Lesson 5 - Key Verses

zahab
hanneḥĕmāḏîm mizzâāḇ (Ps.19:10) (read)
They are to be more desired than gold ...

hokmah
wayhwâ nāṯan ḥāḵəmâ lišəlōmōh (1 Kings 5:12/26) (read)
And God gave wisdom to Solomon ...

rē’šîṯ ḥāḵəmâ| yirə’aṯ yəhwâ (Ps.111:10) (read)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ...

keseph
wayyiməkərû ’eṯ-ywōsēf layyišəmə‘ē’lîm bə‘eśərîm kāsef (Gen. 37:28) (read)
... and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver ...

yaqar
yāqarətā ḇə‘ênay (Isa 43:4) (read)
You are precious in my sight.

Lesson 5 - Hebrew today

•The Avodah Institute in Florida, which is dedicated to issues of faith in the workplace, chose its name on the basis of the fact that "abodah" can mean both "worship" and "work."



• see this sign for a Chabad House in Israel: "Chabad" is a word formed from the first letters of the three Hebrew words for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge—beginning with the letter he for "hokmah"

Lesson 5 - Word Studies

hokmah, Turner p.55-59
abod, Tverberg p.21
etsah, Bierma
etsah, Went
rasha, Went
tsaddiq, Went
tsaddiq, Parsons

Lesson 5 - Vocab

(L p.24-25)

zahab (VPF 127, Strong's H2091, Davar 301)
hokmah (VPF 271, Strong's H2451, Davar 461)
keseph (VPF 123, Strong's H3701, Davar 300)
abodah (VPF 284, [cf. Strong's H5467], Davar 310)
etsah (VPF 422, Strong's H6098)
yaqar (VPF 843, Strong's H3368)
yashar (VPF 336, Strong's H3477)
tsaddiq (VPF 219, Strong's H6662, Davar 225)
qasheh (VPF 856, Strong's H7186)
rasha' (VPF 177)
Dawid
Samu'el
Yerushalaim
min- (VPF 6)
asher

Lesson 4 - Word Studies

shophet, Tverberg p.11,12
yashab, Went
halak, Went

Lesson 4 - Hebrew today

see the noun form of 'akel in this modern Hebrew phrasebook:

Lesson 4 - Key Verses

shophet
wayyāqem yəhwâ šōfəṭîm wayywōšî‘ûm (Judg.2:16) (read)
Then the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them …

kî yəhwâ šōfəṭēnû yəhwâ məḥōqəqēnû yəhwâ maləkēnû hû’ ywōšî‘ēnû (Isa.33:22) (read) (note)
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

kisse'
yəhwâ| bəhêḵal qāḏəšwō yəhwâ baššāmayim kisə’wō (Ps.11:4) (read)
The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.

kōh ’āmar yəhwâ haššāmayim kisə’î wəhā’āreṣ hăḏōm raḡəlāy (Isa.66:1) (read)
Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool ...

Lesson 4 - Fancy Terms in Plain English

participle -- the "-ing" form of the verb

Lesson 4 - Useful Exercises

• Cook, p.70-71 (#1-2)

Lesson 4 - Key Concepts

Key Concepts

complicated:
partciples (L.26)

simple:
direct object marker (L.27)

Less-Key Concepts

more quirks in noun plurals (L.25)

Lesson 4 - Vocab

(L p.19-20)

shophet (VPF 221, [cf.Strong's H8199], Davar 302)
mal'ak (VPF 214, Strong's H4397, Davar 140)
kisse (VPF 303, Strong's H3678, Davar 490)
katab (VPF 199, Strong's H3791, Davar 122)
'akal (VPF 804, Strong's H0398, Davar 332)
natan (VPF 26, Strong's H5414, Davar 128)
halak (VPF 29, Strong's H1980, Davar 526)
yashab (VPF 38, Strong's H3427, Davar 125)
et (VPF 5)
le [dative use]
el- (VPF 8)
be'ene [be + ayin]

Lesson 3 - Prayers

debareka yatsah bekal ha'arets
Your word goes out through all the earth.

debareka ner-lerageli
Your word is a lamp to my feet.

yahweh gadol 'atah wegadol shimeka bigebura
You are great, O Lord, and your name is great and mighty.

Lesson 3 - Hebrew today

• See the Hebrew Wikipedia entry for har, "mountain."

