Infinitive construct מָקוֹר נָטוּי maqor natui
The infinitive construct uses a verb like a noun. By itself it says neither “who” nor “when”; it names the action — “doing.” So, like a noun, it takes prepositions in front (לְ to · בְּ when · כְּ as · מִן from) and suffixes such as “my · your · his” at the end. Genesis 1–2 alone uses it eighteen times. This page takes those words apart one by one.
“the inflected source-form” — מָקוֹר (source, spring) + נָטוּי (bent, inflected)
Colour key blue = added at the front · orange = added at the end · purple = a mark inside (dot · doubled letter · changed vowel) · underline = the word this page is about
1What the infinitive construct is
“Infinitive” means “not limited”: it is a verb, yet neither person (“who”) nor conjugation (“when”) is fixed. In English it is close to “to do” or “doing.”
Hebrew has two infinitives. The infinitive construct behaves like a noun, taking prepositions and suffixes and filling many roles in a sentence (this page). The infinitive absolute stands bare, mostly to add force to a verb (see Infinitive absolute).
The infinitive construct occurs 6,638 times in the Old Testament, 4,575 of them in the Qal. The most frequent word is לֵאמֹר (lemor, “saying”): 933 times in the Old Testament, 80 in Genesis alone (counted from the OSHB morphology).
2Where the name comes from — מָקוֹר נָטוּי maqor natui
Hebrew grammar calls the infinitive מָקוֹר (maqor, “source, spring”): the most basic form of the verb, with no person or tense attached. The construct infinitive is מָקוֹר נָטוּי (maqor natui, “the inflected source-form”), because it changes shape as it takes prepositions and suffixes.
The “construct” in the English name is the same term as for nouns. Just as the noun יוֹם (day) is bound to the next word in יוֹם עֲשׂוֹת (the day of making), this infinitive is bound to a following subject or object. Hence “construct.”
3At a glance — how to recognize the infinitive construct
- The Qal base is קְטֹלA sheva on the first letter and “o” on the second — the same shape as the 2ms imperative. No prefix (י ת א נ) and no person ending.
- A preposition in frontלִ (to) · בְּ (when) · כְּ (as) · מִ (from) — וְלִמְשֹׁל (and to rule, Gen 1:18).
- “Whose” at the endאֲכָלְךָ (your eating = you eat, Gen 2:17). The suffix can be the subject or the object.
- III-He verbs end in וֹתRoots ending in ה end in וֹת (ot) — לִרְאוֹת (to see, Gen 2:19) · עֲשׂוֹת (making, Gen 2:4).
4The Qal infinitive construct — prepositions and suffixes
The model קטל (kill). Prepositions go in front of the base קְטֹל (qetol), suffixes after it.
| Form | Model קטל | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| base | קְטֹל | qetol | killing |
| לְ + (to) | לִקְטֹל | liqtol | to kill |
| בְּ + (when) | בִּקְטֹל | biqtol | when killing |
| כְּ + (as, when) | כִּקְטֹל | kiqtol | as … killed |
| מִן + (from) | מִקְּטֹל | miqqetol | from killing |
| + my (1cs) | קָטְלִי | qotli | my killing (I kill / kill me) |
| + your (2ms) | קָטְלְךָ | qotlekha | your killing |
| + his (3ms) | קָטְלוֹ | qotlo | his killing |
| + her (3fs) | קָטְלָהּ | qotlah | her killing |
Before a suffix the “o” of קְטֹל moves to the first letter: קָטְל (qotl). This ָ is read as a short “o” (qamets hatuf), not “a.” לְ becomes לִ to avoid two shevas in a row (see “Why” below).
5לְ + infinitive — “to …, in order to …”
The most common use: לְ (to, toward) in front gives the purpose. These words are from Genesis 1–3.
velimshol — and to rule
וְ (and) + לִ (to) + the Qal infinitive מְשֹׁל (ruling, root מ-שׁ-ל). מְשֹׁל has exactly the vowels of the model קְטֹל. It gives the purpose of the lights: “to rule over the day and the night.”
YLVand to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide between the light and between the darkness; and God saw that it was good.
lishmor — to guard
לִ + שְׁמֹר (guarding, root שׁ-מ-ר). לְ + שְׁמֹר would give two shevas in a row (לְשְׁ), so the sheva of לְ becomes “i”: לִשְׁ. The cherubim were placed “to guard” the way to the tree of life.
YLVAnd he drove out Adam, and he stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the flame of the whirling sword, to keep the way of the tree of life (chai).
la‘avod — to work
לַ + עֲבֹד (working, serving, root ע-ב-ד). The first root letter ע is a guttural, so it takes hateph patah ֲ (short “a”) instead of a sheva, and לְ matches it as לַ. “There was no man to work the ground.”
YLVAnd every shrub of the field was not yet in the earth, and every herb of the field had not yet sprouted, for YHWH God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man (adam) to work (avad) the ground (adamah).
lir’ot — to see
לִ + the root ר-א-ה (see) + וֹת. Roots ending in ה end in וֹת instead of ה in the infinitive construct. YHWH God brought the animals to Adam “to see what he would call them.”
