Article
The Hophal
stem
is the passive form of the
Hiphil
stem formation in Biblical Hebrew. The Hophal stem is usually indicated
by either a הָ or הֻ prefix to the
verb.
(The ה changes in the
participle
and Imperfect
forms.) The Hophal stem usually expresses the passive voice of the
meaning of a verb in the Hiphil stem. Scholars sometimes disagree
whether certain verb forms should be classified as belonging to the
Hophal, the
Pual
or even the Qal Passive
stem. 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 Hophal form of the verb itself without any helping
verbs.
Note
It is recommended to always check a dictionary or lexicon for
the meaning of a specific verb, because this stem may express
many different kinds of action in different contexts.
Function
The Hophal stem can express any of the following kinds of verbal action:
Expresses the passive voice of the Hiphil stem
For most verbs that appear in Hiphil stem in Biblical Hebrew, the Hophal
stem expresses the same kind of simple or causative action as the Hiphil
stem, but in passive voice. A good example is the verb בּוֹא. In the
Qal stem,
the verb בּוֹא means "to come" or "to go" (:ref:simple<stem-action-simple>` action, active voice).
But in the Hiphil stem, the verb בּוֹא means "to bring" (causative
action, active voice). Thus, in the Hophal stem, the verb בּוֹא means
"to be brought" (causative action, passive voice).
The Hophal stem of בּוֹא, meaning "to be brought"; in the
Hiphil stem, means "to bring", for example:
Example: GEN 33:11
| קַח־נָ֤א אֶת־בִּרְכָתִי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֻבָ֣את לָ֔ךְ |
| qah-na 'eth-birkhathiy 'asher huvath lakh |
| Take_please [dir.obj]_my-blessing that it-was-brought to-you |
| Please accept my gift that was brought to you |
The Hophal stem of נָגַד, meaning "to be declared"; in the
Hiphil stem, means "to declare", for example:
Example: GEN 22:20
| וַיֻּגַּ֥ד לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם |
| wayyuggad le'avraham |
| and-it-was-reported to Abraham |
| Abraham was told |
Expresses simple action in passive voice
Some verbs use the Hophal stem to express simple passive action. (This
can be true even if the verb also appears in the Hiphil stem in Biblical
Hebrew; in such cases, the Hophal form does NOT function strictly as a
passive of the Hiphil stem.) A good example is the verb יָצַק. In the
Qal stem, the verb יָצַק expresses the simple action "to pour" or "to
pour out". In the Hiphil stem, the verb יָצַק expresses the same simple
action "to pour". In the Hophal stem, the verb יָצַק expresses the
simple passive "to be poured" (that is, the passive of both the Qal
stem and the Hiphil stem). For some verbs, the Hophal and/or Pual
forms can both function as a passive of the Qal stem. In all these
cases, a dictionary or lexicon will indicate the correct meaning.
Example: GEN 4:26 –– the Hophal stem of יָצַק ("to pour") means "to be poured"
| ה֣וּצַק חֵ֭ן בְּשְׂפְתוֹתֶ֑יךָ |
| hutsaq hen besfethotheykha |
| it-is-poured-out grace by-your-lips |
| grace is poured onto your lips |
Expresses various kinds of passive or stative action
Sometimes the Hophal form is used with specific verbs or in specific
contexts to express a specialized meaning for the verbal action. A
dictionary or lexicon will indicate the correct meaning.
For example, the Hophal stem of the verb יָלַד ("to give birth")
refers to someone's birthday:
Example: GEN 40:20
| וַיְהִ֣י׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י י֚וֹם הֻלֶּ֣דֶת אֶת־פַּרְעֹ֔ה |
| wayhi bayyom hashelishi yom hulledeth 'eth-par'oh |
- and-it-happened in-the-day the-third day-of having-been-born
- [dir.obj]_Pharaoh
|
| It came about on the third day that it was Pharaoh's birthday. |
The Hophal stem of the verb יָסַד ("to found, establish")
refers to the foundation of a building:
Example: 2CH 3:3
| וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ הוּסַ֣ד שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה לִבְנ֖וֹת אֶת־בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים |
| we'elleh husad shelomoh livnoth 'eth-beth ha'elohim |
- and-these being-founded-of Solomon to-build [dir.obj]_house-of
- the-God
|
- Now these are the dimensions of the foundation that Solomon laid
- for the house of God.
|
