Piel פִּעֵל pi‘el
The Piel is one of the seven stems of the Hebrew verb — an active stem made by doubling the middle root letter. The doubling shows as a dot in the letter, so the dot in the middle letter is the Piel’s mark. It changes the shade of meaning, as Qal “be holy” becomes Piel “make holy.” This page shows every Piel form in words actually used in the Bible.
the model verb פָּעַל (do) in the Piel vowels “i · e”
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 Piel is
The Piel is one of the seven stems of the Hebrew verb — an active stem made by doubling the middle root letter. The doubling is shown by a dot (dagesh) in the letter, so every Piel form has a dot in its middle letter (except where that letter is a guttural).
After the Qal and the Hiphil it is the most common stem: in the OSHB morphology, 6,502 of the 73,009 Hebrew verbs in the Old Testament (about 9%). Genesis 1–2 already has מְרַחֶפֶת (hovering, 1:2), וַיְבָרֶךְ (and he blessed, 1:22) and וַיְקַדֵּשׁ (and he made holy, 2:3).
Its meanings do not reduce to one. (1) Making a Qal state happen (be holy → make holy). (2) Repeated or intensive action. (3) Verbs made from nouns. (4) Verbs with no Qal that are used only in the Piel. It is often called the “intensive” or D stem (D for doubled).
2Where the name comes from — פִּעֵל pi‘el
A stem is named by putting the model verb פָּעַל (pa‘al, “do, make”) into its vowels. The Piel perfect has the vowels “i · e” (קִטֵּל qittel), so פ-ע-ל becomes פִּעֵל (pi‘el).
But the name פִּעֵל has no dot in its middle letter ע, because ע is a guttural and cannot be doubled (see “When the middle letter is a guttural” below). The name shows the Piel’s vowels; the Piel’s doubling is seen in ordinary verbs like קִטֵּל. The dot in פ only means the word-initial פ is read hard, “p.”
Because the middle letter is doubled, some grammars call it the D stem.
3At a glance — the marks of the Piel
- Every formA dot (doubling) in the middle root letter — דִּבֶּר (Gen 12:4, he had spoken).
- PerfectNothing in front; “i” (ִ) under the first letter and “e” (ֵ) or “a” (ַ) under the middle — דִּבֶּר · דִּבַּרְתָּ (Gen 18:5).
- Imperfect · wayyiqtolA sheva under the “who” prefix (יְ תְּ נְ; אֲ for “I”) + “a” (ַ) under the first root letter — וַיְקַדֵּשׁ (Gen 2:3).
- Imperative · infinitivesNo prefix; “a” under the first letter and a dot in the middle — דַּבֵּר (Gen 24:33, speak) · לְדַבֵּר (Gen 17:22, speaking).
- Participleמְ in front + “a” on the first letter + middle dot — מְדַבֵּר (Gen 27:6, speaking).
4The perfect — the middle letter doubled
The Piel perfect of the model קטל. Compared with the Qal קָטַל (qatal), the first vowel changes from “a” to “i,” and the middle ט is doubled with a dot. The “who” endings are exactly those of the Qal. “He” is “qittel”; before an ending that begins with a consonant the middle vowel is “a” (qittal-).
| Who | Piel perfect | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| he (3ms) | קִטֵּל | qittel |
| she (3fs) | קִטְּלָה | qittelah |
| you (2ms) | קִטַּלְתָּ | qittalta |
| you (2fs) | קִטַּלְתְּ | qittalt |
| I (1cs) | קִטַּלְתִּי | qittalti |
| they (3cp) | קִטְּלוּ | qittelu |
| you (2mp) | קִטַּלְתֶּם | qittaltem |
| you (2fp) | קִטַּלְתֶּן | qittalten |
| we (1cp) | קִטַּלְנוּ | qittalnu |
In every form the dot in the middle ט remains. It is the mark of the Piel / Pual / Hithpael family.
5The perfect — real examples from the Bible
Piel perfects from Genesis. Look for the dot in the middle letter and the “i” under the first.
dibber — he had spoken
The root ד-ב-ר (speak) + “i” under the first letter + the dot (doubling) in the middle בֶּ: “dib-ber,” with the ב sounded twice. The dot in ד only marks a hard word-initial letter. This verb has almost no Qal; the Piel is its basic form, “speak.” The second vowel is ֶ (short e) rather than the chart’s ֵ, because this verb’s Piel perfect “he” is regularly spelled so; it is still sounded “e.”