• See the word gan in this sign for the "Garden Tomb" (one of the possible sites of the burial and resurrection of Christ):

Lesson 3 - Notes for Preaching and Devotions

• dabar is sometimes translated "promise" in the Bible--usually for the promises of God. As in English, in which 'word' can sometimes mean 'promise' ("I give you my word"), 'word' and 'promise' have some semantic ovelap in Hebrew; when "the word of the Lord" comes, it comes as a sure promise.

• In John 1, the incarnate Christ is revealed as the logos, the "Word" made flesh (and logos can be used to translate dabar in the Septuagint; while dabar is used in Hebrew translations of John 1).

• Rabbinic tradition contains some imaginative etymologizing, which in some cases holds little linguistic weight but can help us, with the rabbis, enter the text more deeply. Here's an example that ties 'erets to ratsah and ratsohn.

Add a note

Lesson 3 - Word Studies

'erets, Turner p.22,23
dabar, Turner p.46,47
dabar, Went
ra', Tverberg p.99,100
tob, Kaminski

Lesson 3 - Key Verses

dabar
‏אַחַ֣ר׀ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה הָיָ֤ה דְבַר־יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם בַּֽמַּחֲזֶ֖ה
’aḥar| hadəḇārîm hā’ēlleh hāyâ ḏəḇar-yəhwâ ’el-’aḇərām bammaḥăzeh (Gen 15:1) (read)
After these things he word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision.

nēr-ləraḡəlî ḏəḇāreḵā (Ps.119:105)
Your word is a lamp to my feet.

ḇwōḵîm kāl-hā‘ām kəšāmə‘ām ’eṯ-diḇərê hatwōrâ (Neh.8:9)
All the people wept when they hear the words of the law.

haššōlēḥa ’imərāṯwō ’āreṣ ‘aḏ-məhērâ yārûṣ dəḇārwō (Ps.147:15)
He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.

yiṯəmāḵə-dəḇāray libeḵā (Prov.4:4)
Let your heart keep my words.

kāl-hadəḇārîm yəḡē‘îm (Eccl. 1:8)
All things are wearisome.

'erets
bərē’šîṯ bārā’ ’ĕlōhîm ’ēṯ haššāmayim wə’ēṯ hā’āreṣ (Gen 1:1)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

layhwâ3 hā’āreṣ ûməlwō’āh (Ps.24:1)
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.

ra'ab
wəqāmû šeḇa‘ šənê rā‘āḇ ’aḥărêhen wənišəkaḥ kāl-haśśāḇā‘ bə’ereṣ miṣərāyim wəḵillâ hārā‘āḇ ’eṯ-hā’āreṣ (Gen 41:30)
And there will arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land.

har
mah-nnā’wû ‘al-hehārîm raḡəlê məḇaśśēr (Isa.52:7)
How lovely on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good news.

hehārîm wəhagəḇā‘wōṯ yifəṣəḥû lifənêḵem (Isa.55:12)
The mountains and the hills will break forth before you.

tob
wayyarə’ ’ĕlōhîm kî-ṭwōḇ (Gen 1:10)
And God saw that it was good.

... wəḏāḇār ṭwōḇ yəśamməḥennâ (Prov.12:25)
[Anxiety weighs down the human heart,] but a good word makes it glad.

gadol
gāḏwōl yəhwâ ûməhullāl mə’ōḏ (Ps.48:1)
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised!

mē’ên kāmwōḵā yəhwâ gāḏwōl ’atâ wəḡāḏwōl šiməḵā biḡəḇûrâ (Jer. 10:6)
There is none like you, O Lord, you are great, and your name is great in might.

qaton
... ḥayywōṯ qəṭannwōṯ ‘im-gəḏōlwōṯ (Ps.104:25)
[Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there,]
creatures small and great.

Add a verse

Lesson 3 - Useful Exercises

• Cook p.65-66
• Dobson p.51,54,56

Lesson 3 - Key Concepts

Key Concepts

adjectives, number and gender (L.22 / Cook ch. 9.1, Dobson ch.5, Parsons u.5.1-5.2, Pratico ch.7)
adjectives, function (L.23 / Cook ch. 9.1, Dobson ch.5, Parsons u.5.3-5.5, Pratico ch.7)

Less-Key Concepts

quirks in the definite article (L.21)

Lesson 3 - Vocab

(L. p15)

dabar (VPF 30, Strong's H1697, Davar 259)
ra'ab (VPF 381, Strong's H7458, Davar 560)
'erets (VPF 21, Strong's H0776, Davar 108)
har (VPF 89, Strong's 2022, Davar 132)
'am (VPF 27, Strong's H5971, Davar 190)
gan (VPF 767, Strong's H1588, Davar 204)
tob (VPF 92, Strong's H2896, Davar 395)
gadol (VPF 93, Strong's H1419, Davar 394)
qaton (VPF 477, Strong's H6996, Davar 459)
yapeh (VPF 749, Strong's H3303, Davar 61)
ra' (VPF 153, Strong's H7451, Davar 396)
me'od (VPF 83, Strong's H3966, Davar 293)

Lesson 3 - Fancy Terms in Plain English

(I'm starting with Lesson 3, where I got stuck, but I'll try to go back and do the previous lessons, for my own benefit if no one else's.)

