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unfoldingWord Hebrew Grammar ⌂

Stem Pual

Summary

The Pual stem is the passive form of the Piel, and it generally expresses the passive voice of the meaning of a verb in the Piel stem.

Article

The Pual stem is the passive form of the Piel formation in Biblical Hebrew. The Pual stem is usually indicated by a daghesh in the middle consonsant of the verb and a qibbuts vowel under the first consonant. Generally speaking, the Pual stem expresses the passive voice of the meaning of a verb in the Piel stem. Scholars sometimes disagree whether certain verb forms should be classified as belonging to the Pual, the Hophal, or the Qal Passive stems. In English, passive action is expressed using the helping verb "to be." In Biblical Hebrew, the passive nature of the verbal action is expressed by the Pual 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.

Form

Paradigm

Pual Perfect Paradigm
Parsing Hebrew Transliteration Gloss
masculine singular third person קֻטַּל quttal he was slaughtered
feminine singular third person קֻטְּלָה quttelah she was slaughtered
masculine singular second person קֻטַּלְתָּ quttalta you were slaughtered
feminine singular second person קֻטַּלְתְּ quttalt you were slaughtered
common singular first person קֻטַּלְתִּי quttalti I was slaughtered
common plural third person קֻטְּלוּ quttelu they were slaughtered
masculine plural second person קֻטַּלְתֶּם quttaltem you were slaughtered
feminine plural second person קֻטַּלְתֶּן quttalten you were slaughtered
common plural first person קֻטַּלְנוּ quttalnu we were slaughtered
Pual Imperfect Paradigm
Parsing Hebrew Transliteration Gloss
masculine singular third person יְקֻטַּל yequttal he will be slaughtered
feminine singular third person תְּקֻטַּל tequttal she will be slaughtered
masculine singular second person תְּקֻטַּל tequttal you will be slaughtered
feminine singular second person תְּקֻטְּלִי tequtteli you will be slaughtered
common singular first person אֲקֻטַּל 'aquttal I will be slaughtered
masculine plural third person יְקֻטְּלוּ yequttelu they will be slaughtered
feminine plural third person תְּקֻטַּלְנָה tequttalnah they will be slaughtered
masculine plural second person תְּקֻטְּלוּ tequttelu you will be slaughtered
feminine plural second person תְּקֻטַּלְנָה tequttalnah you will be slaughtered
common plural first person נְקֻטַּל nequttal we will be slaughtered
Pual Sequential Perfect Paradigm
Parsing Hebrew Transliteration Gloss
masculine singular third person וְקֻטַּל wequttal (and) he will be slaughtered
feminine singular third person וְקֻטְּלָה wequttelah (and) she will be slaughtered
masculine singular second person וְקֻטַּלְתָּ wequttalta (and) you will be slaughtered
feminine singular second person וְקֻטַּלְתְּ wequttalt (and) you will be slaughtered
common singular first person וְקֻטַּלְתִּי wequttalti (and) I will be slaughtered
common plural third person וְקֻטְּלוּ wequttelu (and) they will be slaughtered
masculine plural second person וְקֻטַּלְתֶּם wequttaltem (and) you will be slaughtered
feminine plural second person וְקֻטַּלְתֶּן wequttalten (and) you will be slaughtered
common plural first person וְקֻטַּלְנוּ wequttalnu (and) we will be slaughtered
Pual Sequential Imperfect Paradigm
Parsing Hebrew Transliteration Gloss
masculine singular third person וַיְּקֻטַּל wayyequttal (and) he was slaughtered
feminine singular third person וַתְּקֻטַּל wattequttal (and) she was slaughtered
masculine singular second person וַתְּקֻטַּל wattequttal (and) you were slaughtered
feminine singular second person וַתְּקֻטְּלִי wattequtteli (and) you were slaughtered
common singular first person וָאֲקֻטַּל wa'aquttal (and) I was slaughtered
masculine plural third person וַיְּקֻטְּלוּ wayyequttelu (and) they were slaughtered
feminine plural third person וַתְּקֻטַּלְנָה wattequttalnah (and) they were slaughtered
masculine plural second person וַתְּקֻטְּלוּ wattequttelu (and) you were slaughtered
feminine plural second person וַתְּקֻטַּלְנָה wattequttalnah (and) you were slaughtered
common plural first person וַנְּקֻטַּל wannequttal (and) we were slaughtered
Pual Infinitive Paradigm
Parsing Hebrew Transliteration Gloss
Infinitive Absolute קֻטֹּל quttol be slaughtered

The infinitive construct, imperative, jussive, and cohortative are not found in the Pual stem in Biblical Hebrew.

