Pual פֻּעַל pu‘al
The Pual is the passive of the Piel. Like the Piel it doubles the middle root letter with a dot, and the vowel under the first root letter is “u” (ֻ). The partner of the Piel וַיְכַל (and he finished, Gen 2:2) is the Pual וַיְכֻלּוּ (and they were finished, Gen 2:1). This page shows the Pual forms in words actually used in the Bible.
the model verb פָּעַל (do) in the Pual vowels “u · a”
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 Pual is
The Pual is the passive of the Piel. Where the Piel says “make so, do” (active), the Pual says it from the receiving side: “be made so, be done” (passive). The partner of the Piel וַיְכַל (and he finished, Gen 2:2) is the Pual וַיְכֻלּוּ (and they were finished, Gen 2:1).
Like the Piel, it doubles the middle root letter (a dot), and the vowel under the first root letter is “u” (ֻ). That “u” is the key that sets the Pual apart from the Piel.
The Pual is rare: in the OSHB morphology, 467 of the 73,268 Hebrew verbs in the Old Testament (about 0.6%), 27 of them in Genesis. It is also called the D passive or intensive passive.
2Where the name comes from — פֻּעַל pu‘al
Put the model verb פָּעַל (pa‘al, “do”) into the Pual perfect vowels “u · a” (קֻטַּל quttal) and you get פֻּעַל (pu‘al), the stem’s name.
Like the Piel name פִּעֵל, the name פֻּעַל has no dot in the middle letter ע, because ע is a guttural and cannot be doubled. The name shows the Pual vowels “u · a”; the doubling is seen in ordinary verbs like קֻטַּל.
Compare the Piel name פִּעֵל: only the first vowel has changed, “i” → “u.” The name itself shows that active and passive differ in the vowels.
3At a glance — the marks of the Pual
- Every form“u” (ֻ) under the first root letter + a dot (doubling) in the middle root letter — לֻקַּח (Gen 3:23, was taken).
- PerfectNothing in front; “u · a” — גֻּנַּבְתִּי (Gen 40:15, I was stolen away). “Who” is at the end.
- Imperfect · wayyiqtolA sheva under the prefix (יְ תְּ) + “u” + middle dot — וַיְכֻסּוּ (Gen 7:19, were covered).
- Participleמְ in front + “u” + middle dot, with “a” (ָ) as the second vowel — מְשֻׁלָּשׁ (Gen 15:9, three years old).
- No imperativeA command “be …ed!” is hardly used, so the Pual has no imperative. Its infinitives are very rare.
4The perfect — “u” and a middle dot
The Pual perfect of the model קטל. Compared with the Piel קִטֵּל (qittel), the first vowel changes from “i” to “u” and the second from “e” to “a”; the dot in the middle ט stays. The “who” endings are the same as in the Qal and Piel.
| Who | Pual perfect | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| he (3ms) | קֻטַּל | quttal |
| she (3fs) | קֻטְּלָה | quttelah |
| you (2ms) | קֻטַּלְתָּ | quttalta |
| you (2fs) | קֻטַּלְתְּ | quttalt |
| I (1cs) | קֻטַּלְתִּי | quttalti |
| they (3cp) | קֻטְּלוּ | quttelu |
| you (2mp) | קֻטַּלְתֶּם | quttaltem |
| you (2fp) | קֻטַּלְתֶּן | quttalten |
| we (1cp) | קֻטַּלְנוּ | quttalnu |
The Pual of the model verb קטל does not actually occur in the Bible. The chart shows the pattern; the real words are in the examples below.
5The perfect — real examples from the Bible
All are Pual perfects from Genesis. Look for the “u” (ֻ) under the first letter and the dot in the middle letter.
gunnavti — I was stolen away
The root ג-נ-ב (steal) + “u” on the first letter (גֻּ) + the dot (doubling) in the middle נּ + the ending תִּי (I) — the shape of קֻטַּלְתִּי (quttalti) in the chart. Qal גָּנַב is “steal”; the Pual is “be stolen.” The dot in ג only marks a hard word-initial letter.
YLVFor indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing, that they should put me in the pit."
luqqaḥ — he was taken
The root ל-ק-ח (take) + “u” (לֻ) + the dot in the middle קּ + “a” — like קֻטַּל (quttal) in the chart. “To work the ground from which he was taken” — the man was “taken” from the soil.
YLVAnd YHWH God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to work (avad) the ground (adamah) from which he was taken.
luqqoḥah — she was taken
The same root ל-ק-ח + “u” + the ending ה (she). The middle ק shows no dot because a short vowel (hateph ֳ) stands under it and the dot is left out (some letters with sheva or hateph often drop the doubling dot). “For from man this one was taken.”
