Introduction to Hebrew: A Guide for Learning and Using Biblical Hebrew

Ok, here’s why I gave 3 stars, and if I’m wrong someone please let me know. But I bought this book with the intent of learning the language the Bible was originally written in, which is usually a combination of Paleo Hebrew, Greek, and/or Aramaic. I was aware at a point in my journey I’d also need to learn modern Hebrew, but it’s not a priority because that’s nowhere near the language of the Gods, it’s more Yiddish, with lots of Khazar influence. This book appears to be about modern Hebrew to me. I google Biblical Hebrew, and language of the Dead Sea scrolls, and the images I’ve seen of the text are not written in modern Hebrew. So, how is this considered “Biblical Hebrew”, if it’s not the language the Bible was originally written in? It’s not sarcasm, it’s a genuine question. But if this does end up being the book I intended to purchase, it appears very well put together and I’ll upgrade the rating, I’m just wondering why it seems to make no mention of true Biblical Hebrew, the language & writing so powerful it was banned in all of Egypt, & that powerful banned language wasn’t the modern version. I would not have paid $30 for a book on modern Hebrew, there are apps for that.

This new bIblical Hebrew primer is a gem, for sure. What makes it a clear standout are (1) it attempts to keep the grammar rules simple—revealing only what is necessary as the lessons progress—so as not to overwhelm the beginner, and (2) it engages the student in dynamic fashion in putting to use what has been learned as well as teaching more indepth useful insights in the exegetical exercises at the end of each lesson. (The latter is worth the price of the book and more!)The only drawback for the teacher familiar with William Sanford LaSor’s simplified parsing system is that is does not utilize or make mention of his much more simplified system for verb parsing (G 10 vs. Qal Perfect 3rd masculine singular). For many who are not familiar with LaSor’s simplified system, the grammar is near perfect, but for those of us who prefer the simplified parsing system, its lack in this primer is unfortunate. Lastly, a few of the exercises require readily available research tools that the student may not have immediate access to apart from a Bible college or seminary library. On account of this, it would seem the author intended this course to be used in the academic environs of either the undergraduate or graduate setting.

Started with the Alan Ross' book but I got lost in the pronunciation guide. So I picked up this book also. This book is not much different since it used the same strange pronunciation symbols as Ross' book. For example, when I see, for the first time, the anglicized version of צ as “ṣāḏê” or “ṣade”, my first impression wants to memorize sawday or say-d not tsawdee. (If you see tsawdee in those anglicized words above then this comment doesn't apply to you.) Alan Ross’ book does include the Hebrew letter names, and technical terms, in Hebrew with vowel marks and this helps a lot; I look at the hebrew words not the anglicized words. This book and Pratico’s book doesn’t include the Hebrew letter names and other technical terms in Hebrew so I refer to Ross’ book for this.There must be a pseudo standard pronunciation guide to non-English languages somewhere but I haven’t found it. It seems strange that a “textbook” for learning a foreign language wouldn’t include a pronunciation guide chart somewhere in its book. But I have yet to see such chart in any Classical Hebrew book and they all have their own somewhat similar pronunciation guide. Then to add more chaos the study of the Hebrew language includes a bunch of Latin terminology that uses its own anglicized words that need to be translated for pronunciation. For those I just wing it and hope I’ll never have to talk about these terms face to face with a mater lectionis.So for Classical Hebrew pronunciation I fall back to the audio examples found in Anki’s study card decks for Classical Hebrew. Currently all of Ross’ and Pratico’s words are available and the decks can be modified with tags to support this book’s words chapter by chapter. The Android app words best for me.Note – I think the author/publisher for this book has available an app for a few bucks that might include the audio. The Pratico book has available an audio CD but I do better with the Anki study cards; they are easier to repeat over and over and… without fumbling with the audio time positions.So if you’re working on Classical Hebrew on your own and are concerned about the Classical Hebrew pronunciation then it might help you if you do these things as quickly as possible: learn the alphabet letters just well enough to recognize them and their so-called names, learn the vowels and their markings completely, then go back and learn how to pronounce the alphabet letters using their names in Hebrew with niqqud. From there you will be able to pronounce any printed Classical Hebrew word close enough to not cause to much damage in the future. And if you go to Wikipedia and review the technical terms, they are usually presented in Hebrew with the niqqud as well. Then you’ll have to lean on YouTube or other audio streams to practice pronunciation.

I purchased Dr. Fullilove's Biblical Hebrew text because I wanted to teach myself the language, and actual physical classes are hard to find with my location and available time. The book is very good for the self-learner and, mirabile dictu! has online lessons (YouTube) for the whole book, covering each chapter section by section, a real plus for the visual learner. My only wish is that there were more practice drills to hone the student's newly acquired skills and vocabulary. Nevertheless, the presentation is clear, pointing is well explained, and the chapters have manageable vocabulary and grammar content. I especially like the relatively early presentation of the Hebrew verb.