YLVAnd Abram went, as YHWH had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. And Abram was a son of five and seventy years when he went out from Haran.
dibbarta — you have said
The same root ד-ב-ר + the ending תָּ (you). Before an ending beginning with a consonant, the middle vowel is “a” (בַּ) — like קִטַּלְתָּ (qittalta) in the chart. “Do as you have said.”
YLVAnd let me take a piece of bread, and sustain your heart; afterward you may pass on; for therefore you have passed by to your servant." And they said, "So do, as you have spoken."
tsivvah — he had commanded
The root צ-ו-ה (command) + “i” on the first letter + the dot in the middle וָּ. This is not the vowel “u” but a doubled consonant ו (vv). As a root ending in ה, it ends in ָה. “Command” is also used only in the Piel.
YLVAnd Noah did according to all that God commanded (tzivvah) him; so he did.
uverakhti — and I will bless
וּ (and) + the root ב-ר-ך (bless) + the ending תִּי (I). The middle ר cannot be doubled, so there is no dot; instead the first vowel lengthens from “i” to “e” (ֵ) (see “When the middle letter is a guttural” below). With וְ it is a weqatal — “I will bless.”
YLVAnd I will bless her, and moreover I will give to you a son from her; and I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."
6Why the forms look this way
- 1. The middle letter is doubledThe Piel sounds the middle letter of ק-ט-ל twice — “q-tt-l.” Hebrew writes the letter once with a dot (dagesh) inside → קִטֵּל (qittel).
- 2. A vowel stands before the doubled letterA doubled sound closes one syllable and opens the next (“qit-tel”), so the first letter always has a vowel (ִ or ַ).
- 3. The imperfect prefix reduces to shevaThe imperfect is prefix + first root letter + doubled middle letter. The prefix vowel, two syllables before the stress, reduces to a sheva → יְקַטֵּל (yeqattel). It differs from the Qal יִקְטֹל (yiqtol) from the very first vowel.
- 4. The participle takes מְIn every stem but the Qal the participle has מ in front. The Piel participle puts מְ where the imperfect prefix stands → מְקַטֵּל (meqattel).
7The imperfect — sheva in the prefix, dot in the middle
The Piel imperfect of קטל (“… will kill”). A sheva under the prefix (the א of “I” is a guttural, so ֲ), “a” under the first root letter, a dot in the middle ט with “e” under it.
| Who | Piel imperfect | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| he | יְקַטֵּל | yeqattel |
| she · you (m) | תְּקַטֵּל | teqattel |
| you (f) | תְּקַטְּלִי | teqatteli |
| I | אֲקַטֵּל | ’aqattel |
| they (m) | יְקַטְּלוּ | yeqattelu |
| they (f) · you (f pl) | תְּקַטֵּלְנָה | teqattelnah |
| you (m pl) | תְּקַטְּלוּ | teqattelu |
| we | נְקַטֵּל | neqattel |
The wayyiqtol puts the same form after וַ — וַיְקַטֵּל (vayeqattel). It is told from the Qal wayyiqtol וַיִּקְטֹל (vayyiqtol) by the vowel under the י (sheva vs “i”) and the dot in the י.
8Imperfect · wayyiqtol — real examples from the Bible
Look for the sheva under the prefix and the dot in the middle letter.
vayeqaddesh — and he made (it) holy
וַיְ (and he — sheva under the י) + קַ (“a” on the first root letter) + דֵּ (the doubled middle) + שׁ. Exactly the shape of יְקַטֵּל in the chart. The Qal קָדַשׁ is “be holy” (a state); the Piel is “make holy” — he made the seventh day holy.
YLVAnd God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he shabbatted from all his work which God created to make.
va’agaddelah — and I will make great
וַ (and) + אֲ (I — the guttural א takes ֲ instead of sheva) + גַ + דְּ (the doubled middle) + ל + the ending ה (the cohortative “let me / I will”; OSHB tags the word as an imperfect). The Qal גָדַל is “be great, grow” (Gen 26:13); the Piel is “make great” — “I will make your name great.”
