Chapter 31 — Piel Semantic Function Sort (Weak Roots)

BBH Chapter 31 · Piel Weak Verbs

Classify each Piel verb as I (Intensive), F (Factitive), It (Iterative), SA (Simple Action), or DN (Denominative). All roots are weak. Type your answer in the Function column, then click ▶ Answer to check.

Code	Function	Key diagnostic question
I	Intensive	Does the subject do the Qal action more forcefully, completely, or repeatedly?
F	Factitive	Does the subject cause an object to enter a state? (Stative Qal root.)
It	Iterative	Does the Piel mark repeated or ongoing action? (e.g., הָלַךְ → הִלֵּךְ, to pace)
SA	Simple Action	Is the Piel the standard form with no common Qal equivalent?
DN	Denominative	Is the Piel verb built on a noun and performs that noun's characteristic action?

Code

Function

Key diagnostic question

Intensive

Does the subject do the Qal action more forcefully, completely, or repeatedly?

Factitive

Does the subject cause an object to enter a state? (Stative Qal root.)

Iterative

Does the Piel mark repeated or ongoing action? (e.g., הָלַךְ → הִלֵּךְ, to pace)

Simple Action

Is the Piel the standard form with no common Qal equivalent?

Denominative

Is the Piel verb built on a noun and performs that noun's characteristic action?

Tip: Does the subject do the action more forcefully/completely? → Intensive. Does the subject cause something to become a certain way (stative Qal root)? → Factitive. Does the Piel mark repeated or ongoing action? → Iterative (e.g., הָלַךְ → הִלֵּךְ, to pace). No common Qal? → Simple Action. Built on a noun? → Denominative. Built on a noun → Denominative.

