:github_url: https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_uhg/src/branch/master/content/stem_niphal.rst .. _stem_niphal: Stem Niphal =========== Summary ------- The Niphal stem generally expresses passive or reflexive voice, but it can also express other kinds of action depending on the context and the specific verb. Article ------- The Niphal form is a verbal :ref:`stem formation` in Biblical Hebrew, usually indicated by a נִ prefix before the 1st radical of the :ref:`verb`. (This נ changes in multiple conjugations, see paradigms below.) The Niphal stem is extremely flexible in its use in Biblical Hebrew. Generally speaking, the Niphal stem expresses either :ref:`passive` or :ref:`reflexive` voice; but it can also express :ref:`middle` voice, :ref:`reciprocal` voice, :ref:`simple` action, or even :ref:`stative` action, depending on the context and the specific verb. Some verbs express passive voice in the Niphal stem; some verbs express reflexive voice in the Niphal stem; for some verbs, the Niphal stem might express either passive voice or reflexive voice, depending on the context; and so on. .. include:: includes/consult_dictionary.txt Form ---- Paradigm ~~~~~~~~ .. csv-table:: Niphal Perfect Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss masculine singular third person,נִקְטַל,niqtal,he was killed feminine singular third person,נִקְטְלָה,niqtelah,she was killed masculine singular second person,נִקְטַלְתָּ,niqtalta,you were killed feminine singular second person,נִקְטַלְתְּ,niqtalt,you were killed common singular first person,נִקְטַלְתִּי,niqtalti,I was killed common plural third person,נִקְטְלוּ,niqtelu,they were killed masculine plural second person,נִקְטַלְתֶּם,niqtaltem,you were killed feminine plural second person,נִקְטַלְתֶּן,niqtalten,you were killed common plural first person,נִקְטַלְתֶּנוּ,niqtaltenu,we were killed .. csv-table:: Niphal Imperfect Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss masculine singular third person,יִקָּטֵל,yiqqatel,he will be killed feminine singular third person,תִּקָּטֵל,tiqqatel,she will be killed masculine singular second person,תִּקָּטֵל,tiqqatel,you will be killed feminine singular second person,תִּקָּטְלִי,tiqqatli,you will be killed common singular first person,אֶקָּטֵל,'eqqatel,I will be killed masculine plural third person,יִקָּטְלוּ,yiqqatlu,they will be killed feminine plural third person,תִּקָּטַלְנָה,tiqqatalnah,they will be killed masculine plural second person,תִּקָּטְלוּ,tiqqatlu,you will be killed feminine plural second person,תִּקָּטַלְנָה,tiqqatalnah,you will be killed common plural first person,נִקָּטֵל,niqqatel,we will be killed .. csv-table:: Niphal Sequential Perfect Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss masculine singular third person,וְנִקְטַל,weniqtal,(and) he will be killed feminine singular third person,וְנִקְטְלָה,weniqtelah,(and) she will be killed masculine singular second person,וְנִקְטַלְתָּ,weniqtalta,(and) you will be killed feminine singular second person,וְנִקְטַלְתְּ,weniqtalt,(and) you will be killed common singular first person,וְנִקְטַלְתִּי,weniqtalti,(and) I will be killed common plural third person,וְנִקְטְלוּ,weniqtelu,(and) they will be killed masculine plural second person,וְנִקְטַלְתֶּם,weniqtaltem,(and) you will be killed feminine plural second person,וְנִקְטַלְתֶּן,weniqtalten,(and) you will be killed common plural first person,וְנִקְטַלְתֶּנוּ,weniqtaltenu,(and) we will be killed .. csv-table:: Niphal Sequential Imperfect Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss masculine singular third person,וַיִּקָּטֵל,wayyiqqatel,(and) he was killed feminine singular third person,וַתִּקָּטֵל,wattiqqatel,(and) she was killed masculine singular second person,וַתִּקָּטֵל,wattiqqatel,(and) you were killed feminine singular second person,וַתִּקָּטְלִי,wattiqqatli,(and) you were killed common singular first person,וָאֶקָּטֵל,wa'eqqatel,(and) I was killed masculine plural third person,וַיִּקָּטְלוּ,wayyiqqatlu,(and) they were killed feminine plural third person,וַתִּקָּטַלְנָה,wattiqqatalnah,(and) they were killed masculine plural second person,וַתִּקָּטְלוּ,wattiqqatlu,(and) you were killed feminine plural second person,וַתִּקָּטַלְנָה,wattiqqatalnah,(and) you were killed common plural first person,וַנִּקָּטֵל,wanniqqatel,(and) we were killed .. csv-table:: Niphal Infinitive Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss Infinitive Construct,הִקָּטֵל,hiqqatel,be killed Infinitive Absolute,הִקָּטֹל / נִקְטֹל,hiqqatol / niqtol,be killed .. csv-table:: Niphal Imperative Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss masculine singular,הִקָּטֵל,hiqqatel,you must be killed feminine singular,הִקָּטְלִי,hiqqatli,you must be killed masculine plural,הִקָּטְלוּ,hiqqatlu,you must be killed feminine plural,הִקָּטַלְנָה,hiqqatalnah,you must be killed .. note:: The jussive form in the Niphal stem is recognizable only for select verbs. Here the sample verb is גָּלָה (to uncover), where the 3rd radical (ה) has dropped out. .. csv-table:: Niphal Jussive Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss masculine singular third person,יִגָּל,yiggal,may he be uncovered feminine singular third