Biblical A en 2017

Biblical Hebrew A
Units 1-30
www.IsraelBiblicalStudies.com
Authors: Ohad Cohen and Sarah Baker
2017 All Rights Reserved

eTeacher Ltd.
8 Oholiav St. Ramat Gan, 52522
Copying, photocopying, recording, translating, storing in

database, transmitting or receiving electronically, optically or
any other way, of the material in this book is strictly prohibited.
Commercial use of any kind of the material included in this
book is strictly prohibited under copyright law, unless written
permission from eTeacher is granted.
Dear Students,
Shalom! Welcome!
Hebrew is an ancient and fascinating language with a rich history.

Learning Biblical Hebrew will enable you to read the Bible first
hand in the language in which it was written. It will also enable you
to grasp the meaning of the original text without needing to rely on
a translation.
During this first course you will learn the Hebrew alphabet and
vowels, become familiar with the basic paradigms of Hebrew
nouns and verbs and acquire 450 common Biblical Hebrew words.
Ohad Cohen The grammatical topics will be learned within the framework of
Curriculum Supervisor and famous biblical stories.
Academic Manager This workbook is designed to accompany you throughout the units
that make up your Biblical Hebrew course.
eTeacherBiblical.com
For each unit we have provided in the workbook the glossary of
new Hebrew words you will be learning during that specific unit.
All of the vocabulary words for the course are compiled in an
Excel spreadsheet that is located in the Homework and Extras
section of your online Student Locker.
Weve also added some selected slides from each unit, which
appear in identical format in the online class session. Including
these slides in the workbook will help you to adapt to the world of
online education by giving you the opportunity to take notes in a
written format. Giving you these slides in the workbook also
enables your teacher to offer exercises that can be completed both
over the Internet and on paper.
After the glossary and slides for each unit, you will find your
homework exercises. Answers for these exercises can be found in
the unit files located in your Student Locker in the online
campus.
I would like to wish you an enjoyable and productive learning
experience.
Yours,
Ohad Cohen
eTeacherBiblical.com
Helpful Contacts
Customer Service service@eTeacherGroup.com
Technical Support support@eTeacherGroup.com
For More Info www.eTeacherGroup.com
Table of Contents 1-30
No. Unit Name Unit Description Page
1 The Hebrew Welcome! After introducing ourselves, we will start to 1
Alphabet: Then learn about the history of the Hebrew alphabet. We will
and Now discuss its relationship with the Latin alphabet and learn our
first 8 Hebrew letters.
2 The Hebrew In our second unit we will continue to learn about the 15
Alphabet, Hebrew alphabet and cover the rest of it. At the end of the
Continued unit we will be able to recognize all 23 of the Hebrew letters.
3 The Hebrew After learning the letters and consonants we will begin to 35
Vowels learn about the Hebrew vowels. We will start with the
history of the Hebrew vowels notation and get familiar with
the first vowel, [a].
4 The Vowels In this unit we will continue with the rest of the Hebrew 51
E-I-O-U vowels and learn about the vowels [e-i-o-u]. We can already
start to read short verses from the story of the creation
(Genesis 1).
5 The 'Dagesh' After discussing the Hebrew consonants and vowels we will 67
and Syllable learn how Hebrew marks gemination (doubling of a
Division consonant) and how to divide words into syllables. We will
also read and discuss verses from the story of the tree of
knowledge (Genesis 3).
6 Nouns and Now, after we are able to read and pronounce the Hebrew 81
Adjectives sounds, we will turn to discussing the morphology of
Hebrew words. We will start with the nouns and adjectives
and learn about their basic forms and grammar. We will
learn these issues while continuing the discussion on the
story of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3).
7 The 'Shewa' In this unit we will go back a little to the realm of the sounds 99
and learn about another vocalic sign, the 'Shewa'. We will
discuss this sign within the framework of the story of the
Tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
8 Hebrew Word The question discussed in this unit is - how does Hebrew 115
Structure create words? We will learn about the Hebrew terms
'Shoresh' (root) and Mishqal (pattern). We will also read and
discuss a few verses from the story of the flood
(Genesis 6-8).
9 A Few More In this unit we will complete the phonological part by 131
Vowels learning a few more vowels: the short vowel [o] (qamatz-
qatan) and the reduced vowels. We will learn how to
recognize them while discussing the story of Jacobs dream
(Genesis 28).
10 The Definite How does Hebrew mark the difference between a boy and 147
Article the boy? This is the question that will we try to answer in
unit 10. We will return to reading and discussing verses from
the story of the creation (Genesis 1) and the Tower of Babel
(Genesis 11).
11 The Definite In this unit we will continue to discuss some other aspects of 161
Article, the definite article. We will also learn how Hebrew combines
Con't & Some the definite article with some prepositions, while discussing
Prepositions verses from the story of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3).
12 Construct What is the difference between a wood chest and a chest 177
Chains of wood? In this unit we learn how Hebrew marks the of
relationship. We will illustrate this relationship discussing
some verses from Genesis.
13 Plural Construct How does Hebrew mark the of relationship in plural 193
Chains words? In this unit we will answer this question. We will
also read and discuss the story of Cain and Abel
14 Independent I, you, he, she In this unit we will learn about the Hebrew 205
Personal independent personal pronouns. We will illustrate these
Pronouns pronouns within the framework of the story of Cain and Abel
15 Pronominal In this unit we will learn how Hebrew marks the differences 223
Suffixes between: my horse, your horse and
his horse.
We will also discuss how Hebrew symbolized the connection
between the dove and Noah (Genesis 8).
16 The Definite The question that we will answer in this unit is how Hebrew 239
Construct marks the difference between THE son of Jesse and A
son of Jesse. We will illustrate these constructions within
the framework of the story of Hagar (Genesis 21).
17 Nominal Why doesn't Hebrew need a verb in order to create a 255
Sentences sentence? In this unit we will learn how Hebrew creates
nominal sentences. We will also discuss what happened
between Jacob and Rachel near the well (Genesis 29).
18 Nominal In this unit we will meet different ways to create nominal 273
Sentences, Con't sentences in Hebrew. We will demonstrate how the author
of Proverbs 6:23 plays with nominal sentences in order to
design a challenging proverb.
19 Review: Ruth The goal of this unit is to slow down a little bit and to look 289
backward to what we achieved until now. We will review the
previous grammatical materials with the framework of the
story of Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1). How can the characters
names illuminate the story? This will be one of the
questions that we will ask ourselves.
20 Qatal Verbs After discussing Hebrew nouns and adjectives, in this unit 301
we will start the third part of the first course 'The verb'.
We will learn about the morphology of the suffix
conjugation called Qatal. We will see that there is a clear
connection between the different persons and the
independent pronouns.
21 Translating What is the meaning of the Qatal form, and how do we 317
Qatal translate it into English? These will be the questions that we
will ask in this unit. We will also learn how Hebrew marks
the definite direct object. We will illustrate these topics using
a variety of verses from the Bible.
22 Translating In this unit we will continue with the questions concerning 331
Qatal, Con't the meaning and the translation of the Qatal form. We will
discover how this form performs in different sentences and
how Hebrew is different from English in this point.
23 Review: Ruth, Why did Naomi want to change her name to Mara? What 345
Con't happened to Ruth and Naomi when they returned from
Moab? These will be part of the questions that we will
answer in this review unit. The discussion will enable us to
review the previous units. (Ruth 1-2)
24 Yiqtol Verbs The second verbal form that we will learn is the prefix 357
conjugation called Yiqtol. In this unit we will learn how to
recognize this form and how Hebrew marks the different
persons in it. We will discover that also in this form there is
a clear connection between the different persons and the
25 Translating What is the meaning of the Yiqtol form, and how do we 375
Yiqtol translate it into English? These will be the questions that we
will ask in this unit. We will illustrate these topics using a
variety of verses from the Bible.
26 Translating In this unit we will continue with the questions concerning 391
Yiqtol, Con't the meaning and the translation of the Yiqtol form. We will
discover how this form performs in different sentences and
how Hebrew is different from English in this point.
27 Review: What is the semantic connection between the resting place 405
Ruth, Con't and Naomis plans for Ruth? (Ruth 3:1) How is the author of
the book playing with the connotations of the verbs 'to know'
and 'to lay down'? These will be some of the questions that
we will answer in this review unit. The discussion will
enable us to review the previous units. (Ruth 3)
28 Wayyiqtol Verbs The third verbal form that we will learn is the form 415
Wayyiqtol. In the first part of this unit we will learn how to
recognize this form. In the second part we will discover what
the meaning of this form is and how to translate it into
English. We will illustrate its usages using a variety of
verses from the Bible.
29 Weqatal Verbs The fourth verbal form that we will learn is the form 429
Weqatal. In the first part of this unit we will learn how to
recognize this form. In the second part we will discover what
the meaning of this form is and how to translate it into
English. We will illustrate its usages using a variety of
30 Where We've Where We've Been is the name of our last meeting in this 443
Been course. In this meeting we'll go back through the course and
see the long way that we have come from our first unit until
now.
Now that we are able to begin walking through the Bible, it
is the time to say:
Shalom!, and see you in our coming course!
Hebrew Vowels*
A Hebrew Transliteration Name Examples
Reduced Vowel hatf path
Short Vowel