#	Hebrew Form	Conjugation	Root	Ref	Contextual Gloss
1	בֵּרַךְ	Perfect 3ms	ברך	Gen 1:28	"God blessed them"
I — Intensive. Qal ברך ("to kneel") is rare and not used for blessing; Piel is the standard, intensive bestowal of divine favor. Middle radical ר (quasi-guttural) resists dagesh forte → compensatory lengthening: bēr- (tsere) instead of expected bir-.
2	גִּלָּה	Perfect 3ms	גלה	Gen 35:7	"God revealed himself to him"
I — Intensive. Qal גָּלָה = "to uncover / go into exile"; Piel = "to reveal completely, disclose thoroughly." III-ה root: dagesh forte in ל (R-2), ה falls away in perfect 3ms.
3	חִזֵּק	Perfect 3ms	חזק	Exo 4:21	"I will harden his heart"
F — Factitive. Qal חָזַק = stative "to be strong / hard"; Piel = "to cause to be in that state → harden." Classic Factitive. R-1 ח (guttural) resists dagesh → virtual doubling only; no visible dagesh in ח.
4	כִּלָּה	Perfect 3ms	כלה	Gen 2:2	"God finished his work"
I or F — both defensible. Qal כָּלָה = stative "to be complete / exhausted"; Piel = "to bring to completion" (Factitive) or "to finish thoroughly, destroy" (Intensive). III-ה root: dagesh forte in ל (R-2), ה drops.
5	צִוָּה	Perfect 3ms	צוה	Gen 2:16	"the LORD commanded the man"
SA — Simple Action. No common Qal of צוה with the meaning "to command"; Piel is the standard biblical form. III-ה/III-ו root: dagesh forte in ו (R-2 = waw), ה drops in the 3ms perfect.
6	בֵּרֲכוּ	Perfect 3cp	ברך	—	"they blessed"
I — Intensive. Same root as #1 (ברך); 3cp perfect. Note the hateph-pathach under ר in the 3cp form — ר (quasi-guttural) prefers a composite shewa over a simple vocal shewa.
7	יְבָרֵךְ	Imperfect 3ms	ברך	Psa 115:12	"the LORD will bless"
I — Intensive. Piel imperfect 3ms of ברך; same semantic analysis as #1. The יְ prefix + qamets under ב (compensatory for missing dagesh in ר) = characteristic Piel imperfect vowel pattern.
8	יְצַוֶּה	Imperfect 3ms	צוה	—	"he will command"
SA — Simple Action. Piel imperfect 3ms of צוה; no Qal for "to command." The III-ה ending partially contracts in the imperfect, producing the form יְצַוֶּה (ה partially preserved with tsere).
9	וַיְבָרֶךְ	Wayyiqtol 3ms	ברך	Gen 1:22	"God blessed them"
I — Intensive. Wayyiqtol 3ms of ברך; same semantic function as #1 and #7. Piel wayyiqtol = waw-consecutive + Piel imperfect with pausal-style seghol on final syllable (וַיְבָרֶךְ).
10	וַיְצַו	Wayyiqtol 3ms	צוה	Gen 3:11	"which I commanded you"
SA — Simple Action. Wayyiqtol 3ms of צוה; III-ה root drops ה entirely in the wayyiqtol (וַיְצַו — the ה is gone). No Qal for commanding; Piel is always the primary form.
11	חִיָּה	Perfect 3ms	חיה	Gen 47:25	"you have kept us alive"
F — Factitive. Qal חָיָה = stative "to be alive / to live"; Piel = "to cause to live → preserve, keep alive." Classic Factitive. III-ה root: dagesh forte in י (R-2), ה preserved in 3ms perfect.
12	שִׁלֵּם	Perfect 3ms	שׁלם	Exo 22:2	"he shall make full restitution"
I or F — both defensible. Qal שָׁלֵם = stative "to be complete / at peace"; Piel = "to pay in full, make restitution." Factitive reading: cause to be whole. Intensive reading: pay thoroughly/completely. Legal context ("full restitution") supports either.
13	עִנָּה	Perfect 3ms	ענה	Gen 15:13	"they will afflict them"
F — Factitive. Qal עָנָה II = stative "to be bowed down / afflicted / humbled"; Piel = "to cause affliction → afflict, oppress, humble." Classic Factitive. I-guttural (ע) + III-ה root: dagesh in נ (R-2), ה drops.
14	כִּנָּה	Perfect 3ms	כנה	Isa 45:4	"I gave you a title"
DN — Denominative. From noun כִּנּוּי ("title, honorific epithet"); Piel כִּנָּה = "to give a title / confer an honorific name." No stative or active Qal with this meaning; the verb enacts the noun's concept. III-ה root.
15	בִּקֵּשׁ	Perfect 3ms	בקש	Gen 37:15	"what are you seeking?"
SA — Simple Action. No common Qal of בקש; "to seek / look for" is the Piel's primary function. Strong root; בִּקֵּשׁ serves as the standard paradigm verb in BBH for illustrating Piel morphology.
16	יְבַקֵּשׁ	Imperfect 3ms	בקש	—	"he will seek"
SA — Simple Action. Piel imperfect 3ms of בקש; same analysis as #15. The יְ prefix + pathach under ב + dagesh in ק = standard Piel imperfect strong pattern.
17	גִּלָּה	Perfect 3ms	גלה	Amo 3:7	"he reveals his secret to his servants"
I — Intensive. Same root and form as #2 (גלה). Context (Amos 3:7): God intentionally discloses prophetic secrets to his servants — a deliberate, complete act of revelation. Intensive Piel of the Qal "to uncover."
18	שִׁנָּה	Perfect 3ms	שׁנה	—	"he changed / altered"
I — Intensive. Qal שָׁנָה = "to change, repeat, do again"; Piel = "to alter thoroughly, change completely." III-ה root: dagesh forte in נ (R-2), ה drops in 3ms perfect.
19	חִזְּקוּ	Perfect 3cp	חזק	—	"they strengthened / encouraged"
F — Factitive. Same root as #3 (חזק); 3cp perfect. Qal = stative "to be strong"; Piel 3cp = "they caused [others] to be strong → they strengthened / encouraged." Classic Factitive.
20	בִּנָּה	Perfect 3ms	בנה	1 Kgs 6:2	"Solomon built the house"
I — Intensive. Qal בָּנָה = "to build"; Piel = "to build thoroughly / construct comprehensively." Building the Temple is the paradigmatic case of intensive construction. III-ה root: dagesh forte in נ (R-2), ה drops.
21	מְרַחֶפֶת	Participle fs	רחף	Gen 1:2	"hovering over the face of the waters"
It — Iterative. Qal רחף = "to hover/flutter" (occurs only here in the OT). Piel = to flutter repeatedly over a surface — sustained, back-and-forth motion. The Spirit of God hovering over the waters is ongoing, iterative movement. II-Guttural root: ח cannot take dagesh forte → virtual doubling (compensatory lengthening in preceding vowel).
22	וַיְהַלֵּךְ	Wayyiqtol 3ms	הלך	1 Kgs 21:27	"he walked softly about in mourning"
It — Iterative. Qal הָלַךְ = "to walk" (a single journey); Piel הִלֵּךְ = "to walk about, to pace" — repeated back-and-forth motion. BBH's own textbook example for Iterative Piel. Ahab pacing in sackcloth after Elijah's rebuke (1 Kgs 21:27) = iterative, ongoing walking. I-He weak root; the ה of the root elides in Piel forms.

