וַיִּקָּבְצ֣וּ עָלָ֗יו אֲנָשִׁ֤ים רֵקִים֙ בְּנֵ֣י בְלִיַּ֔עַל וַיִּֽתְאַמְּצ֖וּ עַל־רְחַבְעָ֣ם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה וּרְחַבְעָ֗ם הָ֤יָה נַ֨עַר֙ וְרַךְ־לֵבָ֔ב וְלֹ֥א הִתְחַזַּ֖ק לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃
And worthless men gathered against him sons of worthlessness and they strengthened themselves against Reḥavʿam son of Shelomoh and Reḥavʿam was a youth and soft of heart and he did not strengthen himself before them. (2 Chronicles 13:7)
Introduction: Weak Hearts, Strong Verbs
This verse portrays a pivotal political fracture: rebellious men embolden themselves while a young king fails to stand firm. But beneath the rebellion lies a stunning use of Hebrew binyanim, shaping both the aggressors’ momentum and the monarch’s hesitation. Here, Niphal, Hitpael, and Hithpael-like forms unveil the deeper drama—a tug-of-war between inner weakness and outer aggression.
Verbal Focus: Parsing Power and Passivity
1. וַיִּקָּבְצוּ — And they were gathered / gathered
- Root: ק־ב־ץ (“to gather”)
- Binyan: Niphal (wayyiqtol, 3rd person masculine plural)
- Form: Prefix וַיִּ, doubled middle radical, passive/reflexive vowel pattern
- Function: Middle/reflexive — they gathered themselves
- Voice: Reflexive-passive nuance typical of Niphal
- Interpretive Insight: The Niphal makes the action collective and self-directed. These were not gathered by someone else—they mobilized themselves. The group action builds narrative tension: an organic uprising.
- Stylistic Impact: This binyan emphasizes spontaneous rallying. There is no king calling them, no trumpet blast—just opportunists forming a coalition.
2. וַיִּתְאַמְּצוּ — And they strengthened themselves
- Root: א־מ־ץ (“to be strong”)
- Binyan: Hitpael (wayyiqtol, 3rd person masculine plural)
- Form: Reflexive prefix וַיִּתְ־, internal doubling, characteristic vowel structure
- Function: Reflexive — they made themselves strong, emboldened themselves
- Force of Binyan: The Hitpael underscores effort. This wasn’t inherited might—it was manufactured courage. The verb makes clear they worked themselves into a state of opposition.
- Literary Effect: When read after וַיִּקָּבְצוּ, the progression is powerful: they gather, then fortify. The threat escalates morphologically.
3. הִתְחַזַּק — He strengthened himself
- Root: ח־ז־ק (“to be strong”)
- Binyan: Hitpael (perfect, 3rd person masculine singular)
- Form: Hitpael prefix הִתְ־, middle radical with dagesh, characteristic vowel ַ־ַ
- Function: Reflexive — he made himself strong
- Contextual Meaning: Here, the verb is negated: לֹא הִתְחַזַּק — “he did not strengthen himself.” This failure to act reflexively mirrors the earlier strengthening of the rebels and marks a failure of will or leadership.
- Poetic Irony: The same binyan is used for both sides—one did strengthen, one did not. The contrast is not just in narrative, but built into the morphology.
Visual Guide: When Reflexives Reflect the Soul
| Verb | Root | Binyan | Voice | Action Type | Narrative Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקָּבְצוּ | ק־ב־ץ | Niphal | Reflexive | Self-gathering | Beginning of uprising |
| וַיִּתְאַמְּצוּ | א־מ־ץ | Hitpael | Reflexive | Self-empowerment | Hostile strengthening |
| הִתְחַזַּק | ח־ז־ק | Hitpael | Reflexive | Strengthening oneself | Failure of resolve |
Discourse Texture: Verbs that Clash
Notice the grammatical mirror between the rebels and Reḥavʿam:
- They gathered ← He did not rise to face them
- They strengthened themselves ← He did not strengthen himself
The rebels move together (Niphal), then fortify themselves (Hitpael). Reḥavʿam, though a king, is described with the same binyan—but preceded by a negation. The result is a beautifully tragic contrast: the strength of many overwhelms the weakness of one.
How the Binyan Reveals the Collapse
What makes this verse memorable is not only its content but its verbal symmetry. The same structures used to describe defiance are repurposed to highlight insecurity. Hebrew’s Hitpael becomes the literary battlefield where inner strength—or lack of it—plays out. Morphology doesn’t just support the story—it tells it.
In the end, Reḥavʿam’s heart was soft, but the verbs were not. The very forms that could have delivered courage instead highlight the void. And that is how binyan shapes the fall.
