Chapter 29 — Qal–Hiphil–Hophal Contrast Drill (Weak Roots)

BBH Chapter 29 · Hophal Weak Verbs

This drill presents five weak-root triplets. Each group shows the same root in Qal / Hiphil / Hophal across three conjugations: Perfect 3ms, Imperfect 3ms, and Participle ms (9 forms per root, 45 total). For each form: (1) identify the stem, (2) parse conjugation and PGN, (3) translate. Click ▶ Answer to reveal the answer row.

Stem distinguishers (weak roots):
Qal Perfect: base root vowels, no prefix (hollow roots contract to one syllable: בָּא, שָׁב, קָם; I-י roots retain initial consonant: יָרַד, יָלַד).
Qal Imperfect: standard יִ/יָ prefix; hollow roots lengthen the root vowel (יָבוֹא, יָשׁוּב, יָקוּם); I-י drops the yod (יֵרֵד, יֵלֵד).
Qal Participle ms: active qotel pattern; hollow roots look identical to Pf 3ms (בָּא, שָׁב, קָם — only context distinguishes); I-י: יֹרֵד, יֹלֵד.
Hiphil Perfect: הֵ prefix + chiriq-yod in hollow stems (הֵבִיא, הֵשִׁיב, הֵקִים); הוֹ in I-י (הוֹרִיד, הוֹלִיד).
Hiphil Imperfect: יָ prefix + chiriq-yod in hollow (יָבִיא, יָשִׁיב, יָקִים); יוֹ prefix in I-י (יוֹרִיד, יוֹלִיד).
Hiphil Participle ms: מֵ prefix in hollow (מֵבִיא, מֵשִׁיב, מֵקִים); מוֹ in I-י (מוֹרִיד, מוֹלִיד).
Hophal Perfect: הוּ prefix (Shureq) in all weak roots: הוּבָא, הוּשַׁב, הוּקַם, הוּרַד, הוּלַד.
Hophal Imperfect: יוּ prefix: יוּבָא, יוּשַׁב, יוּקַם, יוּרַד, יוּלַד.
Hophal Participle ms: מוּ prefix: מוּבָא, מוּשָׁב, מוּקָם, מוּרָד, מוּלָד.

Part A — Root: בוא (Hollow) — "to come / to bring / to be brought"

#Hebrew FormStemConjugationPGNTranslation
Perfect 3ms
1 בָּא
✓QalPerfect3ms he came — Hollow root בוא contracts; Qamets under first consonant = Qal Pf 3ms.
2 הֵבִיא
✓HiphilPerfect3ms he brought — הֵ prefix (Tsere) + chiriq-yod in contracted hollow stem.
3 הוּבָא
✓HophalPerfect3ms he was brought — הוּ prefix (Shureq) = Hophal marker; long ā in contracted hollow stem.
Imperfect 3ms
4 יָבוֹא
✓QalImperfect3ms he will come / he comes — יָ prefix; Holem-waw in contracted hollow stem.
5 יָבִיא
✓HiphilImperfect3ms he will bring — יָ prefix + chiriq-yod (Pathach shortens to pathach under stress shift); contrast Qal יָבוֹא.
6 יוּבָא
✓HophalImperfect3ms he will be brought — יוּ prefix (Shureq) = Hophal Imperfect marker for all weak roots.
Participle ms
7 בָּא
✓QalParticiplems one who comes / coming — Hollow Qal Ptc ms = בָּא, identical to Pf 3ms; context (article, agreement) distinguishes.
8 מֵבִיא
✓HiphilParticiplems one who brings / bringing — מֵ prefix (Tsere) + chiriq-yod = Hiphil Ptc of hollow roots.
9 מוּבָא
✓HophalParticiplems one being brought — מוּ prefix (Shureq) = Hophal Ptc marker for all weak roots.

