DESCRIPTION:

This 8-hour intensive course provides an introduction to the grammar and syntax of Biblical Hebrew. Students will be introduced to and given practice in the use of Hebrew grammatical and lexical reference works. The mastery of the basics of Hebrew, along with the use of widely available tools, will provide the student with the necessary competency to begin reading and interpreting the Hebrew Bible.

Very often those in the church find the Old Testament confusing, or they fail to recognize the relevance of the Old Testament witness to Christian life. An understanding of Hebrew will help to build a bridge into the cultural world of the Old Testament, to equip a person to make informed choices among the exegetical options offered by translations and commentaries, and to enable him or her to add depth of understanding to personal Bible study. In addition, those interested in further study of the Old Testament or other Semitic languages will have formed a foundation on which to build and develop the skills necessary for those pursuits.

The course will be based on Kelley's grammar, supplemented by material that further explains various features of the language. Class will meet twice weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays for four hours each. Classes will consist of lecture, reading from the Hebrew Bible, recitation in class from assigned homework, and frequent quizzes designed both to reinforce learning and to provide students with feedback about their progress.

Kelley, Page H. Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992.

Elliger, Karl, and Wilhelm Rudolph, eds. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1990.

Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, eds. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1979.

An intensive language course requires a major time commitment from those taking it. The seminary guideline for class preparation is two hours of outside preparation for each hour of class time. This translates into sixteen hours a week preparation time in addition to the eight weekly hours of class time. Assignments will be made based on the expectation that this amount of time will be spent. Because there is a great deal of material to cover in a relatively short amount of time, attendance at class is vital as well. Typical assignments will include a vocabulary list to learn, text to read and study, and exercises to prepare. Quizzes will be frequent, and there will be a midterm exam. The student's grade will be based on class participation, daily quiz scores, the midterm exam, and the final.

Good standing.

Meets the M. Div. core requirement in Hebrew (HEB).

Yes.