a path mah
ls
t
Long Vowel:
Plain qamts

Long Vowel: mamd
Mater Lectionis h qamts mal
E Hebrew Transliteration Name Examples

Reduced Vowel hatf segl
Short Vowel e segl
Long Vowel:
tsre

Plain met
Long Vowel:
Mater Lectionis segl mal

eh geh

tsre mal
h
Other ** / -- shew

yimr
* It is customary in treating Hebrew vowels to speak of length as well as quality.

Though this distinction is probably valid for the earlier pronunciation, it is
doubtful whether vowel quantity played any important part in the original
Mesoretic system.
** The moving (pronounced) shewa opens a syllable, and the silent shewa closes
a syllable
I Hebrew Transliteration Name Examples
Reduced Vowel
-- -- --
Short Vowel i hreq
Long Vowel:

Plain -- -- -- ib r
Long Vowel:
Mater Lectionis hreq mal
O Hebrew Transliteration Name Examples

Reduced Vowel hatf qamts
Short Vowel *** o qamts-qatn
trm
Long Vowel:
Plain hlem
Long Vowel:
hm
Mater Lectionis hlem mal
h
*** The [] vowel is only pronounced as the short [o] qmts-qtn when it
appears in a closed unaccented syllable; in all other places, it is the long []
qmts
U Hebrew Transliteration Name Examples

Reduced Vowel
-- -- --
Short Vowel u qibbts
Long Vowel:

Plain -- -- -- ullm
Long Vowel:
Mater Lectionis shreq
Unit 1
The Hebrew Alphabet Then and Now

Unit Description:
Welcome! After introducing ourselves, we will start to learn about the history of the Hebrew
alphabet. We will discuss its relationship with the Latin alphabet and learn our first 8 Hebrew
letters.

