Identifying Hebrew verbs that occur in multiple binyanim?

[doc_dave]

I am wondering if there is an "efficient" way of doing something fairly cumbersome.

I would like to identify the verbs in the Hebrew Bible that occur in all seven of the "main" binyanim (qal, niphal, piel, pual, hitpael, hiphil, hophal). I have used word lists to get lists of verbs which occur in qal+piel+hiphil, and piel+hiphil-qal (i.e., piel and hiphil without appearing in Qal). But the method I used to do that (comparing word lists) seems problematic for the search I have in mind now.

If it helps in constructing/testing a method, I happen to know that בקע is one verb that does appear in each of the seven binyanim. How can I find the rest?

[Glenn Weaver]

One way to find the results you want is to construct a series of searches using word lists on the Command Line.

Using the WTM version, first construct a search that finds all the qal verbs: .*@vq*

Display the Words Tab in the Analysis Window, and right-click on the pane "Wildcard expansion of the command line". Choose "Export list to Word List Manager".

In the Word List Manager choose "File | Save (as IEL file for later use, or for GSE)". Name the file something like "wtm_q.iel". Be sure that you do not use any spaces in the file name. Also, you must save the file in the default "ase" directory. Close the Word List Manager.

Now go to the Command Line, and construct a search using the word list that we just created. In this search we will search for all words in the word list that have a niphal form. Here is the search: .<wtm_q>@vn*

Use the steps above to save a second word list, and call it something like "wtm_qn.iel". Use this list to create the next search on the Command Line.

If you follow these steps exactly, you will have narrowed the list of words until you 5 words that appear in all of the common binyanim.

Blessings,
Glenn

[doc_dave]

If you follow these steps exactly, you will have narrowed the list of words until you 5 words that appear in all of the common binyanim.

Thanks so much for sharing that method, new to me even though a BWks user since v. 3.0! It was remarkably efficient, and got me to the five words (seems like you got there before me!) in no time at all. I'm sure I'll have other uses for this technique in future.

[doc_dave]

@Glenn Weaver (or whoever is interested)!

Well, here's a curious thing. While my search turned up five verbs that appear in each of the seven main binyanim (בקע, גלה, פקד, חלה, ידע), a friend who ran this in Accordance got six -- adding in ילד. If you check HALOT for ילד, they do have a listing for the verb in each of the seven (qal, niphal, piel, pual, hitpael, hiphil, and hophal). But the occurrences HALOT list as pual (Gen 4:26; 50:23; Jdg 13:8; Job 5:7; Ps 90:2), BWks gives as "qal passive".

I had thought that the morphology database used was common between the two programs but it seems not. Or possibly a difference in versions? The version of BWks I did this search on has 2010 WTM Release 4.14.

Any thoughts?

[Glenn Weaver]

The differences are likely due to a difference of editions of the WTM database, as you suggested. Contrary to the version statement in the program, BibleWorks 10 is using the latest WTM database of which we are aware, which is 4.16. The documentation within the program will be updated as some time in the future. The BibleWorks website accurately lists the database as being 4.16.

Blessings,
Glenn

[doc_dave]

Thanks for that, Glenn. I suspected there would be something like that at in play in this situation. (I'm still using BWks v. 9, btw.)

I guess I still find it odd that we both found five verbs for this search, missing out ילד. I'll see if I can find out what morph db my friend was using. It would also be interesting to see what our friends at the Grove Ctr think about this one. They've been very helpful when I've contacted them in the past.

[doc_dave]

False alarm. It turns out my friend's results weren't taken from Accordance, but from a Hebrew vocab book which gave six verbs that occur in all seven binyanim. Accordance has the same analysis of the ילד forms as BWks does.

Mystery solved. (At one level! The analysis of ילד still seems to me to contain some puzzles. )

[Glenn Weaver]

Thanks for letting me know that the data was the same for BibleWorks and Accordance.

Blessings,
Glenn