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)
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”