בָּנָה bânâh — to build (literally and figuratively)
Translated in the KJV as build, obtain children, make, repair, set, × surely.
a primitive root; to build (literally and figuratively).
bânâh in each stem
Qal (Pa'al)
Wayyiqtol 84Perfect (qatal) 82Infinitive construct 60Imperfect (yiqtol) 48Participle (active) 29Sequential perfect (weqatal) 27Imperative 8Participle (passive) 4Cohortative 3Infinitive absolute 1Jussive 1
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Niph'al
Imperfect (yiqtol) 13Sequential perfect (weqatal) 6Perfect (qatal) 5Infinitive construct 4Jussive 1Participle (passive) 1
And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
What the stems mean
A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›