New Words in this Unit 15
Total New Words 15
Unit 1
1
Vocabulary
Category Hebrew Transliteration Pronunciation English
h ah brother (m.s.)
m em mother (f.s.)
mountain,
har har
hill (m.s.)
lhem lhem bread, food (m.s.)
stream, river
Nouns
nhr nahar
(m.s.)
young man,

nar nar
lad (m.s.)
nr ner lamp (m.s.)
people,
am am
nation (m.s.)
Proper Noun rm aram Aram (Syria)
el el to, towards
Prepositions min min from
al al upon
Negative
l lo no, not
Particle

mar amar he said
Verbs
rh raa he saw
m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular

Note: All Hebrew words are accented on the final syllable unless otherwise marked.
See this website for more practice with the Hebrew alphabet:
http://hebrewverb.hul.huji.ac.il/newtest/pre_abc.html
Unit 1
2
Slides from the Unit
Unit 1
3
Unit 1
4
Unit 1
5
Unit 1
6
Unit 1
7
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit, we meet the Hebrew alphabet for the first time. The Hebrew alphabet has a very
long history. In fact, the Western (Latin) alphabet and the Hebrew alphabet have the same origin.
The earliest form of this script that we have is from the Sinai desert and represents a Canaanite
dialect of the 16th century B.C.E. The Proto-Canaanites developed their letters by drawing a
picture of something that began with the sound they wanted to represent e.g. water, which they
pronounced maym, for the sound [m]; a fish, which they pronounced digg, for [d], etc.
This script developed from Proto-Canaanite (ca. 1500 B.C.E.) to Ancient Hebrew (ca. 950
B.C.E.) to Classical Greek to the Latin that we use for English today. The two main historical
changes we see are that the letters became more abstract (e.g. developing from a fish into a
simple triangle) and/or turned 90 or 180.
In Units 1-2, we will learn the 23 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, all consonants. We will not
learn these in alphabetical order; rather, we will group the letters according to their common
features.
In the charts below, there are five columns for each letter:
1. The Hebrew letter
2. The Hebrew name of the letter
3. The transliteration of the letter (i.e. how we represent the letter in Latin script)*
4. The Modern Hebrew pronunciation of the letter
5. An example of this sound in an English word
* We learn the transliteration because unlike the pronunciation, the transliteration system
distinguishes between every letter. Also, this is how Hebrew words will be transliterated in
printed material, both in this course and in other Hebrew tools (e.g. commentaries) that you
may use.
Unit 1
8
The Letters ---
Hebrew Letter Name Transliteration Pronunciation English Example
lmed l l light
/ mem m m map
/ nun n n new
resh r r air
The final letters and are the forms that the letters and take at the end of a word.
The is not pronounced like an English [r], but is more alveolar (pronounced with the
tongue close to the upper middle part of the mouth).
The Letters ---

lef honor/uh*oh
heh h h horse
het h h Bach
yin honor/uh*oh
These four are known as the guttural letters, since they are pronounced in the throat.
The is the glottal stop (brief cutting-off of the air flow) that is usually heard at the
beginning of English words with a silent [h] (honor, honest), before most words that start
with a vowel (apple, enter, in, open, up), and in the middle of the expression uh-oh.
The sounds like the ch in the name of the German composer Bach, the Scottish word
loch (lake), and expressions such as lachaim! or chutzpah. (The sign [h]
technically represents a pharyngeal fricative in the International Phonetic Alphabet,
though we pronounce the today more as the uvular fricative ch described above.)
Even though in Modern Hebrew the is usually pronounced the same way as the , the
original pronunciation was a more emphatic sound (almost like gulping) at the back of
the throat. Well see in later units how this makes the behave differently from the .
The , , and can be silent in modern pronunciation when they appear at the end of a
word (e.g. in words like
, , and ) .
Unit 1
9
Homework
1. Practice writing the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Read the letters aloud
(using their names and/or their pronunciations with any vowel) as you write
them.
* The lower part of the starred letter should continue below the line.
Unit 1
10
2. Read aloud the Hebrew words on the left. Match them to their transliterations in
the middle and to their definitions on the right.
rm to, towards
l brother
h no, not
el Aram (Syria)
mar upon
min he said
al from
3. Read aloud the following words from the vocabulary list and write the
consonants of the appropriate word under each picture below.
a) b) c) d)
e) f) g) h)
Unit 1
11
4. Read the following Hebrew words aloud and transliterate their consonants into
Latin script.
n a h a l nahal
____a__
____
______

__a__a__
____

____a__
______
Unit 1
12
Recommended Bibliography
1. Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, As Edited and Enlarged by the Late E. Kautzsch, Second
English Ed. Revised in accordance with the Twenty-eighth German Ed. by A. E. Cowley,
Oxford, 1910. (5-6 = pp. 24-35)
2. Joon, P., Muraoka, T., A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Rome, 1996. (5 = pp. 18-33)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (XIII-XVI)
Unit 1
13
Unit 2
The Hebrew Alphabet Continued

Unit Description:
In our second unit we will continue to learn about the Hebrew alphabet and cover the rest of it.
At the end of the unit we will be able to recognize all 23 of the Hebrew letters.
Total New Words 30
Unit 2
15
Vocabulary
b av father (m.s.)
man,

dm adam
humankind (m.s.)
res rets earth, land (f.s.)
garment,
bged bged
clothing (m.s.)
bn ben son (m.s.)
Nouns
bat bat daughter (f.s.)
yd yad hand (f.s.)
yled yled child (m.s.)
ym yam sea (m.s.)
mlek mlekh king (m.s.)
s ets tree, wood (m.s.)
m shem name (m.s.)
Number er ser ten
br bara he created
Verbs
qr kara he called