Pual Participle (passive voice) Paradigm
Parsing Hebrew Transliteration Gloss
masculine singular מְקֻטַּל mequttal being slaughtered
feminine singular מְקֻטֶּלֶת mequtteleth being slaughtered
masculine plural מְקֻטְּלִים mequttelim being slaughtered
feminine plural מְקֻטְּלוֹת mequtteloth being slaughtered

Function

The Pual stem can express any of the following kinds of verbal action:

Expresses the passive voice of the Piel stem

For most verbs that appear in both the Piel and Pual stems in Biblical Hebrew, the Pual stem expresses the same kind of action as the Piel stem (simple, intensive, resultative, causative, etc.) but in passive voice. A good example is the verb בָּקַע. In the Qal stem, the verb בָּקַע means "to cut open" or "to break open" (simple action, active voice). But in the Piel stem, the verb בָּקַע means "to rip open" (intensive action, active voice). Thus, in the Pual stem, the verb בָּקַע means "to be ripped open" (intensive action, passive voice).

Pual stem of בָּקַע, meaning "to be ripped open"; in Piel stem, means "to rip open", for example:

Example: JOS 9:4
וַיִּקְח֞וּ ... וְנֹאד֥וֹת יַ֙יִן֙ בָּלִ֔ים וּמְבֻקָּעִ֖ים
וּמְצֹרָרִֽים
wayyiqhu ... wenodoth yayin balim umevuqqa'im umetsorarim
and-they-took ... and-skins-of wine worn-out and-ripped-open
and-repaired
They also took old wine skins that were worn, torn, and had been
repaired.

Pual stem of אָסַף, meaning "to be gathered"; in Piel stem, means "to gather", for example:

Example: EZK 38:12
וְאֶל־עַם֙ מְאֻסָּ֣ף מִגּוֹיִ֔ם
we'el-'am me'ussaf miggoyim
and-to_people being-gathered from-nations
and against the people gathered from the nations

Expresses simple action in passive voice

Some verbs use the Pual stem to express simple action in passive voice (rather than the Niphal stem). This can be true even if the verb also appears in the Piel stem in Biblical Hebrew; in such cases, the Pual form does NOT function as a passive of the Piel stem. A good example is the verb יָלַד. In the Qal stem, the verb יָלַד expresses the simple action "to give birth". In the Piel stem, the verb יָלַד expresses the causative action "to cause to give birth" (meaning, to serve as a midwife). But in the Pual stem, the verb יָלַד expresses the simple passive "to be born" (that is, the passive of the Qal stem rather the Piel stem).

The Pual stem of יָלַד ("to give birth") means "to be born" in the Piel, for example:

Example: GEN 4:26
וּלְשֵׁ֤ת גַּם־הוּא֙ יֻלַּד־בֵּ֔ן
ulesheth gam-hu' yullad-ben
and-to-Seth even_him was-born_son
A son was born to Seth

Expresses various kinds of passive or stative action

Sometimes the Pual 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 in these rare instances of the Pual stem.

For example, in the Pual stem, the verb אָכַל ("to eat") means "to be consumed" by fire ֹor sword:

Example: EXO 3:2
וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל
wehinneh hasseneh bo'er ba'esh wehasseneh 'enennu 'ukkal
and-behold the-bush was-burning in-the-fire and-the-bush was-not
being-consumed
and behold, the bush was burning, but the bush was not burned up

The Pual form of the verb שָׁלַשׁ means "to be three (years old)" or "to have three parts":

Example: GEN 15:9
קְחָ֥ה לִי֙ עֶגְלָ֣ה **מְשֻׁלֶּ֔שֶׁת וְעֵ֥ז **מְשֻׁלֶּ֖שֶׁת
וְאַ֣יִל מְשֻׁלָּ֑שׁ
qehah liy 'eglah meshullesheth we'ez meshullesheth we'ayil
meshullash
Take to-me heifer being-three and-female-goat being-three
and-ram being-three
Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat
three years old, a ram three years old

The Pual passive participle of יָדַע ("to know") means an acquaintance (that is, "one who is known"):

Example: PSA 88:18 (PSA 88:19 in Hebrew)
מְֽיֻדָּעַ֥י מַחְשָֽׁךְ
meyudda'ay mahshakh
one-who-is-known-to-me darkness
My only acquaintance is the darkness