YLVAnd Adam said, "This now is bone of my bones and flesh (basar) of my flesh (basar); for this one it shall be called Woman (ishah), because from Man (ish) this one was taken."
yullad — (a son) was born
The root י-ל-ד (bear) + “u” under the first letter י + the dot in the middle לּ. The first י is not the “he” prefix but the first root letter. “To Seth also a son was born.” This form is frequent in the Genesis genealogies (10:21, 10:25, 41:50 …).
YLVAnd to Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then it was begun to call upon the name of YHWH.
shulleḥu — they were sent away
The root שׁ-ל-ח + “u” + the dot in the middle לּ + the ending וּ (they). The ending begins with a vowel, so the second vowel “a” shrinks to sheva (קֻטְּלוּ in the chart). The passive of the Piel וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ (he sent him out, 3:23).
YLVThe morning was light, and the men (ish) were sent away, they and their donkeys.
6The imperfect — the Piel shape with “u · a”
The Pual imperfect of קטל (“… will be killed”). The sheva under the prefix is as in the Piel; the first root letter has “u” instead of “a,” and the middle letter “a” instead of “e.”
| Who | Pual imperfect | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| he | יְקֻטַּל | yequttal |
| she · you (m) | תְּקֻטַּל | tequttal |
| you (f) | תְּקֻטְּלִי | tequtteli |
| I | אֲקֻטַּל | ’aquttal |
| they (m) | יְקֻטְּלוּ | yequttelu |
| they (f) · you (f pl) | תְּקֻטַּלְנָה | tequttalnah |
| you (m pl) | תְּקֻטְּלוּ | tequttelu |
| we | נְקֻטַּל | nequttal |
The wayyiqtol puts the same form after וַ — וַיְקֻטַּל (vayequttal).
7Imperfect · wayyiqtol — real examples from the Bible
Genesis has the Pual wayyiqtol in two words (three times) and no plain imperfect, so imperfects are taken from other books.
vayekhullu — and (they) were finished
וַיְ (and he — sheva) + כֻ (“u” on the first root letter) + לּ (doubled middle) + the ending וּ (plural). The final ה of the root כ-ל-ה has dropped. It pairs with the Piel וַיְכַל (and he finished) in the next verse — the heavens and earth “were finished,” God “finished.”
YLVAnd the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their host.
vayekhussu — and (the mountains) were covered
וַיְ + כֻ (“u”) + סּ (doubled middle) + וּ. The final ה of the root כ-ס-ה (cover) has dropped. The passive of the Piel וְכִסִּינוּ (and we cover, Gen 37:26). The same word recurs in 7:20.
YLVAnd the waters prevailed very, very much upon the earth, and all the high mountains that were under all the heavens were covered.
yekhuppar — (atonement) can be made
Imperfect “he”: יְ + כֻ (“u”) + פּ (doubled middle) + “a” + ר — exactly יְקֻטַּל (yequttal) in the chart. The passive of the Piel כִּפֶּר (make atonement): “no atonement can be made for the land.”
YLVAnd you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood, it pollutes the land, and for the land no atonement can be made for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
yegunnav — (a word) was stolen (to me)
Imperfect: יְ + גֻ (“u”) + נּ (doubled middle) + ב. The Pual of the same root ג-נ-ב as גֻּנַּבְתִּי (I was stolen, Gen 40:15). The second vowel ָ is “a” lengthened at a pause in the verse. A word “was stolen” to him — it came secretly.
YLVAnd to me a word was stolen, and my ear took a whisper of it.
8Infinitives · participle (no imperative)
The Pual has no imperative, and its infinitives are very rare (in OSHB, one infinitive construct and one infinitive absolute). The participle puts מְ in front and has “a” (ָ) as its second vowel.
| Form | Model קטל | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| imperative | — | — | none |
| infinitive construct | קֻטַּל | quttal | being killed (very rare) |
| infinitive absolute | קֻטֹּל | quttol | (emphatic) surely killed |
| participle (ms) | מְקֻטָּל | mequttal | (one) killed |
| participle (fs) | מְקֻטֶּלֶת | mequttelet | (she / it) killed |
| participle (mp) | מְקֻטָּלִים | mequttalim | (those) killed |
| participle (fp) | מְקֻטָּלוֹת | mequttalot | (those, f) killed |
9Infinitives · participle — real examples from the Bible
gunnov — (indeed) stolen
Infinitive absolute: גֻ (“u”) + נּ (doubled middle) + “o” + ב. With the perfect right after it, גֻּנַּבְתִּי (I was stolen), it means “stolen I was stolen → I was indeed carried off.” In OSHB this is the only Pual infinitive absolute in the Old Testament.
YLVFor indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing, that they should put me in the pit."
‘unnoto — his being afflicted
Infinitive construct: from the root ע-נ-ה (afflict) — עֻ (“u”) + נּ (doubled middle) + וֹת (the infinitive ending of roots in ה) + the suffix וֹ (his). “David and all his affliction” — David’s “being afflicted.” In OSHB this is the only Pual infinitive construct.