See this website for more practice with the Hebrew alphabet:
http://hebrewverb.hul.huji.ac.il/newtest/pre_abc.html
Unit 2
16
Unit 2
17
Unit 2
18
Unit 2
19
Unit 2
20
Unit 2
21
Unit 2
22
Unit 2
23
Unit 2
24
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit, we learn the remaining letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
In the charts below, there are five columns for each of the letters:
1. The Hebrew letter
2. The Hebrew name of the letter
3. The transliteration of the letter (i.e. how we represent the letter in Latin script)
4. The Modern Hebrew pronunciation of the letter
5. An example of this sound in an English word
The Letters --
bet b b bat
vet b v cave
/ kaf k k keep
/ khaf k kh Bach
/ peh p p pen
/ feh p f if
With the dagesh (the dot in the middle), these letters are pronounced as plosive
consonants in which the air flow through the mouth stops completely. Without the
dagesh they are pronounced as fricative consonants in which the air flow is only partly
blocked.
The pronunciation of the / is very similar to that of the , but note that we use a
different transliteration in order to distinguish between them.
The final letters and are the forms that the letters and take at the end of a word.
Unit 2
25
The Letters --
gmel g g good
gmel g g good
dlet d d dog
dlet d d dog
tav t t tea
tav t t tea
With the dagesh (the dot in the middle), these letters are pronounced as plosive
consonants in which the air flow through the mouth stops completely. In the history of
the Hebrew language, these three letters were probably pronounced as fricative
consonants in which the air flow is only partly blocked, just as in the group above. But in
the Modern Hebrew pronunciation, this original difference is no longer pronounced.
(Note that we still distinguish between the transliterations with and without the dagesh.)
The Letters -
vav w v vine
yod y y you
These two letters can also mark vowels, which well learn in Unit 3.
The Letters --
zyin z z zebra
smekh s s say
/ tsdeh s ts cats
The final letter is the form that the letter takes at the end of a word.
Unlike in English, the sound ts of the is a single consonant and can appear at the
beginning of a word, just like any other letter.
Unit 2
26
The Letters ---
tet t t tea
qof q k keep
sin s say
shin sh ship
There is no difference in modern pronunciation between the and the , but we
distinguish them in transliteration because these are two separate letters in Hebrew and
were historically distinguished in pronunciation.
Note that the location of the dot at the top of the letter is the only indicator of whether
to pronounce [s] or [sh].
Below is a summary tablet of the entire Hebrew alphabet, organized in alphabetical order:
The Hebrew Alephbet

Pronunciation Key:
a [] as in father
e [] as in let
eh [e] as in day
i [i] as in meet
o [o] as in open
u [u] as in boot
h [x] as in Bach
* glottal stop (cutting off of the air flow)
marks the accent in a two-syllable word
Unit 2
27
lef honor/uh*oh
bet b b bat
vet b v cave
gmel g g good
gmel g g good
dlet d d dog
dlet d d dog
heh h h horse
vav w v vine
zyin z z zebra
het h h Bach
tet t t tea
yod y y you
/ kaf k k keep
/ khaf k kh Bach
lmed l l light
/ mem m m map
/ nun n n new
smekh s s say
yin honor/uh*oh
/ peh p p pen
/ feh p f if
/ tsdeh s ts cats
qof q k keep
resh r r air
sin s say
shin sh ship
tav t t tea
tav t t tea
Unit 2
28
Homework
1. Practice writing the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Read the letters aloud
(using their names and/or their pronunciations with any vowel) as you write
them.
* The lower part of the starred letters should continue below the line.
Unit 2
29
*
Unit 2
30
2. Read the following Hebrew words aloud, and transliterate their consonants into
Latin script.
h lak halakh
____a__
____a__
____a__
__a__a__
____a__
____a__

____a__
Unit 2
31
Part A:
m king
bged father
b name
mlek hand
ym child
yd sea
yled ten
er garment
Part B:
bn tree
s man
qr son
dm he called
br daughter
res he created
bat land
Unit 2
32
4. Transliterate the consonants of the words below into Hebrew. Read the Hebrew
words aloud (using an [e] vowel between consonants) and find them in the
word search.
meq mek
me __ __ __
sem __ __ __
bten __ __ __
ngeb __ __ __
bed __ __ __
gzer __ __ __
eb __ __ __
Unit 2
33
Oxford, 1910. (5-6 = pp. 24-35)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (XIII-XVI)
Unit 2
34
Unit 3
The Hebrew Vowels

Unit Description:
After learning the letters and consonants we will begin to learn about the Hebrew vowels. We will
start with the history of the Hebrew vowels notation and get familiar with the first vowel, [a].
Total New Words 45
Unit 3
35
Vocabulary
r or light (m.s.)
man, person,
ish
husband (m.s.)
br basar flesh (m.s.)
nation,
gy goy
people (m.s.)
word; thing;
Nouns dbr davar
matter (m.s.)
way (road,
drek drekh
manner) (b.s.)
ym yom day (m.s.)
r ir city, town (f.s.)
dust,
pr afar
dry earth (m.s.)
tb tov good, pleasing
Adjectives*
r ra bad, evil
Preposition bn ben between
that; because;
Conjunction k ki
when
he walked;
hlak halakh
he went
Verbs
he did;
h asa
he made
m. = masculine f. = feminine b. = both m. and f. s. = singular

* Unless stated otherwise, all adjectives are given in the masculine singular form.
Unit 3
36
Unit 3
37
Unit 3
38
Unit 3
39
Unit 3
40
Unit 3
41
Unit 3
42
Unit 3
43
Unit 3
44
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit, we begin to learn about the Hebrew vowels. When Hebrew was first written down
(10th c. B.C.E.), the writers only wrote the consonants. Because they didnt write vowels, it
would be difficult for anyone who wasnt familiar with the text to know what words were
written. Their solution to this difficulty was to add vowel letters, a process which happened in
several stages:
In the first stage (9th-6th c. B.C.E.), they only added vowels at the end of words. The new
vowels were simply the consonants , , and , which could now act at the end of words as the
vowels (), (), and h/h/h (). We call each of these vowels a mater lectionis, which is
Latin for reading mother (the plural is matres lectionis). Just as a mother helps her child to
read, so these letters help us know which vowels to read.
In the next stage of Hebrew writing (after the exile of 586 B.C.E.), the matres lectionis and
began to be used inside words in addition to at the end of words. In this stage, and can each
represent more than one vowel ( = or ; = or ). continued to represent the vowels h,
h, and h only at the end of the word. It is important to remember that the mater lectionis
system of vowel writing is not applied consistently throughout the entire Hebrew Bible, which is
made up of many texts written at different times and in different situations. Therefore, we might
see the same word written in one place with the mater (e.g. )and in another place without
it (e.g.
).
The scribes who copied the biblical text became concerned that their oral tradition of how to
vocalize the text would be forgotten over time. In the final stage of Hebrew vowel writing
(7th-9th c. C.E.), they developed a system of diacritic points to represent each of the vowels. This
way, their oral tradition could be permanently recorded in more detail than the system of mater
lectionis allowed. (There are several different traditions of how to vocalize the biblical text. The
one most widely used is the Tiberian tradition, which was developed by the school of scribes in
the city of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee.) Note that the addition of the diacritic system did not
erase the previous system of mater lectionis. Part of what makes biblical Hebrew transliteration
so complicated is that all of these systems now exist simultaneously, one on top of the other, and
we want to be able to represent in Latin script exactly what we see in the Hebrew.
Unit 3
45
The A Vowel
A Hebrew Transliteration Name

