Lesson 15 Qal Imperfect - Strong

To comprehend Biblical Hebrew, we must be able to parse and translate Qal imperfect verbs

In a few lessons, we will learn about the Vav Conjunction. The Qal imperfect + Vav Conjunction (abbreviated QIwc)110 is one of the most frequent verb forms in the Hebrew Bible, so understanding the imperfect is essential. Like the Qal Perfect Strong paradigm, we must have a robotic-like recall of the Qal Imperfect Strong Paradigm.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי־אוֹר׃

You might recognize this from Genesis 1:3 - “And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” There are three verbs in this short sentence, and all three are Qal Imperfect (and two are the Qal Imperfect + Vav Conjunction.

LESSON ITINERARY

  1. Begin to translate the imperfect
  2. Components of the Qal Imperfect Strong Paradigm
    1. The Imperfect Preformatives and Sufformatives
    2. The Qal Imperfect Vowels
  3. Building the Qal Imperfect Paradigm
  4. Deviations from the Strong Paradigm
  5. Negative Commands

EQUIPMENT CHECK

Before continuing, can you describe the Qal Perfect Strong Paradigm from memory?

  1. The nomenclature comes from academia where the Vav is pronounced Waw↩︎