The Seven Stems בִּנְיָנִים binyanim
A Hebrew verb builds kinds of meaning by putting a root into fixed patterns. Each pattern is a stem (binyan), and there are seven main ones. This page shows all seven in one chart, with one word actually used in Genesis for each. Tap a name to go to the page that explains that stem in detail.
“buildings” (singular בִּנְיָן binyan)
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 a stem is
A Hebrew verb builds kinds of meaning by giving a three-letter root (such as ק-ט-ל) a fixed pattern of vowels and added letters. Each pattern is a stem (Hebrew בִּנְיָן binyan).
The same root means different things in different stems. The root כ-ל-ה (be finished) means “be used up” in the Qal (Gen 21:15), “finish” in the Piel (Gen 2:2), and “be finished” in the Pual (Gen 2:1). The root gives the broad meaning; the stem decides “does the subject act, receive the action, cause it, or do it to itself?”
Biblical Hebrew has seven main stems — Qal, Niphal, Piel, Pual, Hiphil, Hophal, Hithpael — and a few rare ones (Polel, Pilpel and others). Each stem has a perfect, imperfect, imperative, infinitives and participles (the Pual and Hophal have almost no imperative). Each stem has its own page.
2Where the names come from — בִּנְיָנִים binyanim
בִּנְיָן (binyan) comes from the root ב-נ-ה (build) and means “a building.” The plural is בִּנְיָנִים (binyanim). Each stem is pictured as a different “building” raised on the same root.
Each stem is named by putting the model verb פָּעַל (pa‘al, “do, make”) into that stem’s pattern. פ-ע-ל in the Niphal pattern gives נִפְעַל (nif‘al), in the Piel pattern פִּעֵל (pi‘el), in the Hiphil pattern הִפְעִיל (hif‘il). So the name itself shows the shape of the stem.
Only the first stem is different: it is called קַל (qal, “light”) — the “light” stem, with no added letters and no doubled letter.
3The seven stems in one chart
The “he” forms of the model root ק-ט-ל (kill) in the seven stems. The perfect is “he did,” the imperfect “he will do.” Colours show the marks (blue = added in front, purple = a mark inside). Tap a name to go to that stem’s page.
| Stem | Hebrew name | Translit. | Meaning | Perfect (he) | Imperfect (he) | Mark | Real example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qal | קַל | qal | basic — do, be | קָטַל qatal | יִקְטֹל yiqtol | nothing added · imperfect second vowel “o” | שָׁבַת he rested (Gen 2:3) |
| Niphal | נִפְעַל | nif‘al | passive / reflexive — be done, do to oneself | נִקְטַל niqtal | יִקָּטֵל yiqqatel | נִ before the perfect · dot in first letter of the imperfect | יִקָּרֵא shall be called (Gen 2:23) |
| Piel | פִּעֵל | pi‘el | make so, intensive — active | קִטֵּל qittel | יְקַטֵּל yeqattel | dot (doubling) in the middle letter | וַיְקַדֵּשׁ and he made holy (Gen 2:3) |
| Pual | פֻּעַל | pu‘al | passive of the Piel | קֻטַּל quttal | יְקֻטַּל yequttal | “u” (ֻ) on the first letter + middle dot | וַיְכֻלּוּ and were finished (Gen 2:1) |
| Hiphil | הִפְעִיל | hif‘il | causative — cause to do | הִקְטִיל hiqtil | יַקְטִיל yaqtil | הִ before the perfect · prefix “a” · ִי after the middle letter | וַיַּבְדֵּל and he separated (Gen 1:4) |
| Hophal | הָפְעַל | hof‘al | passive of the Hiphil | הָקְטַל hoqtal | יָקְטַל yoqtal | prefix vowel “o / u” (ָ ֻ) | יוּמָת shall be put to death (Gen 26:11) |
| Hithpael | הִתְפַּעֵל | hitpa‘el | reflexive / reciprocal | הִתְקַטֵּל hitqattel | יִתְקַטֵּל yitqattel | הִתְ · יִתְ in front + middle dot | מִתְהַלֵּךְ walking about (Gen 3:8) |
The ָ of the Hophal is read as a short “o” (qamets hatuf). The Piel, Pual and Hithpael form one family — all double the middle letter. The Hiphil and Hophal form another — both add ה in front (in the imperfect that ה drops out and only its vowel remains).
4How the seven fit together — three kinds × three voices
The seven stems are not a random list. Across: who acts (active · passive · reflexive). Down: what kind of action (basic · making so · causing).
| Active (subject acts) | Passive (subject receives) | Reflexive (subject acts on itself) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Qal קָטַל killed | Niphal נִקְטַל was killed | Niphal (also reflexive) |
| Making so (middle doubled) | Piel קִטֵּל | Pual קֻטַּל | Hithpael הִתְקַטֵּל |
| Causing (ה in front) | Hiphil הִקְטִיל caused to kill | Hophal הָקְטַל was caused to be killed | — |
This is the broad frame. Real verbs sometimes step outside it — some have no Qal and use only the Piel (דִּבֶּר he spoke), some only the Niphal (נִחַם regret). So check in the word analysis what each verb actually means in that stem.
