This grammar introduces undergraduate and graduate students to the essentials of classical Hebrew. It begins with the simple and regular elements of the language and proceeds to the complex and irregular, frequently referencing the historical development of Hebrew. Extensive explanations of elements in English prepare students for the discussion of the corresponding Hebrew element. Through the course of the text, the reader will translate the book of Ruth as well as other biblical and nonbiblical texts, learning particular skills in reading both the entire Hebrew Bible and the later sixth-century Hebrew material, such as the Lachish Letter. Accomplished students of this text will be prepared to progress to advanced study of Hebrew grammar and exegesis of the Hebrew Bible.

In an easy-to-use workbook format, students learn tools for understanding the structure of Hebrew phonology and morphology, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and syntax, and gain a reading knowledge of the Hebrew Bible that will last beyond seminary. Spiral Bound. REVISED EDITION

Volume 1: Periods, Corpora, and Reading Traditions; Volume 2: Selected Texts Biblical Hebrew is studied worldwide by university students, seminarians, and the educated public. It is also studied, almost universally, through a single prism—that of the Tiberian Masoretic tradition, which is the best attested and most widely available tradition of Biblical Hebrew. Thanks in large part to its endorsement by Maimonides, it also became the most prestigious vocalization tradition in the Middle Ages. For most, Biblical Hebrew is synonymous with Tiberian Biblical Hebrew. There are, however, other vocalization traditions. The Babylonian tradition was widespread among Jews around the close of the first millennium CE; the tenth-century Karaite scholar al-Qirqisani reports that the Babylonian pronunciation was in use in Babylonia, Iran, the Arabian peninsula, and Yemen. And despite the fact that Yemenite Jews continued using Babylonian manuscripts without interruption from generation to generation, European scholars learned of them only toward the middle of the nineteenth century. Decades later, manuscripts pointed with the Palestinian vocalization system were rediscovered in the Cairo Genizah. Thereafter came the discovery of manuscripts written according to the Tiberian-Palestinian system and, perhaps most importantly, the texts found in caves alongside the Dead Sea. What is still lacking, however, is a comprehensive and systematic overview of the different periods, sources, and traditions of Biblical Hebrew. This handbook provides students and the public with easily accessible, reliable, and current information in English concerning the multi-faceted nature of Biblical Hebrew. Noted scholars in each of the various fields contributed their expertise. The result is the present two-volume work. The first contains an in-depth introduction to each tradition; and the second presents sample accompanying texts that exemplify the descriptions of the parallel introductory chapters.

Meeting the need for a textbook for classroom use after first year Hebrew grammar, Waltke and O'Connor integrate the results of modern linguistic study of Hebrew and years of experience teaching the subject in this book. In addition to functioning as a teaching grammar, this work will also be widely used for reference and self-guided instruction in Hebrew beyond the first formal year. Extensive discussion and explanation of grammatical points help to sort out points blurred in introductory books. More than 3,500 Biblical Hebrew examples illustrate the points of grammar under discussion. Four indexes (Scripture, Authorities cited, Hebrew words, and Topics) provide ready access to the vast array of information found in the 40 chapters. Destined to become a classic work, this long-awaited book fills a major gap among modern publications on Biblical Hebrew.

The Routledge Introductory Course in Biblical Hebrew provides a comprehensive introduction to Biblical Hebrew language and texts. Combining a fresh and innovative approach with an in-depth treatment of the language, it presents the essentials of biblical grammar and vocabulary in an engaging and systematic way. Unlike other Biblical Hebrew courses, it is structured around a series of vibrant and memorable stories, with each story reinforced by grammar explanations, supportive exercises, and a concluding genuine biblical text. This coherent focus encourages students to engage with the text actively and facilitate their mastery of the language to the full. Features include: Forty units covering all the topics expected in a first-year Biblical Hebrew course, including the Hebrew writing system, pointing rules, nouns and adjectives, parsing, mastery of strong and weak verb paradigms and full attention to syntax Clear and detailed grammar explanations supported by plentiful examples An extensive assortment of varied and stimulating exercises designed to reinforce new grammar and develop students’ ability to use Biblical Hebrew actively Incorporation of a wide range of genuine biblical texts to familiarise students with the main biblical narrative cycles and to equip them with the ability to read authentic material from the earliest stages of learning A free companion website (www.routledge.com/cw/kahn) offering a wealth of additional instructor and student resources, including many extra exercises and biblical texts, flashcards to test knowledge, a vocabulary guide listing words by part of speech, a full answer key, translations of all the stories and biblical texts, a sample syllabus, coursework assignments covering the entire contents of the course and audio recordings of the stories and biblical texts Coherent chapter organisation to consolidate and reinforce learning consistently at each step of the course Grammar summary, two-way glossary and subject index presented at the back of the book for easy access A user-friendly text design with original illustrations and clear presentation of the Hebrew script Written by an experienced instructor and extensively trialled at UCL, The Routledge Introductory Course in Biblical Hebrew will be an essential resource for all students beginning to learn Biblical Hebrew.

This new and fully revised edition of the A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar serves as a user-friendly and up-to-date source of information on the morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics of Biblical Hebrew verbs, nouns and other word classes (prepositions, conjunctions, adverbs, modal words, negatives, focus particles, discourse markers, interrogatives and interjections). It also contains one of the most elaborate treatments of Biblical Hebrew word order yet published in a grammar. Compiled by authors with extensive experience in the teaching of Hebrew, the text is rendered both easily accessible and a fascinating examination of the language, building upon the initial publication by incorporating up-to-date developments in the study of the Hebrew Bible. This grammar will be of service both to students who have completed an introductory or intermediate course in Biblical Hebrew, and also to more advanced scholars seeking to take advantage of traditional and recent descriptions of the language that go beyond the basic morphology of Biblical Hebrew.

In spite of debatable issues, such as metre, we now know enough about classical Hebrew poetry to be able to understand how it was composed. This large-scale manual, rich in detail, exegesis and bibliography, provides guidelines for the analysis and appreciation of Hebrew verse. Topics include oral poetry, metre, parallelism and forms of the strophe and stanza. Sound patterns and imagery are also discussed. A lengthy chapter sets out a whole range of other poetic devices and the book closes with a set of worked examples of Hebrew poetry. Throughout, other ancient Semitic verse has been used for comparison and the principles of modern literary criticism have been applied.