Short Vowel a path
Long Vowel: Plain qamts
Long Vowel: Mater Lectionis h qamts mal
All A vowels are pronounced [] as in father.

The vowel sound under each letter is pronounced after the consonant.
Vowel names are written here as they are pronounced, not as they are transliterated.
It is customary in regard to Hebrew vowels to speak of length as well as quality. Though
this distinction is probably valid for the earlier pronunciation, it is doubtful whether
vowel quantity (length) played any important part in the original Tiberian tradition. In
other words, even though we speak of short and long vowels, we dont distinguish
the length of the Hebrew vowels in our pronunciation. The length is important to note,
however, because later it will help us to explain certain grammatical phenomena in
Hebrew.
Unit 3
46
Homework
appropriate word under each picture below. (Write the [ ] and [ ] vowels
where they appear, but ignore the rest of the vowel pointing.)

a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 3
47
ym he did / made
bn flesh
br between
gy day
h nation, people
dbr that; because
k word; matter
3. Read the following Hebrew words aloud and transliterate them into Latin script.
lqah lakah

Unit 3
48
4. Write the Hebrew words represented by the following transliterations, then read
the Hebrew words aloud.
gam gam
dg
z
bad
mh
ap
n
ar
Unit 3
49
Oxford, 1910. (7-9 = pp. 35-50)
2. Joon, P., Muraoka, T., A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Rome, 1996.
(6-7 = pp. 34-50)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (XVII; XXV-XXVII)
Unit 3
50
Unit 4
The Vowels E-I-O-U

Unit Description:
In this unit we will continue with the rest of the Hebrew vowels and learn about the vowels
[e-i-o-u]. We can already start to read short verses from the story of the creation (Genesis 1).
Total New Words 60
Unit 4
51
Vocabulary
bqer bker morning (m.s.)
zhb zahav gold (m.s.)
h ek hshekh darkness (m.s.)
silver,
ksep ksef
money (m.s.)
myim myim water(s) (m.p.)
Nouns
sem tsem bone, self (m.s.)
reb rev evening (m.s.)
image,
slem tslem
likeness (m.s.)
heaven(s),
myim shamyim
sky (m.p.)
Proper
dwid david David
Noun
great (in size or
/ gdl / gdl gadol
importance)
Adjectives
small,
/ qtn / qtn katon / katan
insignificant
Number ehd ehad one (m.)
he/it was,
hyh haya
Verbs it happened
lqah lakah he took
m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular p. = plural
Unit 4
52
Unit 4
53
Unit 4
54
Unit 4
55
Unit 4
56
Unit 4
57
Unit 4
58
Unit 4
59
Unit 4
60
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit, we meet the remaining basic Hebrew vowels. Notes to remember:
The vowel sound under each letter is pronounced after the consonant.
In the vowel charts below, vowel names are written as they are pronounced, not as they
are transliterated. Pronunciations in brackets [ ] follow the International Phonetic
Alphabet.
It is customary in regard to Hebrew vowels to speak of length as well as quality. Though
this distinction is probably valid for the earlier pronunciation, it is doubtful whether
vowel quantity (length) played any important part in the original Tiberian tradition. In
other words, even though we speak of short and long vowels, we dont distinguish
the length of the Hebrew vowels in our pronunciation. The length is important to note,
however, because later it will help us to explain certain grammatical phenomena in
Hebrew.
The E Vowel
E Hebrew Transliteration Name

Short Vowel e segl
Long Vowel: Plain tsre

segl mal
eh
Long Vowel: Mater Lectionis

tsre mal
h
Most E vowels are pronounced [] as in let; but sometimes the long E vowels with
a mater lectionis are pronounced more like the diphthong [e] as in day.
Remember that the vowels / -eh and / -h appear only at the end of words, while
/ and / can appear either at the end or in the middle.
Unit 4
61
The I Vowel
I Hebrew Transliteration Name

Short Vowel i hriq
Long Vowel: Mater Lectionis hriq mal
All I vowels are pronounced [i] as in meet.

Remember that the vowel / can appear either in the middle or at the end of a word.
The O Vowel
O Hebrew Transliteration Name

Long Vowel: Plain hlem

Long Vowel: Mater Lectionis hlem mal
h
All O vowels are pronounced [o] as in open.
The short [o] vowel is a special case and will be discussed in another unit.
Unlike other vowels, the hlem is written above and to the left of the consonant it
follows.
Remember that the vowel / -h appears only at the end of words, while / can
appear at the end or in the middle.
The vowel / -h is very rare. When it appears, it is usually in proper nouns (e.g.
) .
The U Vowel
U Hebrew Transliteration Name

Short Vowel u qibbts
Long Vowel: Mater Lectionis shreq
All U vowels are pronounced [u] as in boot.

