Verb

Summary

A verb is the grammatical entity that describes the subject of a sentence. A verb can describe either an action that the subject performs or the state (or condition) of the subject.

Article

A verb is a word in a sentence that describes either an action by the subject of a sentence, or the subject itself. Therefore, the verb is often the most important word in understanding a sentence or a clause.

Form

In Biblical Aramaic, the root of a verb consists of three consonants, sometimes called the tri-literal (meaning “three letters”) root. In “strong” verbs, the three root consonants always stay the same and are easy to recognize, but “weak” verbs have one or more consonants that disappear in certain forms.

Verbs in Biblical Aramaic change form according to both conjugation (Perfect, Imperfect, Infinitive Absolute, etc.) and stem formation (Pe’al, Haphel, etc.). Generally speaking, changes in verb forms happen by adding prefixes/suffixes, by changing the vowels, or both. These changes in form show the stem formation of a verb with its conjugation, which includes the person (first, second, or third), the gender (masculine or feminine), the number (singular or plural), and sometimes the state (absolute or construct). The person, gender, and number of a verb always agree with the subject.

Unlike English (but similar to other languages like Spanish), verbs in Biblical Aramaic do not require a separate personal pronoun if the subject is not identified; this is because the form of the verb itself includes the subject. A pronominal suffix attached to a verb can function as its object.

Finite verbs

Finite verbs are verbs that have a subject and do not require any verbal complement to form a complete sentence.

The finite verb forms in Biblical Aramaic include the Perfect, Imperfect, and Imperative.

Non-finite verbs

Properly speaking, non-finite verbs are verbal complements that require a finite verb to form a complete sentence.

The non-finite verb forms in Biblical Aramaic include the Infinitive and the participles (both active and passive). Non-finite verbs can sometimes describe an action or an event in such a way that the word functions like a noun.

Note

In Biblical Aramaic, the non-finite verb forms are sometimes used as finite verbs, and the imperfect form is sometimes used as a non-finite verb.

Types

Grammarians often distinguish between different types of verbs. When considering the best way to translate a sentence, it is helpful to understand what type of verb is being used in any given instance.

Dynamic (or action) verbs

A dynamic verb describes a subject performing an action. The subject is doing something.

Stative (or non-action) verbs

Rather than describing a specific action, a stative verb describes the subject’s state of being (the way the subject is). The subject is not doing anything.

Transitive verbs

A transitive verb is a dynamic verb that requires an object that receives the verbal action. A sentence with a transitive verb is not complete without the object. Stative verbs are never transitive.

Intransitive verbs

An intransitive verb is a verb that does NOT require an object to receive the verbal action. A sentence with an intransitive verb is complete without an object. Dynamic verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, but stative verbs are always intransitive.

Linking verbs

A linking verb is a verb that either equates two nouns, or equates a noun and an adjective. A linking verb can be implied by the context in all three biblical languages: Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Aramaic, and Koiné Greek. This is not the case in English, however. In English, linking verbs must be explicitly expressed. Therefore, in many sentences a linking verb must be supplied when translating the Bible into English.

Helping verbs

Helping verbs are extra verbs that “help” express the meaning of the main verb. Biblical Aramaic does not use helping verbs, but English does. Often, it is necessary to supply a helping verb in English to express the meaning of a Aramaic verb.

helping verbs in questions and negations

The following example in English adds the helping verb “have” (not present in the Aramaic text):

The following example in English adds the helping verb “did” (not present in the Aramaic text):

helping verbs to express possibility or desirability

English uses helping verbs to express varying degrees of possiblity or desirability of verbs. This includes a vast range from strong possibility (He **can* do this* or He **would* do this*) to weak possibility (He **might* do this* or He **could* do this*) or from strong desirability (He **should* do this* or *Let him do this*) to weak desirability (*May he do this* or He **wants* to do this*). In Biblical Aramaic, this sense of possibility or desirability is implied by the context and already present in the form of the verb itself.