Hophal

Hophal is a binyan (verb stem) in Biblical and some later Hebrew, representing the passive voice of the Hiphil stem (the causative). In Hophal, the subject typically undergoes the action or is affected by it, usually as a result of someone else’s action. The Hophal forms are built on the same root as the Qal and Hiphil stems, but with a prefixed ה- and a distinct vocalization pattern that signals the passive of the causative.

A characteristic Hophal example is the verb from the root פ-ק-ד. The perfect (past) form 3rd masculine singular is הוּפְקֵד or הֻפְקַד, commonly written and understood as הופקד, meaning “he was entrusted” or “it was entrusted.” The feminine is הופקדה (hufqedah), and the plural is הופקדו (hufkadū). The active participle passive form is מופקד (mufqad), meaning “entrusted” or “in custody.”

In usage, Hophal is primarily attested in Biblical Hebrew, where it is used to express that the subject is passively affected by a causative action. In Modern Hebrew, the same passive-causative idea is often conveyed with other stems or with the Niphal as a passive, but Hophal forms such as הופעל (was activated) and מופקד remain recognizable in formal or technical language.

Relation to other stems: Hophal is the passive counterpart of Hiphil (the causative). By contrast, Niphal is the default passive of Qal (the simple stem). The Hophal’s function and forms are regularly taught as part of Hebrew grammar and appear in religious, literary, and academic contexts.