Remember that the / vowel can appear either at the end or in the middle of a word.
Unit 4
62
Homework
appropriate word under each picture below (write both the consonants and the
vowels).
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 4
63
the middle and fill in the blanks with the vowels. Then match the
transliterations to the definitions on the right.
_m_y_m he was
d_w_d evening
h e k David
h_y_h sky
_r_b darkness
l _ q _ h one
_ h _ d he took
3. Read the following Hebrew words aloud, then sort them into the appropriate
columns according to their vowels.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ e __ a __ __ __ __

4. Transliterate the words below into Hebrew.

Read the Hebrew words aloud and find them
in the word search.
dn adon
bsh
yb
n
bet
umt
Unit 4
64
Oxford, 1910. (7-9 = pp. 35-50)
(6-7 = pp. 34-50)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (XVII; XXV-XXVII)
Unit 4
65
Unit 5
The 'Dagesh' and Syllable Division

Unit Description:
After discussing the Hebrew consonants and vowels we will learn how Hebrew marks
gemination (doubling of a consonant) and how to divide words into syllables. We will also read
and discuss verses from the story of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3).
Total New Words 75
Unit 5
67
Vocabulary
ih isha woman, wife (f.s.)
house, dwelling-
byit byit
place (m.s.)
animal, living
hayyh haya
thing (f.s.)
hayym hayim life (m.p.)
Nouns
hreb hrev sword (f.s.)
nh nahash snake (m.s.)
sound, voice
ql kol
(m.s.)
field, open
deh sade
country (m.s.)
Conjunction pen pen lest
behold!,
see (here),
Interjection hinnh hine
(draws attention
to what follows)
ayyh aye where?
Interrogatives
m mi who?
Adverb m sham there, thither
he ate,

kal akhal
he consumed
Verbs
he declared,
higgd higid
he told
Unit 5
68
Unit 5
69
Unit 5
70
Unit 5
71
Unit 5
72
Unit 5
73
Unit 5
74
Unit 5
75
Grammatical Remarks
Syllable Division
A syllable is a sound unit that includes a vowel and possibly one or more consonants. For
example, the word water has two syllables: 1.[wa] 2. [ter]. The basic rule of Hebrew
syllables is that each syllable must begin with a single consonant followed by at least one vowel.
(This rule has very few exceptions.) There may or may not be a consonant at the end of the
syllable, but there must be one at the beginning. Remember that there are letters that function as
mater lectionis vowels. For example, the in [ mn] is part of a vowel; so this syllable is
consonant-vowel-consonant, not consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant.
There are two regular kinds of syllables in Hebrew:
1. Open syllable composed of a Consonant plus a Vowel (CV syllable)
2. Closed syllable composed of a Consonant, Vowel, and Consonant (CVC syllable)
The Dagesh
The dagesh is the dot that can appear in the middle of a Hebrew letter. There are two different
kinds of dagesh, each representing a different phonetic phenomenon. The first, called the weak
dagesh, only appears in the '' ''begad-kefat letters and marks the consonant as a
plosive (e.g. [b]) instead of a fricative (e.g. [v]), as weve already discussed in Unit 2. The other,
called the strong dagesh, can appear in any letter of the Hebrew alphabet (excluding ---
-), and it doubles the letter so that it actually represents two consonants and not just one (e.g.
[ = mm]). Note that the weak dagesh and the strong dagesh look identical in Hebrew writing,
though theyre transliterated differently, as in the word [ babbayit].
How do we tell the difference between the weak dagesh and the strong dagesh in the ''
''letters? The weak dagesh (the single plosive) is found in a letter that stands at the
beginning of a syllable when it is immediately preceded by another consonant (e.g. [ yi-
br]) or when it stands at the beginning of a word (e.g. [ br]). The dagesh in a ''
''letter is a strong dagesh only when it is directly preceded by a vowel (e.g. [ ibbr]).
Stress
The stress (emphasis, accent) of Hebrew words always falls either on the last syllable (ultimate
stress, e.g.
[ nmr]) or on the second-to-last syllable (penultimate stress, e.g.
[ gepen]).
Because ultimate stress is the most frequently used, we will mark only penultimate stress in our
transliteration. If there is no accent marked, you may assume that the accent is on the last
syllable.
Unit 5
76
Homework
1. Using the Unit 5 vocabulary list, fill in the crossword puzzle below with the
correct Hebrew words. (Each square will hold one letter and the vowel
pointing, if any, that follows it.)
1.
Across:
2. 2. life
3. behold!
5. who?
4. 3.
6. voice
Down:
1. there
6. 5.
2. animal
3. he told
4. he ate
2. Match the words below to their definitions. Read each word aloud (see the
pronunciations in the vocabulary list) and write whether each has ultimate or
penultimate stress.
house
snake
where? ultimate
woman
sword
field
lest
Unit 5
77
3. Transliterate each word below, keeping the two syllables of each word on either
side of the dividing line.
t | md
____ | ____
____ | ____

____ | ____
____ | ____
____ | ____
____ | ____
____ | ____
4. Arrange the words from the following list into two columns according to
whether the dagesh in each word is weak (single plosive) or strong (doubled
consonant).

