Stem Piel

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.

Form

Paradigm

Piel Perfect Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular third person

קִטֵּל / קִטַּל

qittel / qittal

he slaughtered

feminine singular third person

קִטְּלָה

qittelah

she slaughtered

masculine singular second person

קִטַּלְתָּ

qittalta

you slaughtered

feminine singular second person

קִטַּלְתְּ

qittalt

you slaughtered

common singular first person

קִטַּלְתִּי

qittalti

I slaughtered

common plural third person

קִטְּלוּ

qittelu

they slaughtered

masculine plural second person

קִטַּלְתֶּם

qittaltem

you slaughtered

feminine plural second person

קִטַּלְתֶּן

qittalten

you slaughtered

common plural first person

קִטַּלְנוּ

qittalnu

we slaughtered

Piel Imperfect Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular third person

יְקַטֵּל

yiqattel

he will slaughter

feminine singular third person

תְּקַטֵּל

tiqattel

she will slaughter

masculine singular second person

תְּקַטֵּל

tiqattel

you will slaughter

feminine singular second person

תְּקַטְּלִי

tiqatteli

you will slaughter

common singular first person

אֲקַטֵּל

‘eqattel

I will slaughter

masculine plural third person

יְקַטְּלוּ

yiqattelu

they will slaughter

feminine plural third person

תְּקַטַּלְנָה

tiqattalnah

they will slaughter

masculine plural second person

תְּקַטְּלוּ

tiqattelu

you will slaughter

feminine plural second person

תְּקַטַּלְנָה

tiqattalnah

you will slaughter

common plural first person

נְקַטֵּל

niqattel

we will slaughter

Piel Sequential Perfect Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular third person

וְקִטֵּל / וְקִטַּל

weqittel / weqittal

(and) he will slaughter

feminine singular third person

וְקִטְּלָה

weqittelah

(and) she will slaughter

masculine singular second person

וְקִטַּלְתָּ

weqittalta

(and) you will slaughter

feminine singular second person

וְקִטַּלְתְּ

weqittalt

(and) you will slaughter

common singular first person

וְקִטַּלְתִּי

weqittalti

(and) I will slaughter

common plural third person

וְקִטְּלוּ

weqittelu

(and) they will slaughter

masculine plural second person

וְקִטַּלְתֶּם

weqittaltem

(and) you will slaughter

feminine plural second person

וְקִטַּלְתֶּן

weqittalten

(and) you will slaughter

common plural first person

וְקִטַּלְנוּ

weqittalnu

(and) we will slaughter

Piel Sequential Imperfect Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular third person

וַיְּקַטֵּל

wayyeqattel

(and) he slaughtered

feminine singular third person

וַתְּקַטֵּל

watteqattel

(and) she slaughtered

masculine singular second person

וַתְּקַטֵּל

watteqattel

(and) you slaughtered

feminine singular second person

וַתְּקַטְּלִי

watteqatteli

(and) you slaughtered

common singular first person

וָאֲקַטֵּל

wa’eqattel

(and) I slaughtered

masculine plural third person

וַיְּקַטְּלוּ

wayyeqattelu

(and) they slaughtered

feminine plural third person

וַתְּקַטַּלְנָה

watteqattelnah

(and) they slaughtered

masculine plural second person

וַתְּקַטְּלוּ

watteqattelu

(and) you slaughtered

feminine plural second person

וַתְּקַטַּלְנָה

watteqattelnah

(and) you slaughtered

common plural first person

וַנְּקַטֵּל

wanneqattel

(and) we slaughtered

Piel Infinitive Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

Infinitive Construct

קַטֵּל

qattel

slaughter

Infinitive Absolute

קַטֵּל / קַטֹּל

qattel / qattol

slaughter

Piel Imperative Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular

קַטֵּל

qattel

you must slaughter

feminine singular

קַטְּלִי

qatteli

you must slaughter

masculine plural

קַטְּלוּ

qattelu

you must slaughter

feminine plural

קַטֵּלְנָה

qattelnah

you must slaughter

Note

The jussive form in the Piel stem is recognizable only for certain verbs. Here the sample verb is גָּלָה (meaning “to uncover nakedness” in the Piel stem), where the 3rd radical (ה) has dropped out.

Piel Jussive Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular third person

יְגַל

yegal

may he uncover nakedness

feminine singular third person

תְּגַל

tegal

may she uncover nakedness

masculine singular second person

תְּגַל

tegal

may you uncover nakedness

feminine singular second person

תְּגַלִי

tagali

may you uncover nakedness

masculine plural third person

יְגַלוּ

yegalu

may they uncover nakedness

feminine plural third person

תְּגַלְנָה

tegalnah

may they uncover nakedness

masculine plural second person

תְּגַלוּ

tegalnu

may you uncover nakedness

feminine plural second person

תְּגַלְנָה

tegalnah

may you uncover nakedness

Piel Cohortative Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

common singular

אֲקַטֵּלָה

‘eqattelah

let me slaughter

common plural

נְקַטֵּלָה

niqattelah

let us slaughter

Piel Participle (active voice) Paradigm

Parsing

Hebrew

Transliteration

Gloss

masculine singular

מְקַטֵּל

meqattel

slaughtering

feminine singular

מְקַטֶּלֶת

meqatteleth

slaughtering

masculine plural

מְקַטְּלִים

meqattelim

slaughtering

feminine plural

מְקַטְּלוֹת

meqatteloth

slaughtering

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