YLVAnd I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and be a blessing.
vayeshalleḥehu — and he sent him out
וַיְ (and he) + שַׁ + לְּ (the doubled middle) + ח + the suffix הוּ (him). The Qal יִשְׁלַח in the verse before (3:22) is “put forth (the hand)”; this Piel is “send away.” The same root שׁ-ל-ח means different things in different stems.
YLVAnd YHWH God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to work (avad) the ground (adamah) from which he was taken.
vayekhal — and he finished
וַיְ (and he) + כַ (“a” on the first root letter) + ל. When the final ה of the root כ-ל-ה dropped, the middle ל was left at the end of the word, where no doubling dot can be written. Still, the sheva under the prefix and the “a” on the first letter show it is Piel. It pairs with the Pual וַיְכֻלּוּ (were finished) in 2:1.
YLVAnd God finished on the seventh day his work which he had made, and he shabbatted on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
9Imperative · infinitives · participle
The imperative and infinitive construct are the imperfect without its prefix — “a” under the first letter and a dot in the middle. The participle puts מְ in front.
| Form | Model קטל | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| imperative (2ms) | קַטֵּל | qattel | kill! |
| imperative (2mp) | קַטְּלוּ | qattelu | kill! (you all) |
| infinitive construct | קַטֵּל | qattel | killing, to kill (לְקַטֵּל) |
| infinitive absolute | קַטֹּל · קַטֵּל | qattol · qattel | (emphatic) surely kill |
| participle (ms) | מְקַטֵּל | meqattel | (one) killing |
| participle (fs) | מְקַטֶּלֶת | meqattelet | (she / it) killing |
| participle (mp) | מְקַטְּלִים | meqattelim | (those) killing |
10Imperative · infinitives · participle — real examples from the Bible
dabber — speak
Imperative masculine singular: “a” under the first letter + the dot in בֵּ. The perfect דִּבֶּר (dibber) has “i” first; the imperative has “a.” Laban says to Abraham’s servant, “Speak.”
YLVAnd there was set before him to eat; but he said, "I will not eat ad(עד) I have spoken my words." And he said, "Speak."
sapperu — tell (it)
Imperative plural: סַ + פְּ (doubled middle — “sap-peru”) + ר + the ending וּ (you all). The root ס-פ-ר is “count” in the Qal (Gen 15:5 וּסְפֹר count) and “recount, tell” in the Piel.
YLVAnd they said to him, "We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it, now, to me."
ledabber — speaking (to speak)
לְ (to) + the infinitive construct דַבֵּר (“a” on the first letter + middle dot). “He finished speaking with him.” After לְ the ד is soft, so it has no dot.
YLVAnd he finished speaking with him, and God went up from upon Abraham.
leqallel — to curse
לְ + the infinitive construct קַלֵּל: the Piel of ק-ל-ל (be light) — “treat lightly → curse.” The second and third letters are both ל; the middle לֵּ is doubled with a dot. “I will not again curse the ground.”
YLVAnd YHWH smelled the soothing aroma; and YHWH said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground (adamah) any more because of man (adam), for the inclination of the heart of man (adam) is evil from his youth; and I will not again strike any more every living thing (chai), as I have done.
varekh — (surely) blessing
Infinitive absolute: the root ב-ר-ך. With the imperfect right after it, אֲבָרֶכְךָ (I will bless you), it means “blessing I will bless → I will surely bless.” The middle ר cannot be doubled, so the first vowel lengthens to ָ instead of taking a dot.
YLVthat in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the shore of the sea; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
medabber — speaking
Participle: מְ (participle prefix) + דַ (“a”) + בֵּ (doubled middle) + ר — the shape of מְקַטֵּל (meqattel). Rebekah “heard (Isaac) speaking (to Esau).”
YLVAnd Rebekah said to Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying,
mevaqqesh — seeking
Participle: מְ + בַ + קֵּ (doubled middle) + שׁ. The root ב-ק-שׁ (seek) has no Qal; it is used in the Piel. Joseph says, “I am seeking my brothers.”
YLVAnd he said, "I am seeking my brothers; tell me, I pray you, where they are feeding the flock."