Part B — Root: ירד (I-י) — "to go down / to bring down / to be brought down"

#Hebrew FormStemConjugationPGNTranslation
Perfect 3ms
10 יָרַד
✓QalPerfect3ms he went down — I-י root; base Qamets-Pathach; initial י retained in Perfect.
11 הוֹרִיד
✓HiphilPerfect3ms he brought down — I-י Hiphil: הוֹ prefix (Holem-waw, compensating for dropped י) + chiriq-yod.
12 הוּרַד
✓HophalPerfect3ms he was brought down — הוּ prefix (Shureq); contrast Hiphil הוֹ (Holem-waw) vs. Hophal הוּ (Shureq).
Imperfect 3ms
13 יֵרֵד
✓QalImperfect3ms he will go down — I-י Qal Impf: initial י drops; Tsere prefix-vowel (יֵ) + Tsere in stem (Tsere-Tsere pattern).
14 יוֹרִיד
✓HiphilImperfect3ms he will bring down — I-י Hiphil Impf: יוֹ prefix (Holem-waw) + chiriq-yod.
15 יוּרַד
✓HophalImperfect3ms he will be brought down — יוּ prefix (Shureq); contrast Hiphil יוֹ (Holem-waw) vs. Hophal יוּ (Shureq).
Participle ms
16 יֹרֵד
✓QalParticiplems one going down / descending — I-י Qal Ptc: יֹ prefix (Holem) + Tsere in stem; distinct from Pf 3ms יָרַד.
17 מוֹרִיד
✓HiphilParticiplems one who brings down — I-י Hiphil Ptc: מוֹ prefix (Holem-waw) + chiriq-yod.
18 מוּרָד
✓HophalParticiplems one being brought down — מוּ prefix (Shureq); contrast Hiphil מוֹ (Holem-waw) vs. Hophal מוּ (Shureq).

Part C — Root: שׁוב (Hollow) — "to return / to bring back / to be brought back"

#Hebrew FormStemConjugationPGNTranslation
Perfect 3ms
19 שָׁב
✓QalPerfect3ms he returned — Hollow root שׁוב contracts; Qamets under שׁ = Qal Pf 3ms.
20 הֵשִׁיב
✓HiphilPerfect3ms he returned (it) / brought back — Hollow Hiphil: הֵ prefix (Tsere) + chiriq-yod.
21 הוּשַׁב
✓HophalPerfect3ms he was brought back — הוּ prefix (Shureq) + Pathach; contrast Hiphil הֵשִׁיב (Tsere + chiriq-yod).
Imperfect 3ms
22 יָשׁוּב
✓QalImperfect3ms he will return — יָ prefix; Shureq in contracted hollow stem.
23 יָשִׁיב
✓HiphilImperfect3ms he will bring back / restore — יָ prefix + chiriq-yod; contrast Qal יָשׁוּב (Shureq) vs. Hiphil יָשִׁיב (chiriq-yod).
24 יוּשַׁב
✓HophalImperfect3ms he will be brought back — יוּ prefix (Shureq) = Hophal Imperfect.
Participle ms
25 שָׁב
✓QalParticiplems one returning / returning — Hollow Qal Ptc ms = שָׁב, identical to Pf 3ms; article or noun agreement disambiguates.
26 מֵשִׁיב
✓HiphilParticiplems one who brings back / restoring — מֵ prefix (Tsere) + chiriq-yod = Hiphil Ptc of hollow roots.
27 מוּשָׁב
✓HophalParticiplems one being brought back — מוּ prefix (Shureq) = Hophal Ptc; contrast Hiphil מֵשִׁיב (Tsere + chiriq-yod).

Part D — Root: קום (Hollow) — "to arise / to raise up / to be raised up"

