DESCRIPTION:

This is the first half of a two-quarter introduction to biblical Hebrew, with the second half of the course offered the following quarter. Students enrolling in this course are expected to enroll in LG502B the next quarter with the same instructor. No transferring between sections is permitted. The aim is to achieve, in two quarters, a command of the basic vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and sounds of Hebrew. The course will be structured according to the Pratico/Van Pelt grammar and workbook and will combine deductive and inductive approaches to language acquisition.

Hebrew literacy brings one closer to the social, cultural and theological world of the Old Testament, and, for that matter, of the New Testament. But the ministerial and leadership value of Biblical Hebrew is found not only in the exegetical tools it sharpens but also in the devotional habits it nourishes, such as those habits described of the blessed person in Psalm 1.

The class will meet for two hours twice a week. Class time regularly will be spent reading aloud, translating, covering the textbook's grammatical points, and taking quizzes on previous material. Occasionally cultural, historical, and theological topics relevant to the Hebrew of the assigned passages will be treated as time permits.

Brown, F.; S. R. Driver; and C. A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, with an appendix, containing the Biblical Aramaic. Hendrickson, 1996 [original date, 1906].

Elliger, K. and W. Rudolph. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1997.

Joüon, Paul and Takamitsu Muraoka. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. 2 vols. Trans. T. Muraoka. Rome: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblio, 1996. (or comparable reference grammar)

Pratico, Gary Davis and Miles Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. Zondervan, 2001.

__________. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Workbook. Zondervan, 2001.

See the Biblical Division bibliography "Linguistic and Exegetical Books Required in the Master of Divinity Program" available in the SOT Academic Advising office.

Dillard, R. B. Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary Cards. Springfield, OH: Visual Education Assoc., 1981.

Feyerabend, Karl. Langenscheidt's Pocket Hebrew Dictionary to the Old Testament: Hebrew-English. Langenscheidt Pocket Dictionaries. Berlin: Langenscheidt, 1990.

Holladay, William Lee. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. 15th ed. Eerdmans, 2000.

Mitchel, Larry A. A Student's Vocabulary for Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic. Zondervan, 1984.

Assignments will consist of translation passages and vocabulary lists. Pratico's system of "verb diagnostics" prioritizes the verb forms keeping memorization to a minimum. Students are expected to spend at least two hours studying Hebrew outside of class for every hour of class time. Grades will be based on consistent homework preparation, class participation and daily quiz scores.

The two-course sequence meets M.Div. core requirement in Hebrew (HEB).