11What the Piel does — four kinds
(1) “Make it so” — a verb whose Qal states a condition (“be …”) means “make … so” in the Piel. Qal “be holy” (יִקְדָּשׁ Exod 29:37) → Piel “make holy” (וַיְקַדֵּשׁ Gen 2:3) · Qal “be great” (גָדַל Gen 26:13) → Piel “make great” (וַאֲגַדְּלָה Gen 12:2) · Qal “come to an end” (וַיִּכְלוּ Gen 21:15) → Piel “finish” (וַיְכַל Gen 2:2).
(2) An action of a different shade from the Qal — Qal שָׁלַח “put forth, send” (יִשְׁלַח 3:22) → Piel “send away, drive out” (וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ 3:23) · Qal “count” → Piel “recount, tell” (סַפְּרוּ 40:8). Grammars often call this “intensive” or “repeated,” but the actual meaning of each verb must be checked in the lexicon.
(3) Verbs made from nouns — the Piel is often used to turn a noun into a verb: עֶשֶׂר (ten) → עַשֵּׂר (give a tenth; Gen 28:22 עַשֵּׂר אֲעַשְּׂרֶנּוּ “I will surely give a tenth of it”).
(4) Piel-only verbs — verbs with little or no Qal whose basic meaning is in the Piel: דִּבֶּר (speak) · צִוָּה (command) · בִּקֵּשׁ (seek) · בֵּרַךְ (bless). These are not translated as “intensively ….”
12When the middle letter is a guttural — no dot
The gutturals א ה ח ע and ר cannot be doubled, so they take no dot. Then either (1) the vowel before lengthens (ִ→ֵ · ַ→ָ, mostly before א ע ר), or (2) the vowel stays short and the letter is treated as if doubled (mostly before ה ח).
vayevarekh — and he blessed
וַיְ (and he) + בָ + ר + ך. A strong verb would have בַ (“a”) and then a dot in the middle letter, like וַיְקַטֵּל; ר cannot be doubled, so there is no dot and ַ lengthens to ָ instead. The same form appears in Gen 1:22, 1:28 and 2:3.
YLVAnd God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply in the earth."
gerashta — you have driven (me) out
Perfect “you”: the root ג-ר-שׁ (drive out) + the ending תָּ. A strong verb would have “i” and a middle dot, like קִטַּלְתָּ; because of the middle ר there is no dot, and the first vowel lengthens to “e” (גֵּ). The dot in ג only marks a hard word-initial letter.
YLVBehold, you have driven me this day from upon the face of the ground (adamah), and from your face I shall be hidden; and I shall be a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth, and it shall come to pass that anyone finding me will kill me."
meraḥefet — hovering
Piel participle feminine singular: מְ + רַ + חֶ (the middle ח) + פ + the ending ת. The middle ח is a guttural and has no dot, yet the vowel before it, ַ (“a”), stays short — the ח is treated as if doubled. The subject “Spirit” (רוּחַ) is feminine, so the participle is feminine.
YLVAnd the earth was formlessness and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit (ruach) of God was hovering upon the face of the waters.
13Easy to confuse
The hard-sound dot and the doubling dot — ב ג ד כ פ ת take a dot meaning “read it hard” at the start of a word or after a closed syllable (the first ד of דִּבֶּר). The Piel doubling dot stands in the middle letter, right after a vowel (the ב of דִּבֶּר, after ִ).
Dots in the Piel, Pual and Niphal — the Piel and Pual have the dot in the middle letter; the Niphal imperfect in the first root letter (יִקָּרֵא). Piel and Pual are told apart by vowels: the Piel has “i · e” (קִטֵּל) or “a · e” (יְקַטֵּל); the Pual has “u” on the first letter (קֻטַּל).
Qal and Piel wayyiqtol — the Qal has וַיִּ (a dot in the י, “i” under it); the Piel has וַיְ (a sheva under the י). Compare וַיִּכְלוּ (Qal, 21:15) and וַיְכַל (Piel, 2:2).
A Piel with no dot — when the middle letter is a guttural (וַיְבָרֶךְ) or stands at the end of the word without a vowel (וַיְכַל), there is no dot. Recognize the Piel then by the sheva under the prefix and the vowels.
14Where this appears in Genesis 1–2
All 7 places, found from the OSHB morphology. Tap one to go to that word’s notes.