Hithpael — Reflexive Intensiveהִתְקַדֵּשׁ — the binyan with the unmistakable הִתְ- prefix
The Hithpael is the fifth binyan. It is built on the Piel's intensive pattern — the doubled middle radical (dagesh forte) — and adds a prefix: הִתְ-, the reflexive marker. The combination produces a verb that turns the intensive action back on the subject. Hithpael expresses reflexive action (הִתְקַדֵּשׁ hitkaddesh "he sanctified himself"), reciprocal action ("they fought each other"), and durative / iterative motion (הִתְהַלֵּךְ "he walked about"). The הִתְ- pattern is so distinctive that the binyan is the easiest to spot in any biblical text. This lesson teaches the full paradigm and the one tricky rule — the metathesis of the ת with sibilant-initial roots.
Reveal answer
- Identify the Hithpael instantly by its הִתְ- prefix (or מִתְ- on the participle, יִתְ- on the imperfect)
- Explain the three core functions of the Hithpael: reflexive, reciprocal, and durative / iterative
- Recognize and parse the Hithpael Perfect 3ms הִתְקַדֵּשׁ and conjugate its paradigm
- Recognize the Imperfect יִתְקַדֵּשׁ, Imperative הִתְקַדֵּשׁ, Infinitive Construct הִתְקַדֵּשׁ, and Participle מִתְקַדֵּשׁ
- Apply the metathesis rule: when the root begins with a sibilant (ס שׁ שׂ ז צ), the ת of הִתְ- swaps places with that letter — and with צ the ת becomes ט, with ז it becomes ד
- Read and translate the biblical staples הִתְפַּלֵּל ("he prayed"), הִתְהַלֵּךְ ("he walked about"), and וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ ("and they bowed down")
- Distinguish the Hithpael from the Piel (no prefix) and the Niphal (different prefix and meaning)
The Fifth Binyan — Where Hithpael Sits
By this point in the course you have met four binyanim: Qal (the simple active stem — "he guarded"), Niphal (the simple passive / reflexive — "he was guarded"), Piel (the intensive active — "he smashed"), and Pual (the intensive passive — "he was smashed"). The Hithpael is the fifth binyan, and it completes the intensive group.
Mechanically, the Hithpael is built on the Piel pattern. It retains the Piel's signature dagesh forte in the middle radical — the doubling that gives the intensive group its punch. To this doubled stem the Hithpael adds a distinctive prefix: הִתְ- (hit-). This prefix is the reflexive marker, and it announces the binyan visually before you have parsed anything else.
Semantically, the prefix turns the action back on the subject. Where Piel says "he sanctified [someone or something]," Hithpael says "he sanctified himself." Where Piel says "he hid [an object]," Hithpael says "he hid himself." Where Piel says "he made [someone] strong," Hithpael says "he strengthened himself" or "he summoned his courage." The action of the Piel, redirected onto the subject — that is the Hithpael.
One more property of the prefix matters: it is one of the most visually distinctive markers in the Hebrew verb system. Hithpael forms cannot be mistaken for anything else — except in one case (sibilant-initial roots), where the ת of the prefix swaps places with the first root letter. That single exception, known as metathesis, is the only complication in an otherwise transparent binyan.
The Three Functions of the Hithpael
The Hithpael does not have one single meaning. The prefix turns the intensive action back on the subject in three related ways.
| Function | Sense | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflexive | subject acts on himself | הִתְקַדֵּשׁ | hitkaddesh — "he sanctified himself" |
| Reciprocal | plural subjects act on each other | הִתְרָאוּ | hitra'u — "they looked at one another" |
| Durative / Iterative | action done repeatedly or habitually | הִתְהַלֵּךְ | hithallekh — "he walked about, walked back and forth" |
The Perfect — הִתְקַדֵּשׁ hitkaddesh
The 3ms Perfect is the dictionary form: הִתְקַדֵּשׁ, "he sanctified himself." Note the three signatures of the binyan: the הִתְ- prefix, the dagesh forte in the middle radical (here the ד, doubled), and the tsere under the middle root letter.
