Bible HebrewHiphil & Hophal
Causative and passive-causative.
Hiphil and Hophal: causing, in every form
Hiphil makes someone do the Qal action: יָצָא “he went out” becomes הוֹצִיא “he brought out”, that is, he caused to go out. Like every stem, it has a past, a future, a story form, a command and a participle.
How to spot the Hiphil: the past has הִ in front: הִשְׁלִיךְ “he threw”. Most forms have ־ִי־ before the last root letter. With a prefix, the prefix gets an a-vowel: יַשְׁלִיךְ “he will throw”, and the participle starts with מַ. In the story form and the command, ־ִי־ usually shrinks to ֵ: וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ “and he threw”. Roots that begin with י have וֹ, an o-sound, after the prefix instead, as in the “bring out” row below.
Hophal is the passive of the Hiphil, and it is rare. How to spot it: an o or u vowel right after the first letter: הֻגַּד “it was told”, הָמְלַךְ “he was made king”. You will meet it mostly in the past and the future. It almost never has a command.
| Stem | Past (he) | Future (he) | Story form (and he) | Command (you!) | Participle (-ing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiphil, “throw” | הִשְׁלִיךְ he threw | יַשְׁלִיךְ he will throw | וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ and he threw | הַשְׁלֵךְ throw! | מַשְׁלִיךְ throwing |
| Hiphil, “bring out” | הוֹצִיא he brought out | יוֹצִיא he will bring out | וַיּוֹצֵא and he brought out | הוֹצֵא bring out! | מוֹצִיא bringing out |
| Hophal, “be told” | הֻגַּד it was told | — | וַיֻּגַּד and it was told | — | — |
In the Bible: וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ אַהֲרֹן אֶת־מַטֵּהוּ “And Aaron threw down his staff” (Exodus 7:10). הַשְׁלֵךְ עַל־יְהוָה יְהָבְךָ “Cast your burden on yəḥawwe” (Psalm 55:23). וַיּוֹצֵא אֹתוֹ הַחוּצָה “And he brought him outside” (Genesis 15:5). וַיֻּגַּד לְאַבְרָהָם “And it was told to Abraham” (Genesis 22:20).
Check yourself
Hiphil of רָאָה (“saw”) means…
✓ showed (caused to see) · was seen · saw himself · saw again
The Hiphil means “cause to”. To cause someone to see is to show, so הֶרְאָה means “he showed”.
Which one is a Hiphil?
✓ יַשְׁלִיךְ · יִלָּחֵם · יְדַבֵּר · יוּמַת
The prefix י has the vowel a, and there is i, written with י, before the last letter: Hiphil, “he will throw”. יִלָּחֵם is Niphal, יְדַבֵּר is Piel and יוּמַת is Hophal.
All four are Hiphil forms of “bring out”. Which one is the command, “bring out!”?
✓ הוֹצֵא · הוֹצִיא · יוֹצִיא · מוֹצִיא
The command has no prefix letter, and the i before the last letter shrinks to ē: הוֹצֵא. הוֹצִיא is “he brought out”, יוֹצִיא “he will bring out”, מוֹצִיא “bringing out”.
וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ (Genesis 1:4). What is וַיַּבְדֵּל?
✓ Hiphil story form: “and he separated” · Niphal story form: “and it was separated” · Piel command: “separate!” · Hophal past: “he was separated”
The prefix י has the vowel a: the Hiphil sign. In the story form the i before the last letter shrinks to ē, as in וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ “and he threw”. “God separated the light from the darkness.”
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