Weak Dagesh Strong Dagesh

Unit 5
78
Oxford, 1910. (12-13 = pp. 55-56)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (XVIII; XXIV-XXV)
Unit 5
79
Unit 6
Nouns and Adjectives

Unit Description:
Now, after we are able to read and pronounce the Hebrew sounds, we will turn to discussing the
morphology of Hebrew words. We will start with the nouns and adjectives and learn about their
basic forms and grammar. We will learn these issues while continuing the discussion on the
story of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3).
Total New Words 90
Unit 6
81
Vocabulary
ben ven stone (f.s.)
gan gan garden (m.s.)

hmh homa wall (f.s.)
Nouns mqm makom place (m.s.)
ss sus horse (m.s.)
yin yin eye (f.s.)
nh shana year (f.s.)
zqn zaken old
hkm hakham wise
saddq tsadik just, righteous
Adjectives qd kadosh sacred, holy
r rasha wicked
complete, sound,
tmm tamim
blameless

yda yada he knew
Verbs he heard,
ma shama
he listened
Unit 6
82
Unit 6
83
Unit 6
84
Unit 6
85
Unit 6
86
Unit 6
87
Unit 6
88
Unit 6
89
Unit 6
90
Unit 6
91
Grammatical Remarks
Nouns and Adjectives
Every noun in Hebrew has both number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine).
The masculine singular form has no special ending, but every other form has a suffix that marks
the word as feminine singular (accented ) , masculine plural () , or feminine plural ().
The mater lectionis is not always used, so [ ] and [ ] mean exactly the same thing as []
and [].
Singular Plural
Masculine -- -
Feminine - -
Every adjective has a gender and number that matches the noun it describes. This agreement is
an important difference between Hebrew and English. Another difference is that in Hebrew,
unlike in English, the adjective follows the noun it describes:
Singular Plural
Masculine

Feminine

Irregular Nouns
Even though the above charts show the regular forms, there are a number of irregular nouns in
which the gender is not predictably marked. Many Hebrew nouns, especially those with an
arbitrary grammatical gender (e.g.
stone) and not a natural gender (e.g. queen),
are irregular and may look like the opposite gender.
The plural endings [ ] and [ ]may be used for either gender, and feminine singular nouns
are often not marked by the characteristic [ ] ending. However, if the accented [ ] ending
does appear, the noun must be feminine singular; this form will never be masculine. (Note that
this feminine singular [ ] ending must be accented. If this suffix appears in a word where it is
not accented, e.g. [ laylh], the ending is not a feminine indicator.)
Unit 6
92
A solution to this problem of irregular nouns is that the form of the adjective will always show
the correct number and gender of the noun it matches. This phenomenon allows us to see the
gender of any irregular noun by looking at the adjective that describes it.
Singular Plural
Masculine
Feminine
Unit 6
93
Homework
appropriate word under each picture below.
a)
b)
c) d) e)
f) g)
Unit 6
94
2. Translate the following phrases from Hebrew into English.
* Note: We include the verse references not only for your own interest, but also
because the context may help with the translation where several meanings are
possible. Try to think of possible translations, then check the verse to get the
context.
( Lev. 25:30) a complete year
( Gen. 44:20)
( Lev. 6:9 Hbrw. / 6:16 Eng.)
( 2 Sam. 14:2)
( Is. 26:2)

(Prov. 11:7)
( Num. 5:17)
3. Match the Hebrew phrases on the left to their English translations on the right.
good young men
a great queen
a great king
a good young woman
great kings
good young women
a good young man
great queens
Unit 6
95
4. Sort the following noun-adjective phrases into columns based on their gender.
Masculine Feminine
Unit 6
96
Oxford, 1910. (80, 87-88 = pp. 222-224, 241-244)
(89-91 = pp. 266-275)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976.
(12, 19, 25, 34 = pp. 3-4, 9, 17-18, 27-28)
Unit 6
97
Unit 7
The 'Shewa'
Unit Description:
In this unit we will go back a little to the realm of the sounds and learn about another vocalic
sign, the 'Shewa'. We will discuss this sign within the framework of the story of the Tower of
Babel (Genesis 11).
Total New Words 105
Unit 7
99
Vocabulary
beast, animal,
bhmh bhema
cattle (f.s.)
lylh lyla night (m.s.)
migdl migdal tower (m.s.)
messenger,

malk malakh
angel (m.s.)
Nouns mamlkh mamlakha kingdom (f.s.)
front, east,
qdem kdem ancient times
(m.s.)
r rosh head (m.s.)
lip, language,
ph safa
edge (f.s.)
Proper Noun yirl yisrael Israel
hm hem
Independent
or or or they, those (m.)
Pronoun
hmmh hma
in the middle of;
Preposition
btk btokh
among
Conjunction w v and
Adverb md mod very
bnh bana he built
Verbs
ms matsa he found
Unit 7
100
Unit 7
101
Unit 7
102
Unit 7
103
Unit 7
104
Unit 7
105
Unit 7
106
Unit 7
107
Unit 7
108
Unit 7
109
Grammatical Remarks
The Shewa
In this unit we meet the Hebrew shewa: [ ]. The special characteristic of the shewa is that it can
sometimes be silent, in which case it is not transliterated or pronounced at all. In other places, it
can be a moving shewa (also known as a vocal shewa or a shewa mobile), in which case it
is transliterated by the sign [] and pronounced as a very short [] vowel.
The basic rule for determining whether a shewa is silent or moving is this: A moving shewa
opens a syllable, and a silent shewa closes a syllable. For example, in the word
[yi-mr], the first shewa is silent and the second shewa is moving. (The moving shewa is
considered to be part of the syllable it opens; it is not a separate vowel that counts as its own
syllable.)
The Moving Shewa

There are three main indicators that a shewa is a moving shewa (i.e. that it opens a syllable).
1. A shewa under the first consonant of a word is moving, as in [ by-d].
2. The second of two consecutive shewas (except at the end of a word) is always a moving
shewa, as in [ yik-tb]. (This means that the first of these two shewas is silent.)
3. A shewa under any consonant that is doubled by a strong dagesh is moving, as in
[ mim-mk]. (This is basically equivalent to the second rule, since = .)
The Silent Shewa

