An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

Deut 12:22
f In the complete passive, the agent may be indicated by a prepositional phrase in בּ (##
14–16) or ל (## 17–19); the means or instrument may be given after בּ (# 20) or ןמ (#
21). 19
14.
הוהיבּ ַ ע ַשׁוֹנ ם ַע a people saved by YHWH
15. םדָ אָ ָבּ םדָ אָ ה ָ םדּ ַ ךְפֹשׁ ֵ
ךְ֑ פֵ ָשִּׁי וֹמדָּ 16. ה ֶשׂ ָעֵי־אֹ ל ה ָכא ָל ְמ־ל ָכּ
םהֶ ָב
17. וּנ ְב ַשׁ ֫ חְ ֶנ תוֹיּרִ ְכ ָנ אוֹלהֲ וֹל
18.
שׁפֶ ֶנ־ל ֫ ָכל ְ ל ֵכאֵי ָ ר ֶשׁ ֲ
19. םהֶ ָל דקַ ְפ ִנ־אֹ לוְ ה ָמוּא֫ ְמ
20. ל ֵכאָ תּ ֵ יתִ אָ נְ ִק שׁאֵ ְבּ י ִכּ
׃ץרֶ אָ ה־ל ָ ָכּ
21.
ר ָשׂ ָבּ־ל ָכּ תרֵ ָכִּי־אֹ
לוְ לוּ ֑בּ ַמּ ה ַ ימֵּ ִמ דוֹע
Deut 33:29
Whoever sheds human blood, by a human shall his
blood be shed.
Gen 9:6
No work may be done by them.
Exod 12:16
Are we not counted as strangers by him?
Gen 31:15
א which is eaten by everyone
Exod 12:16
And nothing has been missed by them.
1 Sam 25:7
Because the whole earth will be consumed by the fire
of my zeal. 20
Zeph 3:8
All flesh shall not again be cut off by the water of the
flood.
Gen 9:11
23.3 Adjectival Species of the Niphal
a The Niphal has several uses which may loosely be called adjectival: these include the
simple adjectival (cf. ‘The wall is broken’), the ingressive-stative (cf. ‘Naomi grew
sad’) and the gerundive (cf. ‘Jonathan is to be loved’). As the examples below
suggest, the ingressive and gerundive are used with both personal and non-personal
subjects, while the simple adjectival is found with non-personal subjects.
b In the simple adjectival Niphal, the subject is in an adjectival state described by the
verb; such a form is “essentially a stative verb.” Lambdin contrasts comparable
English passive and simple adjectival forms: “In the passive It was broken, was is an
19
The preposition b is most common for agency. For other examples with l, see Josh
17:16, Jer 8:3, Neh 6:1.
20
Cf. Lev 6:3.