Participle Passive

Summary

A passive participle is a non-finite verbal form with passive or reflexive voice that can function as a verb (or verbal complement), an adjective, or a noun. Passive participles most often function as either an attributive adjective or a predicative adjective.

Article

Participles are non-finite verbal forms that can change their form based on stem formation (like verbs) as well as person, gender, state, and definiteness (like both adjectives and nouns). Participles are very flexible in their grammatical use and can function as a verbal complement, a finite main verb, an adjective, or a noun. In most cases, the context will clearly show how the participle is being used in the sentence. The meaning of a participle is usually clear, even in cases where its specific grammatical function cannot be determined precisely.

Passive participles express verbal action in either passive voice or reflexive voice. Passive voice means that the person/thing described by the participle receives the action expressed by the participle itself. Reflexive voice means that the person/thing described by the participle both performs and receives the action expressed by the participle itself.

Note

Only the Qal stem has a distinct passive form for the participle; in all other cases, the passive (or sometimes reflexive) meaning is determined by the stem formation and the specific verb.

Form

Qal Passive Participle Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular Absolute

קָטוּל

qatul

killer / killed

feminine singular Absolute

קְטוּלָה

qetulah

killer / killed

masculine plural Absolute

קְטוּלִים

qetulim

killers / killed

feminine plural Absolute

קְטוּלוֹת

qetuloth

killers / killed
Niphal (usually passive or reflexive voice) Passive Participle Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular Absolute

נִקְטָל

niqtal

being killed

feminine singular Absolute

נִקְטָלָה

niqtalah

being killed

masculine plural Absolute

נִקְטָלִים

niqtalim

being killed

feminine plural Absolute

נִקְטָלוֹת

niqtaloth

being killed
Hophal Passive Participle Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular Absolute

מָקְטָל

moqtal

being caused to kill

feminine singular Absolute

מָקְטֶלֶת

moqteleth

being caused to kill

masculine plural Absolute

מָקְטָלִים

moqtalim

being caused to kill

feminine plural Absolute

מָקְטָלוֹת

moqtaloth

being caused to kill
Pual Passive Participle Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular Absolute

מְקֻטַּל

mequttal

being slaughtered

feminine singular Absolute

מְקֻטֶּלֶת

mequtteleth

being slaughtered

masculine plural Absolute

מְקֻטְּלִים

mequttelim

being slaughtered

feminine plural Absolute

מְקֻטְּלוֹת

mequtteloth

being slaughtered
Hithpael (usually reflexive voice) Passive Participle Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular Absolute

מִתְקַטֵּל

mithqattel

killing oneself

feminine singular Absolute

מִתְקַטֶּלֶת

mithqatteleth

killing oneself

masculine plural Absolute

מִתְקַטְּלִים

mithqattelim

killing oneself

feminine plural Absolute

מִתְקַטְּלוֹת

mithqatteloth

killing oneself

Function

A passive/reflexive participle is often used as an independent grammatical entity, although it can introduce entire clauses similar to the active participle. Passive participles are generally more limited in meaning than active participles. Passive participles are governed either by the main verb of a sentence or by the context. They can express action in past time, present time, future time, or without any specified timeframe.

Functions as an adjective

An adjectival participle immediately follows the noun it describes, and matches that noun in gender, number, and definiteness. An adjectival participle can either function as an adjective by itself or introduce an entire clause that functions as an adjective (either attributive or predicative).

This is the most common use of the passive participle in Biblical Hebrew. An adjectival passive participle can function as either an attributive adjective or a predicative adjective. The context must determine whether a passive participle is functioning as a predicative adjective or as a main verb, because both appear the same in many instances.

The following example shows a passive participle functioning as an attributive adjective.

Example: PSA 149:9

לַעֲשׂ֤וֹת בָּהֶ֨ם׀ מִשְׁפָּ֬ט כָּת֗וּב

la’asoth bahem mishpat kathuv

to-do to-them judgment written

They will execute the judgment that is written

The following example shows a passive participle functioning as a predicative adjective.

Example: EXO 5:16

וְהִנֵּ֧ה עֲבָדֶ֛יךָ מֻכִּ֖ים

wehinneh ‘avadeykha mukkim

and-behold your-servants beaten

We, your servants, are even beaten now

The following example shows passive participles introducing an entire clause that functions as a predicative adjective.

Example: PSA 22:7

וְאָנֹכִ֣י תוֹלַ֣עַת וְלֹא־אִ֑ישׁ חֶרְפַּ֥ת אָ֝דָ֗ם וּבְז֥וּי עָֽם׃

we’anokhi thola’ath welo-‘ish herpath ‘adam uvezuy ‘am
and-I worm and-not_man scorned-of humanity and-despised-of

people
But I am a worm and not a man, a disgrace to humanity

and despised by the people.

Note

The subject of a verbal participle usually precedes the participle, in contrast to the normal conventions of Hebrew word order.

Functions as a finite main verb

When functioning as a main verb, the participle is governed by the context and has the potential to be translated as past time, present time, future time, or even without a specified timeframe. A verbal participle can express continuous, imminent, habitual, or even stative action as determined by the context.

The context must determine whether a passive participle is functioning as a main verb or as a predicative adjective, because both appear the same in many instances.

In the following example, the participle is in the first position, which is the normal Hebrew word order for finite verbs but not for participles.

Example: ISA 17:2

עֲזֻב֖וֹת עָרֵ֣י עֲרֹעֵ֑ר

‘azuvoth ‘are ‘aro’er

being-forsaken cities-of Aroer

The cities of Aroer will be abandoned
Example: 1SA 19:11

מָחָ֖ר אַתָּ֥ה מוּמָֽת

mahar ‘attah mumath

tomorrow you being-made-dead

tomorrow you will be killed

Functions as a non-finite verbal complement

When functioning as a verbal complement, the participle is governed by the main verb of the sentence and has potential to be translated as past time, present time, or future time. A verbal participle can express continuous, imminent, habitual, or even stative action as determined by the context.

Example: GEN 38:25

הִ֣וא מוּצֵ֗את וְהִ֨יא שָׁלְחָ֤ה אֶל־חָמִ֙יהָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר

hiw mutseth wehi sholhah ‘el-hamiha lemor

she being-brought-out and-she sent to_her-father-in-law saying

When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law a message

Functions as a noun

A nominal participle often takes the definite article (but not always), and can either function as a noun by itself or introduce an entire clause that functions as a noun. A nominal participle will appear in the construct state either when it takes a pronominal suffix or when it is in a construct relationship with another noun in the absolute state.

Example: JOS 8:34

כְּכָל־הַכָּת֖וּב בְּסֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָֽה׃

kekhol-hakkathuv besefer hattowrah

like-all_the-written in-book-of the-law

just as had been written in the book of the law