כָּל־חַ֜י
"I will never again [15] ____ every living thing."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
15 לְהַכֹּת
✓ לְהַכֹּת Yes Inf. Construct — נָכָה Causative — to strike down

Passage D — Genesis 22:17 (Infinitive Absolute)

22:17
כִּי בָרֵ֣ךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ֗ וְהַרְבָּ֨ה אַרְבֶּ֤ה אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם
"For I will surely bless you, and I will [16] ____ [17] ____ your offspring as the stars of heaven."
⚠ Watch out: בָּרֵךְ and אֲבָרֶכְךָ are Piel forms of בָּרַךְ ("to bless") — not Hiphil. Parse only the two bolded verbs.
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
16 וְהַרְבָּה
✓ וְהַרְבָּה Yes Inf. Absolute — רָבָה Causative — emphatic modifier (multiplying / surely)
17 אַרְבֶּה
✓ אַרְבֶּה Yes Imperfect 1cs רָבָה Causative — I will multiply

Passage E — Deuteronomy 7:2 (Weqatal + Emphatic Pair)

7:2
וּנְתָנָ֞ם יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ וְהִכִּיתָ֖ם הַכֵּ֣ה תַכֶּ֑ה לֹא־תִכְרֹ֥ת לָהֶ֛ם בְּרִ֖ית
"When the LORD your God [18] ____ them over to you, you shall [19] ____ them — [20] ____ [21] ____ them — you shall [22] ____ no covenant with them."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
18 וּנְתָנָם
✗ וּנְתָנָם No Perfect 3ms (+ 3mp sfx) נָתַן NOT Hiphil — Qal: gives them over; Qal perfect with 3mp object suffix
19 וְהִכִּיתָם
✓ וְהִכִּיתָם Yes Weqatal 2ms נָכָה Causative — and you shall strike them
20 הַכֵּה
✓ הַכֵּה Yes Inf. Absolute — נָכָה Causative — emphatic modifier (striking / certainly)
21 תַכֶּה
✓ תַכֶּה Yes Imperfect 2ms נָכָה Causative — you shall strike
22 תִכְרֹת
✗ תִכְרֹת No Imperfect 2ms כָּרַת NOT Hiphil — Qal: you shall make (covenant); plain Qal imperfect; no הִ prefix

Bonus — Genesis 6:1, 6:10

6:1
כִּֽי־הֵחֵ֣ל הָאָדָ֔ם לָרֹ֖ב
"When man began to multiply…"
6:10
וַיּ֥וֹלֶד נֹ֖חַ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה בָנִ֑ים
"And Noah fathered three sons."
#VerbHiphil?ConjugationPGNRootStem / Function
B1 הֵחֵל
✓ הֵחֵל Yes Perfect (qatal) 3ms חָלַל Causative — began (Hiphil of חָלַל = "to begin"; idiomatic)
B2 וַיּוֹלֶד
✓ וַיּוֹלֶד Yes Wayyiqtol 3ms יָלַד Causative — fathered / begat
Answer-key notes:
• #2 הִשְׁחִית and B1 הֵחֵל are Perfect (qatal), not Weqatal — both follow כִּי with no waw prefix.
• #1 נִשְׁחָתָה is Niphal (passive); #2 הִשְׁחִית is Hiphil (active causative) — same root שָׁחַת, different stems in the same verse.
• #16–17 and #20–21 illustrate the emphatic inf. absolute + imperfect construction: the inf. absolute intensifies the following finite verb ("shall certainly strike").
Score: 19 Hiphil + 3 non-Hiphil + 2 bonus = 24 total (distractors #1, #18, #22 are unscored practice).   21–24 = excellent  |  16–20 = review the paradigm  |  below 16 = revisit §26.3–26.13

Conjugation Coverage

ConjugationVerbs
Wayyiqtol (5)#10, #11, #12, #14, B2
Inf. Construct (3)#7, #8, #15
Participle (3)#3, #4, #9
Imperfect (3)#6, #17, #21
Perfect / qatal (2)#2, B1
Weqatal (2)#5, #19
Inf. Absolute (2)#16, #20
Imperative (1)#13
Non-Hiphil (3)#1 (Niphal Weqatal 3fs), #18 (Qal Weqatal 3ms), #22 (Qal Imperfect 2ms)

Reflection Questions

  1. Wayyiqtol dominates in Gen 6–8 but is absent from Passages D and E. What does this tell you about how genre — narrative vs. divine oracle (Gen 22) vs. legal instruction (Deut 7) — shapes conjugation choice in the Hiphil?
  2. Both Passage D (Gen 22:17) and Passage E (Deut 7:2) use the emphatic inf. absolute + imperfect pattern. What does the inf. absolute add beyond a plain imperfect? Are the two contexts — promise and command — using the emphasis for the same rhetorical purpose?
  3. In Gen 6–8, God is the subject of nearly every Hiphil; Noah appears as subject only at #12 and #14. What does this distribution of agency tell you about the theological architecture of the flood narrative?