Niphal (נִפְעַל) – Passive or Reflexive
- Voice: Passive or Reflexive
- Function: Usually the passive of the Qal, or a reflexive sense (e.g., “he made himself afraid”).
- Form: נִירָא (nirā) – note this is less commonly attested with this root, but when used, it suggests:
- he was feared (passive)
- or he allowed himself to be afraid (reflexive)
- Example (reconstructed usage):
- הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה נִירָא מְאֹד – “This nation was greatly feared”
- (This would communicate the people became feared by others.)
Hebrew Verbs
In the study of Biblical Hebrew, Qal, Niphal, and Piel refer to three different verb stems (or בניינים binyanim) that indicate the voice, intensity, and function of a verb. These stems are essential for understanding how verbs behave and how meanings shift depending on the structure.
Qal (קַל) – Simple Active
- Voice: Active
- Function: Expresses a basic, direct action — in this case, to fear or to be afraid.
- Form: יָרֵא (yarē)
- Translation: he feared / he was afraid
- Example: וַיִּירָא מְאֹד – “And he was very afraid” (Genesis 32:7)
Niphal (נִפְעַל) – Passive or Reflexive
- Voice: Passive or Reflexive
- Function: Usually the passive of the Qal, or a reflexive sense (e.g., “he made himself afraid”).
- Form: נִירָא (nirā) – note this is less commonly attested with this root, but when used, it suggests:
- he was feared (passive)
- or he allowed himself to be afraid (reflexive)
- Example (reconstructed usage):
- הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה נִירָא מְאֹד – “This nation was greatly feared”
- (This would communicate the people became feared by others.)
Piel (פִּעֵל) – Intensive or Causative Active
- Voice: Active
- Function: Makes the action intensive or causative — to terrify, to cause fear, to instill reverence.
- Form: יִרֵּא (yirrē)
- Translation: he caused fear / he terrified
- Example (theoretical form):
- הוּא יִרֵּא אֶת־הָעָם – “He caused the people to fear”
(This would be used if the speaker wanted to indicate that someone induced fear in others.)
- הוּא יִרֵּא אֶת־הָעָם – “He caused the people to fear”