Tag Archives: Ezra 10:1

The Function and Semantics of the Hitpa‘el Stem in Ezra 10:1

וּכְהִתְפַּלֵּ֤ל עֶזְרָא֙ וּכְ֨הִתְוַדֹּתֹ֔ו בֹּכֶה֙ וּמִתְנַפֵּ֔ל לִפְנֵ֖י בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים נִקְבְּצוּ֩ אֵלָ֨יו מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֜ל קָהָ֣ל רַב־מְאֹ֗ד אֲנָשִׁ֤ים וְנָשִׁים֙ וִֽילָדִ֔ים כִּֽי־בָכ֥וּ הָעָ֖ם הַרְבֵּה־בֶֽכֶה׃ (Ezra 10:1) And as Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and falling before the house of God, a very great assembly of Israel—men, women, and children—gathered to him, for the people wept with much weeping. Ezra 10:1 describes Ezra’s public prayer and confession, which deeply moves the people of Israel, leading them to a communal act of repentance. This verse contains multiple hitpa‘el (התפעל) verbs, a Hebrew verb stem that typically expresses reflexive, reciprocal, or iterative action.… Learn Hebrew
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