Verbs
The Seven Stems (Binyanim) — Overview
Qal, Nifal, Piel, Pual, Hifil, Hofal, Hithpael: the meaning patterns with one example each.
beginner · 4 min read
Biblical Hebrew verbs are organized into stems (also called binyanim). Each stem modifies the basic meaning of a three-consonant root in a predictable way. There are seven main stems. Recognizing them helps you understand how verbs like "he broke," "it was broken," and "he shattered" are related.
The seven stems
| Stem | Basic pattern | Meaning type | Example root ק.ט.ל |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qal | קָטַל (qāṭal) | simple active | קָטַל — he killed |
| Niphal | נִקְטַל (niqṭal) | passive / reflexive | נִקְטַל — he was killed |
| Piel | קִטֵּל (qiṭṭēl) | intensive / factitive | קִטֵּל — he slaughtered |
| Pual | קֻטַּל (quṭṭal) | intensive passive | קֻטַּל — he was slaughtered |
| Hiphil | הִקְטִיל (hiqṭîl) | causative | הִקְטִיל — he caused to kill |
| Hophal | הָקְטַל (hōqṭal) | causative passive | הָקְטַּל — he was caused to be killed |
| Hitpael | הִתְקַטֵּל (hitqaṭṭēl) | reflexive / reciprocal | הִתְקַטֵּל — he killed himself / fought |
What each stem does
Qal — the simple active stem
Qal is the default stem. Most action verbs you meet will be Qal.
| Root | Qal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| כ.ת.ב | כָּתַב (kāṯav) | he wrote |
| שׁ.מ.ר | שָׁמַר (šāmar) | he kept |
| א.כ.ל | אָכַל (ʾākal) | he ate |
Niphal — passive or middle voice
Niphal often answers the question "what happened to the subject?"
| Root | Qal | Niphal |
|---|---|---|
| פ.ת.ח | פָּתַח (pātaḥ) he opened | נִפְתַּח (niftaḥ) it was opened |
| ר.א.ה | רָאָה (rāʾāh) he saw | נִרְאָה (nirʾāh) he appeared / was seen |
| א.מ.ר | אָמַר (ʾāmar) he said | נֶאֱמַר (neʾemar) it was said |
Piel — intensive action
Piel makes the action more intense, repeated, or causative-of-result.
| Root | Qal | Piel |
|---|---|---|
| שׁ.ל.ח | שָׁלַח (šālaḥ) he sent | שִׁלַּח (šillaḥ) he sent away / divorced |
| ק.ד.שׁ | קָדַשׁ (qādaš) he was holy | קִדֵּשׁ (qiddēš) he sanctified |
| ב.ר.כ | בָּרַךְ (bāraḵ) he knelt / blessed | בֵּרַךְ (bēraḵ) he blessed |
Pual — passive of Piel
| Root | Piel | Pual |
|---|---|---|
| ק.ד.שׁ | קִדֵּשׁ (qiddēš) he sanctified | קֻדַּשׁ (quddaš) it was sanctified |
Hiphil — causative
Hiphil means "cause to X" or "make X happen."
| Root | Qal | Hiphil |
|---|---|---|
| י.ד.ע | יָדַע (yāḏaʿ) he knew | הוֹדִיעַ (hôḏîaʿ) he made known / told |
| ב.ו.א | בָּא (bāʾ) he came | הֵבִיא (hēḇîʾ) he brought |
| מ.ו.ת | מָת (māṯ) he died | הֵמִית (hēmîṯ) he killed / caused to die |
Hophal — passive of Hiphil
| Root | Hiphil | Hophal |
|---|---|---|
| י.ד.ע | הוֹדִיעַ (hôḏîaʿ) he made known | הוֹדַע (hôḏaʿ) it was made known |
Hitpael — reflexive or reciprocal
Hitpael often means "do something to oneself" or "do something to/with one another."
| Root | Hitpael | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ר.ח.צ | הִתְרַחֵץ (hitraḥēṣ) | he washed himself |
| ק.ד.שׁ | הִתְקַדֵּשׁ (hitqaddēš) | he sanctified himself |
| כ.ב.ד | הִתְכַּבֵּד (hitkabbēd) | he honored himself / boasted |
Recognizing stems in the wild
| Starts with | Likely stem |
|---|---|
| no prefix, simple pattern | Qal |
| נִ... | Niphal |
| doubled middle consonant | Piel / Pual |
| הִ... before another consonant | Hiphil |
| הָ... before another consonant | Hophal |
| הִתְ... | Hitpael |
✅ Key takeaways
- There are seven main verb stems in Biblical Hebrew.
- Qal = simple active; Niphal = passive/reflexive.
- Piel = intensive; Pual = passive of Piel.
- Hiphil = causative; Hophal = passive of Hiphil.
- Hitpael = reflexive / reciprocal.
- The same root in different stems creates a family of related meanings.
✏️ Practice
- What stem usually means "causative"?
- Give the Niphal of ק.ט.ל.
- What is the Hitpael pattern?
- Which stem has a doubled middle consonant?
- If הֵמִית (hēmîṯ) means "he caused to die," what stem is it?
Answers
- Hiphil.
- נִקְטַל (niqṭal) — he was killed.
- הִתְקַטֵּל (hitqaṭṭēl).
- Piel and Pual.
- Hiphil (from מ.ו.ת, "to die").