DESCRIPTION: This eight-hour intensive course is designed as an introduction
to biblical Hebrew. Students will gain a basic understanding of the vocabulary,
morphology, and grammar of the Hebrew language.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: A student completing this course will have demonstrated
his/her ability (1) to read the Hebrew text aloud; (2) to translate by
memory the most frequently occurring vocabulary; (2) to understand and
recognize the different grammatical categories present in Hebrew: nouns,
adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, verbs, and verbal forms; (4) to understand
enough grammar to read a basic narrative text; (5) to learn to use a lexicon to
amplify his/her understanding of words, to find unknown words and to find
the semantic range of words; (6) to translate Hebrew texts and interact
with reference grammars, lexicons and commentaries to develop a basic
understanding of linguistic techniques of biblical exegesis; (8) to write
legibly in standard Hebrew script.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The ability to exegete and interpret the Bible is a
necessary ingredient of any preaching or teaching ministry. A working knowledge
of Hebrew will enhance every minister's skill in exegesis, and will provide the
critical skills necessary to intelligently evaluate various translations and
commentaries.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet twice weekly, four hours per session. The
course will be based on the material in Seow's Grammar for Biblical
Hebrew, with the introduction of supplemental material as needed. Class
sessions will include lecture, review of assignments, oral reading and
translation, and frequent quizzes designed to reinforce learning and to provide
students with feedback about their progress. Attendance at all class
sessions is vital, and students should expect to spend at least two hours of
outside preparation for every hour in class.
REQUIRED READING: