Bit at a Time Bible Hebrew -- the nun that isn't peh nun

Next problem.  Lots of verb forms start with nun.  You’ve seen the peh nun verbs; you’ve also seen that the prefix in future tense, 1^st person plural is nun.  Now a new twist.  The qal is the binyan for simple active verbs.  The passive is a separate binyan, called nifal. 

 

If you have a verb starting with nun, and you can’t find it under the letter nun in the dictionary, or any of the others that I already talked about, you might be looking at a nifal.  

 

First clue: all three root letters are there.

 

Second clue:  there’s no vav cholem after the second root letter like a peh nun verb would have. 

 

Present

Singular	Plural	Gender
נִמְשָל	נִמְשָלִים	Masculine
נִמְשֶׁלֶת	נִמְשָלוֹת	Feminine

 

Past

Singular	Plural	Person/gender
נִמְשַלְתִּי	נִמְשַׁלְנוּ	First
נִמְשַלתָּ	נִמְשַׁלְתֶּם	Second/masculine
נִמְשַׁלְתְּ	נִמְשַׁלְתֶּן	Second/feminine
נִמְשַׁל	נִמְשְׁלוּ	Third/masculine
נִמְשְׁלָה	נִמְשְׁלוּ	Third/feminine

 

Future/aorist

Singular	Plural	Person/gender
אֶמָּשֵׁל	נִמָּשֵׁל	First
תִּימָּשֵׁל	תִּימָּשְׁלוּ	Second/masculine
תִּימָּשְׁלִי	תִּימָּשַׁלְנָה	Second/feminine
יִימָּשֵׁל	יִימָּשְלוּ	Third/masculine
תִּימָּשֵל	תִּימָּשַׁלְנָה	Third/feminine

 

 

I don’t know if this verb is ever used in nifal but the meaning would probably be “is controlled.”  That’s how English constructs a passive verb: “is” conjugated plus a past participle. 

 

You won’t find this form, if it exists, in the dictionary under nun, yod, or alef. It will be under mem.

 

We have now transitioned from the triliteral root system to the binyan system.  I’m going to stop here for a review and then some other remarks and then I’ll get into some things so new you might never have heard of them before.

 

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