Atrributive adjective - adjective that combines with a noun to make a phrase (the blue car)

Predicate adjective - adjective that combines with a noun to make a sentence (the car [is] blue)

Substantive adjective - adjective that functions as a noun (the blue [one])

Store

Help out a Hebrew student: buy any of these books by clicking on these links and I get a cut. Thanks! Nathan

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Buy something else

Flashcards

Is there a better way to learn vocabulary other than flashcards? Well, I guess there's immersion (the linguistic kind, not the baptismal kind), and maybe divine foreknowledge, which neither you nor I are likely to have. So whether you make your own, install the Teknia program (which I can't get to work on my computer), use Davar, or—my recommendation—buy the Van Pelt flashcards, it's time to get flashing.

(I'll abbreviate the Van Pelt flashcards as VPF# at this blog, so, for instance, VPF 10 = Van Pelt flashcard number 10.)

Update: Here's a very cool flashcards website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Textbooks

* = recommended

Books

* Cook, John and Robert Holmstedt. Ancient Hebrew: A Student Grammar (Unpublished PDF draft, 2007)

* Dobson, John. Learn Biblical Hebrew (Baker Academic, 2005)

Kelley, Page. Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar (Eerdmans, 1992)

Kittel, Bonnie P.; Vicki Hoffer; and Rebecca A. Wright. Biblical Hebrew: Text and Workbook (Yale, 1989)

Lambdin, Thomas. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew (Prentice Hall, 1971)

* Pratico, Gary and Miles Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammmar (Zondervan, 2001) (W) (buy)

Ross, Allen. Introducing Biblical Hebrew (Baker Academic, 2001)

Seow, C.L. A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew (Abingdon Press, 1995)

Waltke, Bruce and Michael O'Connor. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Eisenbrauns, 1990)

• Annotated reviews and companion resources from Tyler Williams

Websites

Concordia

Eby

* Milingua

* Parsons

Poulos

Williams (unpublished study guide to Lambdin)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transliteration

To avoid all the problems of font and browser displays of the Hebrew alphabet, I thiink I'm going to opt for transliteration at this blog. But remember, the characters of the actual Hebrew alphabet are only a click away.

Granted, transliteration can actually be a barrier to getting familiar with the Hebrew alphabet (which is why Cook and Dobson, which use only the Hebrew alphabet for Hebrew, are more intuitive). But I've also found that at this stage, transliteration is one helpful measure to make sure I'm getting the pronunciation right of the Hebrew letters and words.

My own transliteration scheme is simplistic and imprecise (which, in a way, is a good reminder that romanization is only an approximation of Hebrew sound--plus, of course, we don't know what Ancient Hebrew actually sounded like). For verses, I tend to use the transliteration from Sacred Texts, which appears to use ISO 259.

(Update: I've realized another benefit of transliteration: it makes Hebrew sounds feel more like words. That, of course, is purely my bias and limitation as someone whose native language and other languages I've studied use the Roman alphabet. But the danger in reading a non-native alphabet is that it feels like you're deciphering, not reading. Transliteration helps remind me that these are words and sentences, not just symbols.)

Here are some consonant transliteration guides from other textbooks:

Lambdin


Ross


Doukhan




Williams


Parsons


Also, while the point is to read Hebrew, not to write it, some textbooks have some helpful handwriting guides: see the guides from Cook and Ross

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Shear* Necessity of Lambdin

Thomas Lambdin's Introduction to Biblical Hebrew is not the best textbook for a first-year Hebrew class. But where I'm studying Hebrew it 's long been an immovable object, and as far as I know Jesus himself used Lambdin in Hebrew school, so I'll try to make the best of it. After I twice flunked the quiz for Lesson 3 I realized I had to get organized. Here it goes.

(* Yes, I realize the spelling "error" in the title of this post—it was supposed to be a sheep-related pun. Get it—Lamb-din? Never mind.)

Update: See my new Hebrew blog.