YLVA Song of the Ascents. Remember, YHWH, for David all his affliction;
meshullash — three years old
Participle masculine singular: מְ + שֻׁ (“u”) + לּ (doubled middle) + ָ (“a”) + שׁ — like מְקֻטָּל (mequttal). From the root שׁ-ל-שׁ (three): a ram “made three → three years old.” The same verse has the feminine מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת twice (a heifer, a she-goat three years old).
YLVAnd he said to him, "Take for me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
mevushal — boiled
Participle: מְ + בֻ (“u”) + שּׁ (doubled middle) + “a” + ל. The passive of the Piel בִּשֵּׁל (boil): “boiled.” The Passover lamb was not to be eaten “boiled in water.”
YLVDo not eat from him raw, nor boiled at all in water, but roasted with fire — his head with his legs and with his inner parts.
hamqusharot — the strong ones
The article הַ + the participle מְ + קֻ (“u”) + שּׁ (doubled middle) + ר + the ending וֹת (feminine plural). The Pual participle of ק-שׁ-ר (bind): “firmly knit → strong” sheep.
YLVAnd it came to pass, whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the troughs, that they might conceive among the rods;
10Piel and Pual side by side
Piel (active) and Pual (passive) of the same roots, both found in Genesis. Both double the middle letter; only the vowels differ.
| Root | Piel (active) | Pual (passive) |
|---|---|---|
| כ-ל-ה finish | וַיְכַל and he finished (2:2) | וַיְכֻלּוּ and they were finished (2:1) |
| שׁ-ל-ח send away | וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ and he sent him out (3:23) | שֻׁלְּחוּ they were sent away (44:3) |
| צ-ו-ה command | צִוָּה he had commanded (6:22) | צֻוֵּיתָה you are commanded (45:19) |
| כ-ס-ה cover | וְכִסִּינוּ and we cover (37:26) | וַיְכֻסּוּ and they were covered (7:19) |
צֻוֵּיתָה (45:19) has י in place of the root’s final ה, the perfect “you” of a root in ה. The dot in the middle ו is again a doubled consonant ו.
11When the middle letter is ר or a guttural — “u” becomes “o”
ר and the gutturals א ע cannot be doubled and take no dot. Then the short “u” (ֻ) before them becomes a long “o” (ֹ) — the same reason the Piel’s “i” lengthens to “e.”
tevorakh — (she) shall be blessed
Imperfect “she”: תְּ + בֹ (“o” instead of “u”) + ר (no dot) + “a” + ך. The middle ר cannot be doubled, so the vowel before it lengthens. The passive of the Piel וַיְבָרֶךְ (and he blessed, Gen 1:22): “Jael shall be blessed.”
YLVBlessed above women (ishah) shall Jael be, the wife (ishah) of Heber the Kenite; above women (ishah) in the tent shall she be blessed.
yegorashu — they are driven out
Imperfect “they”: יְ + גֹ (“o”) + ר (no dot) + שׁ + the ending וּ. The passive of the Piel גֵּרַשְׁתָּ (you have driven out, Gen 4:14). In the Piel “i” → “e,” in the Pual “u” → “o”: the vowel lengthens in the same place.
YLVFrom the midst they are driven out; they shout at them as at a thief.
12Easy to confuse
Pual and Hophal — both show a “u” vowel. The Pual has “u” under the first root letter and a dot in the middle letter (יֻלַּד yullad, Gen 4:26 — the י is a root letter). The Hophal has “u / o” under the prefix (יֻקָּם yuqqam, Gen 4:15 “vengeance shall be taken” — the י is the “he” prefix; the root is נ-ק-ם, and the dot in ק is the merged נ). The two stand in neighbouring verses; compare them.
Pual and the Qal passive participle — the וּ of the Qal passive participle אָרוּר (Gen 3:14) stands between the second and third letters, with no doubling. The Pual participle מְשֻׁלָּשׁ has מְ in front, ֻ under the first letter, and a middle dot.
Forms some call Qal passive — OSHB analyses לֻקַּח (was taken) and יֻלַּד (was born) as Pual. But ל-ק-ח has no active Piel at all in OSHB, and the Piel of י-ל-ד means “help in childbirth” (Gen 35:17 הַמְיַלֶּדֶת the midwife), so many grammars treat these words as remnants of an old “Qal passive.” Either way the meaning is the same: “be taken, be born.”
A Pual with no dot — when the middle letter has a sheva or hateph, the dot is sometimes left out, as in לֻקֳחָה (2:23). Even then the “u” under the first letter shows it is Pual.
13Where this appears in Genesis 1–2
All 2 places, found from the OSHB morphology. Tap one to go to that word’s notes.