An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

1a.
1b.
׃ה ָשׁלֹשׁ םוֹיּה ַ יתי ִ ִל֫ ח ָ I became sick (Qal) three days ago.
׃הּ ָבּ הוהי ה ָלּח־ר ִ ֶשׁ ֲ
1 Sam 30:13
א (the sickness) with which YHWH will have made (the
land) sick (Piel)
Deut 29:21
The Qal form is a stative, and the action of the Piel involves putting the object
(here, the prepositional object of b) into the state described by the Qal. Consider this
contrasting pair.
2a. וידָ גָ ְבוּ אוּה שׁדַ קָ ו ְ And he will be holy (Qal) along with his clothes.
2b.
רוֹכבּ־ל ְ ָכ י ִל־שׁדֶּ ַ
Exod 29:21
ק Consecrate (Piel) to me every first-born.
Exod 13:2
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The intransitive Qal ‘to be holy’ becomes in Piel ‘to make to be holy = transfer to
a state of holiness = consecrate,’ which takes an object. The proper understanding of
this example depends on an appreciation of “holiness” itself as a physical attribute
and of “consecration” as the result of various gestures of touching and sprinkling. 23
Consider another pair involving a Qal intransitive.
3a. ברַ ק ָ אֹ ל ךְ ֶל ֶמי ֫ בִ אֲ וַ
הי ָ ל֑ ֶ֫
א ֵ
3b.
יתִ קָ דְ ִצ יתִּ ְבר ֫ ַ ֵ
Now Abimelech had not gone near (Qal) her (Sarah).
Gen 20:4
ק I am bringing my righteousness near (Piel).
Isa 46:13
The glosses may be misleading. The Qal form, though it may be glossed ‘to go
near, approach,’ represents an ingressive stative event; the burden of the story is that
Abimelech did not infringe on Sarah’s protected status as a married woman by
becoming near her. In the passage with the Piel example the object ṣdqty enters the
state of ‘being near.’ Finally, compare these verbs that are fientive in the Qal with
their Piel counterparts.
4a. וּב ֵשֵׁי ֫ ץרֶ א֫ ָ ה־ל ָ ַע ֫ They will sit (Qal) on the ground.
4b.
םהי ֶ תוֹרי ֵ ט ִ וּב ְשּׁי ְ
Ezek 26:16
ו They will set up (Piel) their camps.
Ezek 25:4
21
See Jenni, “Funktion der reflexiv-passiven Stammformen.” 66.
22
Note also ḥyy Qal ‘to live, be alive’ (e.”., Deut 8:3) and Piel ‘to keep alive’ (e.”.,
Gen 12:12).
23
See, e.g., Baruch A. Levine, “The Language of Holiness,” Backgrounds for the
Bible, ed. M. O’Connor and D. N. Freedman (Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns,
1987) 241–55.