a) Niphal is the "passive" of Qal - see 08851
Qal Niphal
he saw he was seen, he appeared
he saw the angel the angel was seen
he sent he was sent
he created it was created
b) Niphal sometimes expresses a "reflexive" action.
he guarded he was guarded, also
he guarded himself
c) Several verbs use Niphal, although they express simple action
and are active in English. Common examples are:
he fought, he remained, he swore, he entered
This form accounts for 6.0% of the verbs parsed.