Hebrew Form

Conjugation

Root

Ref

Contextual Gloss

Function

בֵּרַךְ

Perfect 3ms

ברך

Gen 1:28

"God blessed them"

I — Intensive. Qal ברך ("to kneel") is rare and not used for blessing; Piel is the standard, intensive bestowal of divine favor. Middle radical ר (quasi-guttural) resists dagesh forte → compensatory lengthening: bēr- (tsere) instead of expected bir-.

גִּלָּה

Perfect 3ms

גלה

Gen 35:7

"God revealed himself to him"

I — Intensive. Qal גָּלָה = "to uncover / go into exile"; Piel = "to reveal completely, disclose thoroughly." III-ה root: dagesh forte in ל (R-2), ה falls away in perfect 3ms.

חִזֵּק

Perfect 3ms

חזק

Exo 4:21

"I will harden his heart"

F — Factitive. Qal חָזַק = stative "to be strong / hard"; Piel = "to cause to be in that state → harden." Classic Factitive. R-1 ח (guttural) resists dagesh → virtual doubling only; no visible dagesh in ח.

כִּלָּה

Perfect 3ms

כלה

Gen 2:2

"God finished his work"

I or F — both defensible. Qal כָּלָה = stative "to be complete / exhausted"; Piel = "to bring to completion" (Factitive) or "to finish thoroughly, destroy" (Intensive). III-ה root: dagesh forte in ל (R-2), ה drops.

צִוָּה

Perfect 3ms

צוה

Gen 2:16

"the LORD commanded the man"

SA — Simple Action. No common Qal of צוה with the meaning "to command"; Piel is the standard biblical form. III-ה/III-ו root: dagesh forte in ו (R-2 = waw), ה drops in the 3ms perfect.

בֵּרֲכוּ

Perfect 3cp

ברך

—

"they blessed"

I — Intensive. Same root as #1 (ברך); 3cp perfect. Note the hateph-pathach under ר in the 3cp form — ר (quasi-guttural) prefers a composite shewa over a simple vocal shewa.

יְבָרֵךְ

Imperfect 3ms

ברך

Psa 115:12

"the LORD will bless"

I — Intensive. Piel imperfect 3ms of ברך; same semantic analysis as #1. The יְ prefix + qamets under ב (compensatory for missing dagesh in ר) = characteristic Piel imperfect vowel pattern.

יְצַוֶּה

Imperfect 3ms

צוה

—

"he will command"

SA — Simple Action. Piel imperfect 3ms of צוה; no Qal for "to command." The III-ה ending partially contracts in the imperfect, producing the form יְצַוֶּה (ה partially preserved with tsere).

וַיְבָרֶךְ

Wayyiqtol 3ms

ברך

Gen 1:22

"God blessed them"

I — Intensive. Wayyiqtol 3ms of ברך; same semantic function as #1 and #7. Piel wayyiqtol = waw-consecutive + Piel imperfect with pausal-style seghol on final syllable (וַיְבָרֶךְ).

וַיְצַו

Wayyiqtol 3ms

צוה

Gen 3:11

"which I commanded you"

SA — Simple Action. Wayyiqtol 3ms of צוה; III-ה root drops ה entirely in the wayyiqtol (וַיְצַו — the ה is gone). No Qal for commanding; Piel is always the primary form.