person,תִּגָּל,tiggal,may she be uncovered masculine singular second person,תִּגָּל,tiggal,may you be uncovered feminine singular second person,תִּגָּלִי,tiggali,may you be uncovered masculine plural third person,יִגָּלוּ,yiggalu,may they be uncovered feminine plural third person,תִּגָּלְנָה,tiggalnah,may they be uncovered masculine plural second person,תִּגָּלוּ,tiggalu,may you be uncovered feminine plural second person,תִּגָּלְנָה,tiggalnah,may you be uncovered .. csv-table:: Niphal Cohortative Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss common singular,אֶקָּטֵלָה,'eqqatelah,let me be killed common plural,נִקָּטֵלָה,niqqatelah,let us be killed .. csv-table:: Niphal Participle Paradigm :header-rows: 1 Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss masculine singular,נִקְטָל,niqtal,being killed feminine singular,נִקְטָלָה,niqtalah,being killed masculine plural,נִקְטָלִים,niqtalim,being killed feminine plural,נִקְטָלוֹת,niqtaloth,being killed Function ~~~~~~~~ The Niphal stem can express any of the following kinds of verbal action: Expresses passive voice ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Passive voice means that the subject of the verb is *receiving* the action rather than *performing* the action. In English, passive voice is expressed using the helping verb "to be." In Biblical Hebrew, the passive nature of the verbal action is expressed by the Niphal form of the verb itself without any helping verbs. .. csv-table:: Example: 2KI 21:18 וַיִּקָּבֵ֥ר בְּגַן־בֵּית֖וֹ **wayyiqqaver** began-betho **and-he-was-buried** in-garden-of\_his-house **and he was buried** in the garden of his own house Expresses reflexive voice ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Reflexive voice means that the subject of the verb is *both* performing *and* receiving the action. In English, reflexive voice is expressed using a reflexive pronoun as the object of the verb, "I tell *myself*". In Biblical Hebrew, the reflexive nature of the verbal action is expressed by the Niphal form of the verb itself without any additional words. .. csv-table:: Example: NUM 1:21 הִבָּ֣דְל֔וּ מִתּ֖וֹךְ הָעֵדָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את **hibbodlu** mittokh ha'edah hazzoth **Separate-yourselves** from-midst-of the-congregation the-this **Separate yourselves** from among this community Expresses middle voice ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Middle voice means that the subject receives the action but also is (partially) involved in performing the action. This kind of action stands somewhere between passive voice and reflexive voice. .. csv-table:: Example: GEN 3:5 וְנִפְקְח֖וּ עֵֽינֵיכֶ֑ם **wenifqehu** 'enekhem **and-they-will-be-opened** your-eyes your eyes **will be opened** Expresses reciprocal voice ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Reciprocal voice means that multiple subjects are in view who are both performing the action for another and receiving the action from another. In English, reciprocal voice is expressed using the phrase "each other" as the object of the verb, "They tell each other." In Biblical Hebrew, the reciprocal nature of the action is expressed by the Niphal form of the verb itself without any additional words. Reciprocal voice must be distinguished from reflexive voice. The phrase "They tell themselves" is reflexive: the subject "they" is a unified group and the action could be expressed reflexively for each individual as "he tells himself, and he tells himself, and she tells herself, etc." The phrase "They tell each other" is reciprocal: each member of the group is telling something to another member of the group, and each member of the group is being told something by another member of the group. .. csv-table:: Example: 2KI 3:23 נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙ הַמְּלָכִ֔ים **nehervu** hammelakhim **they-have-killed-each-other** the-kings the kings **have killed each other** Expresses :ref:`simple` action ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In Biblical Hebrew, some verbs express different meanings in different stem formations. A good example is the Hebrew verb רָאָה. In the Qal stem, the verb רָאָה expresses the simple action "to seֶe". But in the Niphal stem, the verb רָאָה expresses the simple action "to appear". A dictionary or lexicon will indicate the different meanings for these verbs in the various stem formations. .. csv-table:: Example: GEN 12:7 וַיֵּרָ֤א יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם **wayyera** yehwah 'el-'avram **And-he-appeared** Yahweh to\_Abram Yahweh **appeared** to Abram Expresses :ref:`stative` action ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In Biblical Hebrew, some verbs express stative action in the *Niphal* stem rather than the *Qal* stem. This is a very rare use of the Niphal stem. Stative action is expressed most often using the Qal stem in Biblical Hebrew. .. csv-table:: Example: GEN 6:6 וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ **wayyinnahem** yehwah ki-'asah 'eth-ha'adam ba'arets "**And-he-was-sorry** Yahweh that\_he-had-made [dir.obj]\_the-mankind on-the-earth" Yahweh **regretted** that he had made mankind on the earth