Biblical Hebrew: 3 More Words from Joseph’s Story

I hope you have enjoyed spending time with Joseph's story this past week. Here, you can review the 5 Hebrew words we learned in the previous lesson about Joseph. As a reminder, Joseph's story begins with Genesis 37. While we still have Joseph on our hearts, let's learn three more words in biblical Hebrew. Tunic …

Joseph’s Story: 5 Biblical Hebrew Words

As you are learning to read biblical Hebrew, you might find it helpful to focus on a Bible story. Stories often repeat key words. The vivid action, setting, and dialogue of stories help you to memorize words. Perhaps the biggest plus (at least, it was for me) is that you already know how the story …

Psalm 23:1 in Hebrew: A Very Real Relationship with a Very Real God

This is one of my favorite verses in biblical Hebrew - Psalm 23:1: יְהוָה רֹעִי לאֹ אֶחְסָר (YHWH ro-’ee lo ekh-sar.) As a student of biblical Hebrew, it takes me several rounds of translation before arriving at smooth-sounding English. I love the first stage of this process, and I really don't ever want to lose …

Biblical Hebrew Qal Verbs: Yatza and Matza (but not Matzah)

Let's look at two Qal verbs in biblical Hebrew: יָצָא ("yatza"), which means "to go forth," and מָצָא ("matza"), which means "to find." (Remember, Qal is a type of Hebrew verb stem, or "binyan." If you don't know what that means yet, that's okay - you can still learn these verbs and their meanings.) I have …

Biblical Hebrew Prepositions: Over and Under

Here are two helpful prepositions to learn in Biblical Hebrew - the words for “over” and “under.” על This word is pronounced like “all.” It means “over.” תחת This word is pronounced “ta-khat” (with the stress on the first syllable). It means “under.” As usual, I came up with a way to remember these words. …

“Before” We Learn More Biblical Hebrew Prepositions, Let’s Learn This One

Prepositions are great to learn. They help us get around. We can use prepositions spatially and temporally, and sometimes both. For example, you could say, “I am standing before the door.” “I will be there before you get there.” The same word is used -- the preposition “before.” But it acts in two different ways. …

A Hebrew Practice Exercise: Jeremiah 31:3-4

A friend asked what Jeremiah 31:3-4 looks like in Hebrew. I thought these might be good verses to look up in the lexicon, to practice translation and analysis. Following is my attempt. Remember, I am also a student. I am learning every day. I encourage you to make your own attempt. Enjoy writing out the …

A Few Thoughts on Biblical Hebrew from a Neophyte

I just completed a semester of Biblical Hebrew. In my lifetime, I've had the privilege to study 17 languages, and Biblical Hebrew was by far the most difficult. I'm not sure why I struggled so much, but every time I looked at a sentence for translation, the first thing I did was cry! Then, I …