YLVAnd YHWH God formed out of the ground (adamah) every living thing (chai) of the field and every bird of the heavens, and brought it to Adam to see what he would call it; and whatever Adam called it, the living soul (nephesh), that was its name.
6בְּ כְּ מִן + infinitive — “when …, as …, from …”
בְּ (in) and כְּ (like) before an infinitive express time. מִן (from) means “(away) from doing.”
behibbare’am — when they were created
בְּ (when) + the Niphal infinitive הִבָּרֵא (being created — הִ + a dot in the first letter בּ) + ם (their). “In their being created” = “when they were created.” The suffix ם is the subject of the infinitive (the heavens and the earth).
YLVThese are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that YHWH God made earth and heavens.
kishmoa‘ — when (Esau) heard
כִּ (when, as) + שְׁמֹעַ (hearing, root שׁ-מ-ע). The final ע is a guttural, so a short “a” (ַ) is slipped in under it: “shmoa‘.” Next come “Esau” and “his father’s words” — the subject and object of the infinitive.
YLVWhen Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, me also, my father."
miqqevor — from burying
מִ (מִן, from) + קְבֹר (burying). The נ of מִן merges into the next letter, leaving a dot in קּ. “None of us will withhold his tomb from you, from burying your dead” — מִן gives “so as not to.” The earlier קְבֹר in the same verse is an imperative.
YLV"Hear us, my lord: you are a prince of God in our midst; in the choicest of our graves bury your dead; no man (ish) of us shall withhold from you his grave from burying your dead."
ukhshom‘o — and when he heard
וּ (and) + כְ (when) + שָׁמְע (hearing — the “o” moves forward before a suffix) + וֹ (his). “As his hearing” = “when he heard.” The suffix וֹ is the subject, Laban. The same verse also has כִּרְאֹת (when he saw).
YLVAnd it came to pass, when he saw the nose-ring and the bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, "Thus the man (ish) spoke to me," that he came to the man (ish); and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.
7The “whose” at the end — subject or object
The suffix on an infinitive can be “who” (the subject) or “whom, what” (the object), depending on the context.
’akholkha — your eating (you eat)
The infinitive אֲכֹל of א-כ-ל (eat) + ךָ (your). After בְּיוֹם (in the day of): “in the day of your eating” = “in the day you eat.” The suffix is the subject. The ָ here is read as a short “o.”
YLVbut of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die."
le‘ovdah — to work it
לְ (to) + עָבְד (working) + הּ (it — feminine, “the garden”). Here the suffix is the object. The dot in ה (mappiq) shows it is a sounded suffix. It is the same verb as לַעֲבֹד in 2:5.
YLVAnd YHWH God took Adam and put him in the garden of Eden to work (avad) it and to keep it.
ulshomrah — and to keep it
וּ (and) + לְ + שָׁמְר (keeping) + הּ (it). The same infinitive as לִשְׁמֹר (to guard) in 3:24, with an object suffix; the “o” has moved to the first letter (שְׁמֹר → שָׁמְר).
YLVAnd YHWH God took Adam and put him in the garden of Eden to work (avad) it and to keep it.
shuvkha — your returning
The infinitive שׁוּב of the hollow root שׁ-ו-ב (return) + ךָ (your). After עַד (until): “until your returning” = “until you return to the ground.” The suffix is the subject.
YLVBy the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until(ad עד) you return to the ground (adamah); for out of it you were taken; for dust (aphar) you are, and to dust (aphar) you shall return.
8Why לְ becomes לִ, לַ or לֵ
- 1. לְ carries a shevaThe prepositions לְ בְּ כְּ all carry a sheva (short “e”) and attach to the front of a word.
- 2. The infinitive also begins with a shevaThe Qal infinitive קְטֹל has a sheva on its first letter. Together they would give two shevas in a row: לְקְ.
- 3. The first sheva becomes “i”Hebrew does not allow two shevas at the start of a word, so the first becomes “i” → לִקְטֹל. Real words: וְלִמְשֹׁל (1:18) · לִרְאוֹת (2:19) · לִשְׁמֹר (3:24).
- 4. “a” before a gutturalIf the first letter is a guttural with hateph patah (ֲ), לְ matches that “a” → לַעֲבֹד (2:5) · לַעֲשׂוֹת (2:3).
- 5. “e” when א goes silentFor אָמַר (say), לְ + אֱמֹר loses the sound of א, and the vowel of לְ lengthens: לֵאמֹר (lemor, 1:22 · 2:16).
