שִׁיר shîyr — to sing
Translated in the KJV as behold, sing(-er, -ing man, -ing woman).
or (the original form) שׁוּר; (1 Samuel 18:6), a primitive root (rather identical with H7788 through the idea of strolling minstrelsy); to sing.
shîyr in each stem
Qal (Pa'al)
Imperative 15Cohortative 12Participle (active) 12Imperfect (yiqtol) 7Infinitive construct 2Wayyiqtol 1Perfect (qatal) 1
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:
Polel
Participle (active) 35Perfect (qatal) 1Imperfect (yiqtol) 1
And the sons of Kohath were, Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.
And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night.
And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
Hoph'al
Imperfect (yiqtol) 1
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
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 ›