Bit at a Time Bible Hebrew -- hitpael binyan

Next, probably the easiest binyan to identify is also one of the least common.  If a verb form starts with hit or mit or has a tav after the future tense prefix, it might be hitpael.  This is a reciprocal verb form, with a special case where the reciprocity is with the subject of the verb.   This is called reflexivity and it’s a common use of hitpael -- “X oneself”  -- compared to reciprocity or mutuality – “X each other”. 

 

It also has a continuous repetitive meaning, so when the Bible says somebody hithalakh with Gd, that means he was continuously faithful to Gd. 

 

And  it has a passive connotation.

 

Hitpael has its own screwy issue.  Hebrew can’t stand to put certain sounds together in a certain order.  So it can be hard to identify the root of a verb that you are pretty sure is in the hitpael.  If the second letter of the entire verb is shin, sin, tsade or zayin, and the third letter is tav, tav, tet, or dalet, you are looking at a verb in hitpael and the root is peh shin, peh sin, peh tsade, or peh zayin.

 

Zamen, “invite” will be hizdamen,	הזדמן
Tsar, “trouble” will be hitstaer, meaning “regret” and the t sound will be supplied by a tet	הצטער
Shamer, “guard” will be hishtamer	השתמר

 

Now, if there are certain sounds Hebrew insists on changing, what about dalet, tet and tav?

 

No worries.  There is always a shva under the tav of the hitpael and in this case it will be a slightly audible shva.  Hebrew can tolerate a dalet after a tav so it doesn’t change the order.

 

As for the tav-tet and tav-tav combination, if you are looking at a text with vowels, you will find a dagesh in the tet or tav and then the other two root letters.  There’s one in Leviticus 14:4, mittaher, to become tahor. 

 

Present

Singular	Plural	Gender
מִתְהַלֵךְ	מִתְהַלְכִים	Masculine
מִתְהַלְכָה	מִתְהַלְכוֹת	Feminine

 

Past

Singular	Plural	Person/gender
הִתְהַלְכִי	הִתְהַלַכְנוּ	First
הִתְהַלַכְתָּ	הִתְהַלַכְתֶּם	Second/masculine
הִתְהַלַכְתְּ	הִתְהַלַכְתֶּן	Second/feminine
הִתְהַלֵךְ	הִתְהַלְכוּ	Third/masculine
הִתְהַלְכָה	הִתְהַלְכוּ	Third/feminine

 

Future/aorist

Singular	Plural	Person/gender
אֶתְהַלֵךְ	נִתְהַלֵךְ	First
תִּתְהַלֵךְ	תִּתְהַלְכוּ	Second/masculine
תִּתְהַלְכִי	תִּתְהַלַכְנָה	Second/feminine
יִתְהַלֵךְ	יִתְהַלְכוּ	Third/masculine
תִּתְהַלֵךְ	תִּתְהַלַכְנָה	Third/feminine

 

The mem at the start of the present tense can lead to confusion, which is next.

 

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