#Hebrew FormStemConjugationPGNTranslation
Perfect 3ms
28 קָם
✓QalPerfect3ms he arose — Hollow root קום contracts to one syllable (קָם); Qamets under first consonant.
29 הֵקִים
✓HiphilPerfect3ms he established / raised up — הֵ prefix (Tsere) + chiriq-yod; used of God establishing covenants
(Exo 6:4)
30 הוּקַם
✓HophalPerfect3ms he was raised up / established — הוּ prefix (Shureq) + Pathach
Exo 40:17: הוּקַם הַמִּשְׁכָּן
Imperfect 3ms
31 יָקוּם
✓QalImperfect3ms he will arise — יָ prefix; Shureq in contracted hollow stem.
32 יָקִים
✓HiphilImperfect3ms he will raise up / establish — יָ prefix + chiriq-yod; contrast Qal יָקוּם (Shureq) vs. Hiphil יָקִים (chiriq-yod).
33 יוּקַם
✓HophalImperfect3ms he will be raised up — יוּ prefix (Shureq) = Hophal Imperfect.
Participle ms
34 קָם
✓QalParticiplems one arising / rising — Hollow Qal Ptc ms = קָם, identical to Pf 3ms; article or predicate position disambiguates in context.
35 מֵקִים
✓HiphilParticiplems one who raises up / establishing — מֵ prefix (Tsere) + chiriq-yod = Hiphil Ptc of hollow roots.
36 מוּקָם
✓HophalParticiplems one being raised up — מוּ prefix (Shureq); contrast Hiphil מֵקִים (Tsere + chiriq-yod).

Part E — Root: ילד (I-י) — "to bear/father / to beget / to be born"

#Hebrew FormStemConjugationPGNTranslation
Perfect 3ms
37 יָלַד
✓QalPerfect3ms he fathered / bore — I-י root; base Qamets-Pathach; initial י retained in Perfect.
38 הוֹלִיד
✓HiphilPerfect3ms he begat / caused to be born — I-י Hiphil: הוֹ prefix (Holem-waw) + chiriq-yod.
39 הוּלַד
✓HophalPerfect3ms he was born — I-י Hophal: הוּ prefix (Shureq); contrast Hiphil הוֹ (Holem-waw).
Imperfect 3ms
40 יֵלֵד
✓QalImperfect3ms he will bear / father — I-י Qal Impf: initial י drops; Tsere prefix-vowel (יֵ) + Tsere in stem.
41 יוֹלִיד
✓HiphilImperfect3ms he will beget / cause to be born — I-י Hiphil Impf: יוֹ prefix (Holem-waw) + chiriq-yod.
42 יוּלַד
✓HophalImperfect3ms he will be born — יוּ prefix (Shureq); contrast Hiphil יוֹ (Holem-waw) vs. Hophal יוּ (Shureq).
Participle ms
43 יֹלֵד
✓QalParticiplems one bearing / fathering — I-י Qal Ptc: יֹ prefix (Holem) + Tsere in stem; distinct from Pf 3ms יָלַד.
44 מוֹלִיד
✓HiphilParticiplems one who begets / begetting — I-י Hiphil Ptc: מוֹ prefix (Holem-waw) + chiriq-yod.
45 מוּלָד
✓HophalParticiplems one being born — מוּ prefix (Shureq); contrast Hiphil מוֹ (Holem-waw) vs. Hophal מוּ (Shureq).
Discussion Questions
  1. Using root בוא (Part A), describe the subject's role in each stem: in the Qal, who is acting? In the Hiphil, who is causing whom to act? In the Hophal, who receives the causation?
  2. Compare the Hiphil Imperfect 3ms forms across all five roots. Hollow roots use יָ + chiriq-yod (יָבִיא, יָשִׁיב, יָקִים); I-י roots use יוֹ + chiriq-yod (יוֹרִיד, יוֹלִיד). What phonological principle explains the יוֹ prefix in I-י Hiphil Imperfect?
  3. Qal Participle ms forms of hollow roots (בָּא, שָׁב, קָם) are identical to the Perfect 3ms. Name two grammatical features in context that allow you to distinguish Participle from Perfect for these forms.
  4. Every Hophal Imperfect 3ms begins with יוּ and every Hophal Participle ms begins with מוּ. How is this single vowel pattern (Shureq) a useful diagnostic for identifying Hophal in all weak-root classes?
  5. The root ילד yields הוּלַד "he was born" (Hophal Pf 3ms) and מוּלָד "one being born" (Hophal Ptc ms). Who is the implied agent causing the birth? How does the Hophal (rather than Niphal) shape theological meaning in birth narratives?