9The infinitive construct in each stem
The model קטל. Each stem keeps its mark (הִ · middle dot · הַ · הִתְ) in the infinitive.
| Stem | Infinitive construct | Reading | Genesis example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qal | קְטֹל | qetol | לִשְׁמֹר (3:24) |
| Niphal | הִקָּטֵל | hiqqatel | בְּהִבָּרְאָם (2:4) |
| Piel | קַטֵּל | qattel | לְשַׁחֵת (6:17) |
| Hiphil | הַקְטִיל | haqtil | לְהַבְדִּיל (1:14) |
| Hithpael | הִתְקַטֵּל | hitqattel | — |
As in לְהַבְדִּיל (1:14), the Hiphil infinitive keeps its הַ even after לְ (the imperfect hides the ה behind its prefix, but the infinitive has no prefix). The Piel לְשַׁחֵת (6:17) has no dot because its middle letter ח is a guttural.
10Other stems and uses — real examples from the Bible
lehavdil — to separate
לְ + the Hiphil infinitive הַבְדִּיל (הַ + the root ב-ד-ל + “i” ִי). Same root and stem as וַיַּבְדֵּל (and he separated) in 1:4. The purpose of the lights: “to separate the day from the night.”
YLVAnd God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens, to divide between the day and between the night; and let them be for signs (ot) and for appointed times (moadim), and for days and years;
lemor — saying
לֵ + the infinitive of א-מ-ר (say). It means “saying” and introduces the words spoken — here פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ (be fruitful and multiply). It does the work of opening quotation marks.
YLVAnd God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply in the earth."
heyot — being (alone)
The root ה-י-ה (be) + וֹת. Used without a preposition, like a noun, it is the subject of the sentence: “the man’s being alone is not good.” הָאָדָם (the man) after it is the infinitive’s subject. The guttural ה takes hateph segol ֱ.
YLVAnd YHWH God said, "It is not good for Adam to be alone; I will make him a helper as his counterpart."
leshaḥet — to destroy
לְ + the Piel infinitive שַׁחֵת (root שׁ-ח-ת). A Piel should have a dot in the middle letter, but ח is a guttural and cannot take it. The purpose of the flood: “to destroy all flesh.”
YLVAnd I, behold, I am bringing the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh (basar) in which is the spirit (ruach) of life (chai) from under the heavens; everything that is in the earth shall expire.
11What the infinitive construct does
(1) Purpose “to …, in order to …” (לְ +) — לְהַבְדִּיל (to separate, 1:14) · לַעֲבֹד (to work, 2:5) · לִרְאוֹת (to see, 2:19). The most common use.
(2) Time “when …, as …” (בְּ · כְּ +) — בְּהִבָּרְאָם (when they were created, 2:4) · בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ (in the day you eat, 2:17) · כִּשְׁמֹעַ (when he heard, 27:34). Often וַיְהִי (and it was) comes first to open a scene: וַיְהִי כְּבוֹא (12:14).
(3) Introducing speech: לֵאמֹר — “saying,” followed by the words spoken (1:22 · 2:16).
(4) As a noun — subject or object — הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ (the man’s being alone, 2:18) is the subject of the sentence.
(5) Negative purpose — לְבִלְתִּי (so as not to) + infinitive: לְבִלְתִּי אֲכָל־מִמֶּנּוּ (not to eat of it, 3:11). מִן + infinitive can also mean “so as not to” (23:6 מִקְּבֹר).
12When the shape changes
III-He verbs end in וֹת: עֲשׂוֹת (2:4) · לַעֲשׂוֹת (2:3) · הֱיוֹת (2:18) · לִרְאוֹת (2:19) · לְהַשְׁקוֹת (to water, Hiphil, 2:10).
I-Yod verbs often lose the first letter and add ת: לָדַעַת (to know, 3:22 — root י-ד-ע) · בְּלֶדֶת (when she bore, 16:16 — י-ל-ד) · בְּצֵאתוֹ (when he went out, 12:4 — י-צ-א).
Hollow verbs show the middle vowel letter: שׁוּבְךָ (3:19) · כְּבוֹא (when he came, 12:14).
I-Aleph verbs either lose the sound of א, as in לֵאמֹר (1:22), or take hateph patah, as in אֲכָל (3:11).
The Qal also has feminine-type infinitives with a final ת: יְבֹשֶׁת (drying, 8:7, “until the waters were dried up”).
13Easy to confuse
It looks like the imperative. קְבֹר in Gen 23:6 is an imperative (“bury”), while מִקְּבֹר in the same verse is an infinitive. The Niphal הִפָּרֶד is an imperative in 13:9 and an infinitive after אַחֲרֵי (after) in 13:14. A preposition in front, or a noun position in the sentence, marks the infinitive.
It is not the infinitive absolute. In 2:16 אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל, אָכֹל (’akhol) is the infinitive absolute: bare, adding force to the following verb (“you may freely eat”). In 2:17 בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ, אֲכָלְךָ is the construct, with a suffix. Even the first vowel differs (ָ a / ֲ short a).
לֵאמֹר is not “in order to say.” It is לְ + infinitive, but it means “saying” and signals that the words spoken follow.
An infinitive has no built-in “who.” The doer is shown by a suffix (אֲכָלְךָ your), by a following noun (הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם the man’s), or, failing both, by the context.
14Where this appears in Genesis 1–2
All 17 places, found from the OSHB morphology. Tap one to go to that word’s notes.