Summary
The Piel stem is the most flexible stem formation in Biblical Hebrew and
can express simple, intensive, resultative, causative, or other kinds of
verbal action depending on the context and the specific verb.
Article
The Piel form is a verbal
stem formation in Biblical Hebrew, usually indicated by a daghesh in the 2nd
radical of the
verb.
The Piel stem is the most flexible in its use of all the various stem
formations; it can express simple action, intensive action,
resultative action, causative action, or other kinds of action
(all in active voice) depending on the context and the specific verb. Some verbs express
simple action in the Piel stem; some verbs express intensive action in
the Piel stem; for some verbs, the Piel stem might express either simple
action or intensive action, depending on the context; and so on.
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 Piel stem can express any of the following kinds of verbal action:
Expresses simple action
In Biblical Hebrew, some verbs can express different meanings in
different stem formations. A good example is the Hebrew verb נָחַם. In
the Niphal stem,
the verb נָחַם usually expresses either stative action ("to be sorry")
or passive action ("to be comforted"). But in the Piel stem, the verb
נָחַם expresses the simple action "to comfort". A dictionary or lexicon
will indicate the different meanings for these verbs in the various stem
formations.
Example: RUT 2:13
| כִּ֣י נִֽחַמְתָּ֔נִי |
| ki nihamtani |
| for you-have-comforted-me |
| for you have comforted me |
On the other hand, some verbs express the same meaning in multiple
stem formations. A good example is the verb אָסַף, which expresses the
simple action "to gather" in both the Qal
and the Piel stem. This also will be indicated by a dictionary or
lexicon.
Example: JDG 19:18
| וְאֵ֣ין אִ֔ישׁ מְאַסֵּ֥ף אוֹתִ֖י הַבָּֽיְתָה |
| we'en 'ish me'assef 'othi habbayethah |
| and-there-is-not man gathering [dir.obj]-me to-the-house |
| but there is no one who will take me into his house |
Expresses resultative action
Resultative action means that the primary focus of the verb is on the
result of the verbal action. A good example is the verb שָׁלַח. In the
Qal stem, the verb שָׁלַח means "to send" or "to stretch out". But in the
Piel stem, the verb שָׁלַח means "to send away".
Example: GEN 21:6
| וַיִּתֵּ֣ן ... וְאֶת־הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֶ֑הָ |
| wayyitten ... we'eth-hayyeled wayeshalleheha |
| and-he-gave ... and-[dir.obj]_the-boy and-he-sent-her-away |
| He gave her the boy and sent her away |
Expresses causative action
Causative action means that the subject of the verb is causing the
object of the verb either to perform the verbal action (for dynamic verbs)
or to be in the state described by the verb (for stative verbs).
The Piel stem often serves this causative function with stative verbs. A
good example is the verb מָלֵא. In the Qal stem, the verb מָלֵא
expresses the stative action "to be full". But in the Piel stem, the
verb מָלֵא expresses the causative action "to fill" (meaning, to cause
something to be full). In English, causative action is expressed using
the main verb "to cause" paired with the infinitive of the verbal action
in view. In Biblical Hebrew, the causative nature of the verbal action
is expressed by the Piel form of the verb itself with no additional
verbal element.
Note
Causative action must be expressed by a trasitive verb,
but non-causative action can be expressed by an intransitive verb.
Thus, a verb that is transitive in the Piel stem may be intransitive in
the Qal and/or Niphal stems.
Example: JOB 38:12 –– expressing causative action with a dynamic verb
| הְֽ֭מִיָּמֶיךָ צִוִּ֣יתָ בֹּ֑קֶר יִדַּ֖עְתָּ שַׁחַר מְקֹמֽוֹ |
| hemiyyameykha tsiwwitha boqer yidda'ta shahar meqomo |
- [quest.]-from-your-days you-commanded morning you-make-known dawn
- his-place
|
- Have you ever, since your own days began, given orders to the morning
- to begin, and caused the morning dawn to know its place
|
Example: GEN 21:19 –– expressing causative action with a stative verb
| וַתֵּ֜לֶךְ וַתְּמַלֵּ֤א אֶת־הַחֵ֙מֶת֙ מַ֔יִם |
| wattelekh wattemalle 'eth-hahemeth mayim |
| and-she-went and-she-filled [dir.obj]_the-skin-of water |
| She went and filled the skin with water |
Expresses intensive action
Intensive action means that the verbal action is strengthened in some
way. A good example is the Hebrew verb שָׁבַר. In the Qal stem, the verb
שָׁבַר means "to break". But in the Piel stem, the verb שָׁבַר means "to
shatter" or "to break in pieces". A dictionary or lexicon will indicate
an intensive nuance in comparison with the meaning of the verb in other
stem formations.
Example: EXO 9:25
| אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָם֙ תִּתֹּצ֔וּן וְאֶת־מַצֵּבֹתָ֖ם תְּשַׁבֵּר֑וּן |
| 'eth-mizbehotham tittotsun we'eth-matsevotham teshabberun |
- [dir.obj]_their-altars you-break-down and-[dir.obj]_their-pillars
- you-shatter
|
| you must break down their altars, smash their stone pillars |
Expresses various other kinds of verbal action
Sometimes the Piel form is used in ways that do not follow the general
conventions of the Piel stem as listed above. In these instances, the
context demonstrates that none of the normal meanings of the verbal
action make sense. A dictionary or lexicon will indicate the correct
meaning in these rare instances of the Piel stem.
The Piel form of the verb כָּתַב ("to write") has
uncertain meaning, but seems to indicate a specific kind of writing,
for example:
Example: ISA 10:1
- ה֥וֹי הַחֹֽקְקִ֖ים חִקְקֵי־אָ֑וֶן וּֽמְכַתְּבִ֥ים עָמָ֖ל
- כִּתֵּֽבוּ׃
|
| hoy hahoqeqim hiqqe-'awen umekhattevim 'amal kittevu |
- woe the-ones-who-enact laws-of_iniquity and-writers oppression
- they-write
|
| Woe to those who enact unjust laws and write unfair decrees |
The verb חָטָא means "to sin" in the Qal stem, but ִin
the Piel stem it means "to purify", for example:
Example: NUM 19:19
| וְחִטְּאוֹ֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י |
| wehitte'o bayyom hashevi'i |
| and-he-purifies-him on-the-day the-seventh |
| On the seventh day the unclean person must purify himself |
The verbal action may be the opposite of the normal meaning of
the verb, for example:
Example JOB 1:5
| אוּלַי֙ חָטְא֣וּ בָנַ֔י וּבֵרֲכ֥וּ אֱלֹהִ֖ים בִּלְבָבָ֑ם |
| 'ulay hot'u vanay uverakhu 'elohim bilvavam |
- perhaps they-have-sinned my-sons and-they-have-blessed God
- in-their-hearts
|
| Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts |
