What Is Qal?
Compare Hifil with the common Hebrew stem.
OpenForm Insight
What Is Hifil?
A Hebrew grammar insight on brought-about action, agency, and limits.
Focused term וַיּוֹצִיאֵ֧נוּ way·yō·w·ṣî·’ê·nū H3318 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common plural
The Question
What is Hifil when I see it in a Hebrew form guide?
Short Answer
Hifil is a Hebrew verbal stem that often presents caused, brought-about, or made-to-happen action. That pattern is important, but Hifil should still be read with the root, subject, object, and context rather than treated as an automatic causative formula.
What the Form Is Doing
Hifil is a Hebrew verbal stem. It often presents an action as caused, brought about, or made to happen.
That is why Hifil can be interpretively rich. It can help the reader see not only that something happened, but who brought it about and who received the action.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
In Deuteronomy 6:21, the Hifil form belongs to Israel's confession that the Lord brought them out from Egypt. The stem, object suffix, and narrative setting work together to identify divine agency and covenant deliverance.
In Psalm 51:6, a Hifil form with a suffix helps the reader see a plea for God to make wisdom known. The grammar directs attention to God as the one who brings understanding to the speaker.
Where Caution Is Needed
The common shortcut is to make Hifil equal a mechanical causative every time. That is too thin. Hifil often carries caused action, but each root has its own pattern and each clause has its own context.
A strong explanation reads the stem with the root, subject, object, and verse function.
What It Does Not Prove
- It does not prove the same causative sense in every root.
- It does not explain the action without subject and object.
- It does not replace context with a stem formula.
Examples From Form Guides
Deuteronomy 6:21 וַיּוֹצִיאֵ֧נוּ Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common plural Hifil consecutive imperfect in Israel's exodus confession. Psalms 51:6 תוֹדִיעֵֽנִי׃ Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular Hifil imperfect with object suffix in a wisdom-teaching phrase. Genesis 15:5 וַיּוֹצֵ֨א Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Hifil consecutive imperfect describing brought-out action. Deuteronomy 8:16 לְהֵיטִֽבְךָ֖ Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular Hifil infinitive construct in a purpose-oriented phrase.