Lesson 9 | Stems
[4] Piel and Pual
As the qal and niphal go together as active-passive counterparts, so too the piel and pual. The difference is that the meaning is not merely simple, but intensified.
For example, take the verb פָּתַח. In the qal, this word means simply to “open.” However, it is also used in the piel where it can mean to “unstrap” (an animal that is bound, or the sackcloth around your waist, or your armor) or to “unlatch” a door or even to “free” a prisoner. In all these cases, the base meaning “open” is being intensified and hence the piel stem was used.
That being said, how intensive a meaning has to be so as to justify the piel over the qal is inherently subjective. Thus, not too much should be read into a piel stem, especially if the same word does not appear in the qal as well. In addition, the piel will sometimes be extra intensive and carry a causal meaning—something typically reserved for the hiphil stem. For example, the verb שָׂמֵחַ means to “be happy” in the qal, and to “make someone happy” in the piel.
Let’s take a look at a verb commonly appearing in the piel and pual, כָּפַר. It appears 92x in the piel and 7x in the pual stem.
piel & pual perfect for כָּפַר
| 1cs | כִּפַּרְתִּי | כֻּפַּרְתִּי | I atoned / was atoned for |
| 1cp | כִּפַּרְנוּ | we atoned | |
| 2ms | כִּפַּרְתָּ | you [sir] atoned | |
| 2fs | כִּפַּרְתְּ | you [ma’am] atoned | |
| 2mp | כִּפַּרְתֶּם | you all atoned | |
| 2fp | |||
| 3ms | כִּפֵּר | כֻּפַּר | he atoned / was atoned for |
| 3fs | כִּפְּרָה | כֻּפְּרָה | she atoned / was atoned for |
| 3cp | כִּפְּרוּ | כֻּפְּרוּ | they atoned / were atoned for |
Here, you will notice that the distinctions in these stems are found in the vowel markings they employ.
Identifying features (piel):
- The chirik vowel under the first letter of the root
- The dagesh in the second letter of the root
Identifying features (pual):
- The kubutz vowel under the first letter of the root
- The dagesh in the second letter of the root
Practice
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שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ
What is the root of שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ?
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Is שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ derived from a hollow verb?
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Does שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ’s root begin or end with a weak letter?
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What stem is שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ conjugated in?
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What is the person, gender, and number of שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ? (use this format: e.g. 1cs)
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Highlight and zigzag שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ in the passage above according to its aspect and stem.
In light of these things, שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ could be translated (including the attached pronominal suffix) in the verse above as .
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מָכַ֥רְתִּי
What is the root of מָכַ֥רְתִּי?
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Is מָכַ֥רְתִּי derived from a hollow verb?
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Does מָכַ֥רְתִּי’s root begin or end with a weak letter?
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What stem is מָכַ֥רְתִּי conjugated in?
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What is the person, gender, and number of מָכַ֥רְתִּי? (use this format: e.g. 1cs)
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Highlight and zigzag מָכַ֥רְתִּי in the passage above according to its aspect and stem.
מָכַר — sell
In light of these things, מָכַ֥רְתִּי could be translated in the verse above as .
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נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם
What is the root of נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם?
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Is נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם derived from a hollow verb?
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Does נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם’s root begin or end with a weak letter?
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What stem is נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם conjugated in?
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What is the person, gender, and number of נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם? (use this format: e.g. 1cs)
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Highlight and zigzag נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם in the passage above according to its aspect and stem.
In light of these things, נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם could be translated in the verse above as .
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שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה
What is the root of שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה?
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Is שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה derived from a hollow verb?
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Does שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה’s root begin or end with a weak letter?
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What stem is שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה conjugated in?
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What is the person, gender, and number of שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה? (use this format: e.g. 1cs)
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Highlight and zigzag שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה in the passage above according to its aspect and stem.
In light of these things, שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה could be translated (including the attached pronominal suffix) in the verse above as .
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Piel perfect forms in the songs we’ve learned
We have not seen any pual verbs in the songs we have learned thus far in Hebrew I and II, but there are quite a few piel verbs to note. Here are some of them. Take the time to determine the entire parsing of each verb: stem, aspect, person, gender, and number.
For the word הִלַּלְנוּ, note the chirik vowel underneath the first letter of the root (ה) and middle dot in the second letter of the root (ל). As mentioned above, these are strong cues of the piel stem.
בֵּאלֹהִים הִלַּלְנוּ כָל־הַיּוֹם — “In God we have boasted all the day”
Note that דוֹמַמְתִּי is actually one of those uncommon stems (polel) that can be understood as a mutation of the piel with a ו inserting itself between the first two letters of the root.
וְלֹא־הִלַּכְתִּי בִּגְדֹלוֹת — “and I have not walked in great things”
אִם־לֹא שִׁוִּיתִי וְדוֹמַמְתִּי נַפְשִׁי — “but I have calmed and quieted my soul”
The same indicators are found in the three piel verbs found in this song. Note, however, that one of them has a weak final letter in its root.
בִּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח — “he swallows the death unto eternity”
כִּי יְהוָה דִּבֵּר — “for the Lord has spoken”
קִוִּינוּ לוֹ — “we have hoped in him”