5How often — the whole Old Testament
The number of Hebrew verbs tagged with each stem in the OSHB morphology (Aramaic sections excluded). Grammars differ slightly depending on where they place the rare stems.
| Stem | Count | Share of all verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Qal | 50,430 | about 69% |
| Hiphil | 9,489 | about 13% |
| Piel | 6,502 | about 9% |
| Niphal | 4,161 | about 6% |
| Hithpael | 920 | about 1.3% |
| Pual | 467 | about 0.6% |
| Hophal | 409 | about 0.6% |
| All Hebrew verbs | 73,009 | 100% |
The seven together make 72,378; the other 631 are rare stems (Polel, Pilpel, Hithpolel and others). Seven verbs in ten are Qal, so learn the Qal first; for the other stems, look at what has been added to the Qal.
6The seven stems — real examples from the Bible
One word for each stem, all from Genesis. The coloured parts are the marks of the stem.
shavat — he rested (ceased) — Qal
Qal perfect “he.” The root שׁ-ב-ת takes only the vowels “a · a,” with nothing added before or after. This “nothing added” shape is the mark of the Qal.
YLVAnd God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he shabbatted from all his work which God created to make.
yiqqare’ — shall be called — Niphal
יִ (he) + the dot in the first root letter קָּ — the trace of the merged Niphal נ. The Qal יִקְרָא (he will call) has no such dot.
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."
vayeqaddesh — and he made holy — Piel
וַיְ (and he — the prefix י has a sheva) + ק + the dot (doubling) in the middle letter דֵּ + שׁ. The root ק-ד-שׁ is “be holy” in the Qal and “make holy” in the Piel.
YLVAnd God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he shabbatted from all his work which God created to make.
vayekhullu — and (they) were finished — Pual
וַיְ (and he) + “u” (ֻ) under the first letter כ + the dot in the middle letter ל + the ending וּ (plural). “u” plus a doubled middle letter is the Pual. The very next verse (2:2) has the Piel of the same root, וַיְכַל (and he finished).
YLVAnd the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their host.
vayyavdel — and he separated — Hiphil
וַיַּ (and he — prefix vowel “a”) + the root ב-ד-ל + “e” (ֵ) before the third letter. The Hiphil imperfect has the prefix vowel “a” (the Qal has “i”). The dot in ד is not doubling: the syllable before it is closed, so ד is read hard (weak dagesh).
YLVAnd God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided between the light and between the darkness.
yumat — shall be put to death — Hophal
יוּ (he — prefix vowel “u”) + the root מ-ו-ת (die; the middle ו drops). The passive of the Hiphil “put to death,” so “be put to death.” The Hophal is marked by a prefix vowel “o” or “u”; with a hollow root it becomes וּ (u), as here.
YLVAnd Abimelech commanded (tzivvah) all the people, saying, "He that touches this man (ish) or his wife (ishah) shall surely be put to death."
mithallekh — walking about — Hithpael
The participle מ + the Hithpael ת (מִתְ) + the root ה-ל-ך (walk) + the dot in the middle letter לֵּ. The Qal הָלַךְ is “walk, go”; the Hithpael is “walk about, go to and fro.”
YLVAnd they heard the voice of YHWH God walking about in the garden at the spirit (ruach) of the day; and Adam and his woman (ishah) hid themselves from the presence of YHWH God in the midst of the trees of the garden.
7One root, three stems — כ-ל-ה (be finished)
See how the stem changes the meaning, with one root. All three are wayyiqtol (“and … did”), and the third root letter ה has dropped.
vayekhal — and he finished — Piel
Piel: prefix sheva (וַיְ), “a” under the first letter כ. “Make finished → finish.” The middle letter ל stands at the end of the word without a vowel, so it cannot show the doubling dot.
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.
vayekhullu — and (they) were finished — Pual
Pual: prefix sheva + “u” (ֻ) on the first letter + a dot in the middle ל. The passive of the Piel “finish,” so “be finished.” The heavens and the earth “were finished” (2:1) — and God “finished” (2:2).
YLVAnd the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their host.
8How to identify the stem, step by step
- 1. Find the three root lettersRemove waw, prepositions, the “who” prefix and endings to find the root (see “Roots”).
- 2. Look at letters left before the rootנ → Niphal (perfect, participle); ה → Hiphil or Hophal; הִתְ · יִתְ · מִתְ → Hithpael. The participle מ is added in every stem except the Qal.
- 3. Is there a dot in the middle letter?Then it belongs to the Piel / Pual / Hithpael family. A dot in the first root letter means the Niphal imperfect.
- 4. Look at the vowels“u” (ֻ) on the first letter + middle dot → Pual. A prefix vowel “o / u” (ָ ֻ) → Hophal. An imperfect prefix “a” (יַ) with ִי inside the root → Hiphil.
- 5. Nothing added → QalNo added letters, no dot, no “u” vowel: it is the Qal.
9Easy to confuse
Not every dot is doubling. The six letters ב ג ד כ פ ת take a weak dot (dagesh) at the start of a word or after a closed syllable, meaning “read it hard” — the ד of וַיַּבְדֵּל (1:4). A doubling dot stands in a letter right after a vowel (the ד of וַיְקַדֵּשׁ, after ַ).
Gutturals cannot be doubled. When א ה ח ע ר is the middle letter, even the Piel, Pual and Hithpael have no dot. In וַיְבָרֶךְ (1:22, Piel “and he blessed”) the ר has no dot; instead the vowel before it has lengthened to ָ. See the Piel page.
A נ, ה or מ in front is not always a stem mark. It may be a root letter (נ-ת-ן), the “we” prefix (נַעֲשֶׂה), or the interrogative or article ה. Find the root correctly first; then the stem shows.
Each stem’s paradigms and more examples are on its own page: Qal · Niphal · Piel · Pual · Hiphil · Hophal · Hithpael.