Bible HebrewWeak Verbs 3: Last-Letter He and Aleph, and Throat Letters
Roots ending in ה or א (וַיִּבֶן, וַיִּקְרָא), and how the throat letters א ה ח ע ר change the vowels.
Weak verbs 3: the end of the root, and throat letters
Last letter ה (III-he). Many common verbs end in ה. This ה only marks a vowel at the end, so it changes with the form. “He did” ends in ־ָה, “he will” ends in ־ֶה, and in the short story form it is gone.
| He did | He will | And he (story form) |
|---|---|---|
| בָּנָה he built | יִבְנֶה he will build | וַיִּבֶן and he built (Genesis 8:20) |
| עָשָׂה he made | יַעֲשֶׂה he will do | וַיַּעַשׂ and he made (Genesis 1:7) |
| רָאָה he saw | יִרְאֶה he will see | וַיַּרְא and he saw (Genesis 1:4) |
| הָיָה he was | יִהְיֶה he will be | וַיְהִי and it was (Genesis 1:3) |
So when a story verb looks too short, like וַיִּבֶן, add a ה to find the root: בנה. Before an ending the ה shows up as ־ִי: רָאִיתִי “I have seen” (Genesis 7:1). In “to do” it is ־וֹת: לַעֲשׂוֹת (Genesis 2:3).
Last letter א (III-aleph). The א stays written but is silent: מָצָא “he found” (Genesis 6:8). The vowel before it is a, even in “he will”: יִמְצָא “he will find”. Unlike ה, the א does not drop in the story form: וַיִּקְרָא “and he called” (Genesis 1:5), וַיִּמְצָא “and he found” (Jonah 1:3).
Throat letters are said deep in the throat: א ה ח ע ר. They change the vowels around them:
| What they do | Example |
|---|---|
| They can’t be doubled, so the vowel before them gets longer. | הָאָרֶץ “the earth” (Genesis 1:1), where הַשָּׁמַיִם “the heavens” doubles the שׁ |
| They like the vowel a, even where other verbs have ō. | יִשְׁמַע “he will hear” (Exodus 7:4), but יִשְׁמֹר “he will keep” (1 Samuel 2:9) |
| In place of a plain sheva (ְ) they take a short half-vowel (ֲ ֱ ֳ), and the prefix before them changes its vowel too. | וַיַּעֲבֹר “and he passed through” (Genesis 12:6); וַיֶּאֱסֹף “and he gathered” (Genesis 29:22) |
ר shares only the first habit: it can't be doubled. Many verbs are weak in more than one way. עָשָׂה “make” has a throat letter at the front (וַיַּעַשׂ, with a) and loses its ה at the end. יָצָא “go out” loses its י at the front and keeps a silent א at the end.
Check yourself
What happens to the final ה of רָאָה in וַיַּרְא?
✓ It drops off in the short story form · It becomes a prefix · It marks a feminine subject · It becomes a noun ending
רָאָה “he saw” ends in ה. The story form וַיַּרְא is shortened, and the ה at the end drops off.
Which of these roots is III-he (ends in ה)?
✓ בנה · בוא · נתן · ישׁב
בָּנָה “build” ends in ה; its short form is וַיִּבֶן “and he built” (Genesis 2:22).
Which root does וַיַּעַל “and he went up” (Genesis 13:1) come from?
✓ עלה · עלל · יעל · נעל
The story form is short, so add a ה at the end: עלה “go up”. The ע is a throat letter, so the prefix has a.
וַיִּפֶן “and he turned” (Exodus 2:12). What is missing from the root?
✓ a last ה: the root is פנה · a first נ · a middle ו · nothing: the root is פנן
A story verb that looks too short often lost a final ה: פנה “turn”.
← To Be: הָיָה and יִהְיֶהWeak Verbs 2: Hollow and Doubled Roots →
Bible Hebrew teaches this with practice questions and reviews that come back right before you forget. The alphabet, the lessons, the vocabulary and the guided readings are recorded in the biblical pronunciation. Free, no ads, and it works offline.
Practice this lesson free