24.7 Niphal Imperative Strong
The Niphal Imperative is rare: 118x in the entire Bible
- You can tell an Imperative from an Imperfect by the הִ, which is not an Imperfect preformative
- In the Imperative, the נ of the Niphal is ASSIMILATED
- \(Pre\) - \(V_P = I\), Dagesh Forte in \(R_1\), and \(V_1 = \bar A\) = הִקָּ
- \(V_S = \bar E\) (unless reduced)
- For 2FP form, \(V_S = A\)
| Sing | Paradigm | Plural | Paradigm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2ms | הִקָּטֵל | 2mp | הִקָּֽטְלוּ |
| 2fs | הִקָּֽטְלִי | 2fp | הִקָּטַ֫לְנָה |
- The translation value of the Niphal Imperative will often lose the passive nuance as in הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת־יְהוָה “take heed to yourself lest you forget the Lord” (Deut 6:12).
- Frequently, the 2ms Imperative appears with an ה ָ ending
ADVANCE NOTICE
Hiphil Perfect verbs also have \(Pre =\) הִקְ, but Hiphil non-Perfect verbs have \(Pre =\) הַקְ. As long as you can distinguish a perfect from a non-perfect form, the הִ prefix will pose little difficulty.