| Person | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms | הִתְקַדֵּשׁ | hitkaddesh | he sanctified himself |
| 3fs | הִתְקַדְּשָׁה | hitkaddeshah | she sanctified herself |
| 2ms | הִתְקַדַּשְׁתָּ | hitkaddashta | you (m.) sanctified yourself |
| 2fs | הִתְקַדַּשְׁתְּ | hitkaddasht | you (f.) sanctified yourself |
| 1cs | הִתְקַדַּשְׁתִּי | hitkaddashti | I sanctified myself |
| 3cp | הִתְקַדְּשׁוּ | hitkaddeshu | they sanctified themselves |
| 2mp | הִתְקַדַּשְׁתֶּם | hitkaddashtem | you (mp) sanctified yourselves |
| 1cp | הִתְקַדַּשְׁנוּ | hitkaddashnu | we sanctified ourselves |
The Imperfect — יִתְקַדֵּשׁ yitkaddesh
The Imperfect adds the imperfect prefix (י־ת־א־נ) in place of the ה of הִתְ-. The ת of the binyan prefix remains. So 3ms יִתְקַדֵּשׁ = yi-t-kaddesh, "he will sanctify himself."
| Person | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3ms | יִתְקַדֵּשׁ | yitkaddesh | he will sanctify himself |
| 3fs | תִּתְקַדֵּשׁ | titkaddesh | she will sanctify herself |
| 2ms | תִּתְקַדֵּשׁ | titkaddesh | you (m.) will sanctify yourself |
| 1cs | אֶתְקַדֵּשׁ | etkaddesh | I will sanctify myself |
| 3mp | יִתְקַדְּשׁוּ | yitkaddeshu | they will sanctify themselves |
| 1cp | נִתְקַדֵּשׁ | nitkaddesh | we will sanctify ourselves |
Imperative, Infinitive, and Participle
The other principal parts follow the same prefix pattern. Memorize the four forms below and you have the Hithpael paradigm in hand.
| Part | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperative ms | הִתְקַדֵּשׁ | hitkaddesh | sanctify yourself! |
| Imperative fs | הִתְקַדְּשִׁי | hitkaddeshi | sanctify yourself! (f.) |
| Infinitive Construct | הִתְקַדֵּשׁ | hitkaddesh | to sanctify oneself / sanctifying oneself |
| Participle ms | מִתְקַדֵּשׁ | mitkaddesh | one who is sanctifying himself |
| Participle fs | מִתְקַדֶּשֶׁת | mitkaddeshet | one who is sanctifying herself |
The Metathesis Rule
There is one — and only one — irregularity to learn. When the root begins with a sibilant (ס שׁ שׂ ז צ), the ת of the binyan prefix swaps places with that first root letter. This is called metathesis (Greek for "transposition"). It is a phonological courtesy: the tongue does not enjoy moving from /t/ to a sibilant in that order, so the language reverses the two letters.
| Root | Expected (wrong) | Actual (metathesis) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| שׁמר | הִתְשַׁמֵּר | הִשְׁתַּמֵּר | ת and שׁ swap places |
| סתר | הִתְסַתֵּר | הִסְתַּתֵּר | ת and ס swap places |
| צדק | הִתְצַדֵּק | הִצְטַדֵּק | ת and צ swap, AND ת → ט |
| זקן | הִתְזַקֵּן | הִזְדַּקֵּן | ת and ז swap, AND ת → ד |
Biblical Examples — the Workhorses
A handful of Hithpael verbs are so frequent that they function essentially as lexical items. Memorize these and you have read large stretches of biblical narrative.
Daily Drill Plan
| Day | Focus | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read this lesson; write the four prefix patterns (הִתְ-, יִתְ-, מִתְ-, plus the metathesis variants) with one example each | Visual recognition |
| 2 | Drill the Hithpael Perfect paradigm of קדשׁ aloud, 3ms → 1cp | Perfect automatic |
| 3 | Drill the Imperfect, Imperative, Infinitive, and Participle of קדשׁ | Other principal parts |
| 4 | Drill the metathesis rule: write הִשְׁתַּמֵּר, הִסְתַּתֵּר, הִצְטַדֵּק, הִזְדַּקֵּן from memory | Metathesis automatic |
| 5 | Read Genesis 3:8 and 1 Samuel 1:10 in Hebrew; identify every Hithpael; parse each | Reading practice |
Read These Aloud
Each of these biblical phrases features a Hithpael form. Identify the prefix, parse the verb, and translate.