חִיָּה

Perfect 3ms

חיה

Gen 47:25

"you have kept us alive"

F — Factitive. Qal חָיָה = stative "to be alive / to live"; Piel = "to cause to live → preserve, keep alive." Classic Factitive. III-ה root: dagesh forte in י (R-2), ה preserved in 3ms perfect.

שִׁלֵּם

Perfect 3ms

שׁלם

Exo 22:2

"he shall make full restitution"

I or F — both defensible. Qal שָׁלֵם = stative "to be complete / at peace"; Piel = "to pay in full, make restitution." Factitive reading: cause to be whole. Intensive reading: pay thoroughly/completely. Legal context ("full restitution") supports either.

עִנָּה

Perfect 3ms

ענה

Gen 15:13

"they will afflict them"

F — Factitive. Qal עָנָה II = stative "to be bowed down / afflicted / humbled"; Piel = "to cause affliction → afflict, oppress, humble." Classic Factitive. I-guttural (ע) + III-ה root: dagesh in נ (R-2), ה drops.

כִּנָּה

Perfect 3ms

כנה

Isa 45:4

"I gave you a title"

DN — Denominative. From noun כִּנּוּי ("title, honorific epithet"); Piel כִּנָּה = "to give a title / confer an honorific name." No stative or active Qal with this meaning; the verb enacts the noun's concept. III-ה root.

בִּקֵּשׁ

Perfect 3ms

בקש

Gen 37:15

"what are you seeking?"

SA — Simple Action. No common Qal of בקש; "to seek / look for" is the Piel's primary function. Strong root; בִּקֵּשׁ serves as the standard paradigm verb in BBH for illustrating Piel morphology.

יְבַקֵּשׁ

Imperfect 3ms

בקש

—

"he will seek"

SA — Simple Action. Piel imperfect 3ms of בקש; same analysis as #15. The יְ prefix + pathach under ב + dagesh in ק = standard Piel imperfect strong pattern.

גִּלָּה

Perfect 3ms

גלה

Amo 3:7

"he reveals his secret to his servants"

I — Intensive. Same root and form as #2 (גלה). Context (Amos 3:7): God intentionally discloses prophetic secrets to his servants — a deliberate, complete act of revelation. Intensive Piel of the Qal "to uncover."

שִׁנָּה

Perfect 3ms

שׁנה

—

"he changed / altered"

I — Intensive. Qal שָׁנָה = "to change, repeat, do again"; Piel = "to alter thoroughly, change completely." III-ה root: dagesh forte in נ (R-2), ה drops in 3ms perfect.

חִזְּקוּ

Perfect 3cp

חזק

—

"they strengthened / encouraged"

F — Factitive. Same root as #3 (חזק); 3cp perfect. Qal = stative "to be strong"; Piel 3cp = "they caused [others] to be strong → they strengthened / encouraged." Classic Factitive.

בִּנָּה

Perfect 3ms

בנה

1 Kgs 6:2

"Solomon built the house"

I — Intensive. Qal בָּנָה = "to build"; Piel = "to build thoroughly / construct comprehensively." Building the Temple is the paradigmatic case of intensive construction. III-ה root: dagesh forte in נ (R-2), ה drops.

מְרַחֶפֶת

Participle fs

רחף

Gen 1:2

"hovering over the face of the waters"

It — Iterative. Qal רחף = "to hover/flutter" (occurs only here in the OT). Piel = to flutter repeatedly over a surface — sustained, back-and-forth motion. The Spirit of God hovering over the waters is ongoing, iterative movement. II-Guttural root: ח cannot take dagesh forte → virtual doubling (compensatory lengthening in preceding vowel).

וַיְהַלֵּךְ

Wayyiqtol 3ms

הלך

1 Kgs 21:27

"he walked softly about in mourning"

It — Iterative. Qal הָלַךְ = "to walk" (a single journey); Piel הִלֵּךְ = "to walk about, to pace" — repeated back-and-forth motion. BBH's own textbook example for Iterative Piel. Ahab pacing in sackcloth after Elijah's rebuke (1 Kgs 21:27) = iterative, ongoing walking. I-He weak root; the ה of the root elides in Piel forms.