There are three main indicators that a shewa is a silent shewa (i.e. that it closes a syllable).
1. A shewa at the end of a word is silent, as in [ b-tk]. A final shewa is usually
only seen in the letter ( though in certain cases it can appear in other letters, as in
or
) in other final letters, a silent shewa is implicit, but not usually written.
2. A shewa at the end of any accented syllable is silent, as in [ rd-nh].
3. A shewa after any short vowel (provided that the consonant it marks isnt doubled by a
dagesh) is silent, as in
[ hit-kat-tb].
Unit 7
110
Homework
1. Read aloud the following words from the vocabulary list, and write the
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 7
111
a very good man
(Note: the syllables bolded in red are accented.)

yardn yarden
Unit 7
112
4. Decide whether the shewa in each word below is a moving shewa or a silent
shewa, and sort the words under the appropriate columns. (Note: the syllables
bolded in red are accented.)
Moving Shewa Silent Shewa
Unit 7
113
Oxford, 1910. (10a-e = pp. 51-52)
(10 = pp. XXV-XXVII)
Unit 7
114
Unit 8
Hebrew Word Structure

Unit Description:
The question discussed in this unit is - how does Hebrew create words? We will learn about the
Hebrew terms 'Shoresh' (root) and Mishqal (pattern). We will also read and discuss a few verses
from the story of the flood (Genesis 6-8).
Total New Words 120
Unit 8
115
Vocabulary
dg dag fish (m.s.)
generation;
/ dr / dr dor period (of time)
(m.s.)
olive-tree,
zyit zyit
olive (m.s.)
* zkr zakhar male (m.s.)
Nouns hms hamas violence (m.s.)
ynh yona dove (f.s.)
dwelling-place,
mikn mishkan
tabernacle (m.s.)
judgment,
mipt mishpat
justice (m.s.)
nqbh nkeva female (f.s.)
qs kets end (m.s.)
Demonstrative
lleh le these
Pronoun
Number nyim shnyim two
Conjunction o or
b ba he came, entered
Verbs
siwwh tsiva he commanded
* may also appear as an adjective.
Unit 8
116
Unit 8
117
Unit 8
118
Unit 8
119
Unit 8
120
Unit 8
121
Unit 8
122
Unit 8
123
Unit 8
124
Unit 8
125
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we deal primarily with the structure of Hebrew words. Most Hebrew words are
built from a set of root letters and from a pattern into which these root letters are inserted.
The combination of these two systems is what creates most Hebrew words.
Roots
Every Hebrew word has a set of root consonants (also called radicals). Usually there are three
root letters, though there are a few words that seem to have only two (e.g. , ). The root
carries the basic semantic range (i.e. field of meaning) of a word. For example, serve is
the root of the words servant,
work,
service,
Obed (a personal
name, probably meaning worshipper, i.e. one who serves God), and labor, service.
Patterns / Mishqalim
The three radicals of the root are placed into a particular pattern of vowels, sometimes
accompanied by a prefix and/or suffix. (The Hebrew grammatical term for a word pattern is
mishqal.) Any of the following elements may be part of a word pattern (we use
as example root letters):
1. Vowels Every word pattern must have a characteristic set of vowels. For example,
is a different pattern from . Remember that sometimes a vowel might be
written with a mater lectionis (//), so these vowel letters are not necessarily part of
the root.
2. The Strong Dagesh Some patterns (e.g.
) include a strong dagesh, which doubles
one of the consonants of the root.
3. Prefix Some patterns include a prefix letter. The common prefix letters for nouns are
and ( as in or ) . A prefix is part of the pattern, not the root so if you
see a word that begins with one of these letters, check carefully to see whether it is one of
the three root letters or whether it might be a separate prefix.
4. Suffix Patterns can sometimes use a feminine ending, as in ( pattern
with a feminine ending) or
( pattern with a feminine ending).
Unit 8
126
Why is it important to recognize roots and patterns?
Knowing the root can tell you the general field of meaning that a word has, even if you arent
familiar with the pattern. The same root can appear in many different patterns, creating families
of words that have related meanings. If you know one or two words in a family, you can guess
the meanings of the other words based on their common root. For example, the root to
reign is used in the related words
king,
kingship, royalty, ( personal
name, probably meaning queen), kingdom, and ( personal name of a god, i.e.
divine ruler).
Knowing the pattern can tell you what kind of word you see (noun, adjective, etc.). Some
patterns are even more specific. Here are a few examples:
1. This pattern is very common. It is a popular form for adjectives (e.g. ) , but
it is also used for some nouns (e.g. ).
2. This noun pattern is typically used for professions or occupations, as in
charioteer, horseman (related to he rode) or archer (related to
bow). Note that the strong dagesh doubling the middle radical is part of the pattern.
3. This is a very common pattern for nouns (the prefix usually indicates a noun
pattern.) The pattern is often used as the place where the root action happens or
as the focus/result of the root action. For example, dwelling-place comes from
the root to dwell and is often used for the tabernacle, i.e. the place where God
dwells among the people of Israel. The word number comes from the root
to count and is the focus of the action of counting. (Keep in mind that this is only a
general description of this noun pattern and might not be so easily seen in other words!)
4. Though this pattern is not nearly as common as , it is one example of a
pattern that uses the common prefix letter , which typically indicates a noun pattern.
5. This is a common pattern for adjectives, seen in words like righteous
(Genesis 6:9), strong, ancient, and
majestic.
Most importantly, recognizing which elements are part of the pattern will enable you to
determine which letters are part of the root. Many good Biblical Hebrew lexicons organize
words by their roots. In order to find the definition of a word, you may need to be able to
identify what its root letters are.
Unit 8
127
Homework
correct Hebrew words. (Each square will hold one letter or one vowel.)
1.
2. Across:
2. end
4. female
3.
6. he commanded
4. 7. he came
Down:
1. these
3. two
5.
5. violence
6.
7.
Unit 8
128
he did justice

( Deut. 4:16)
( Psalm 14:5)
( Jonah 2:1)
3. Match the Hebrew words on the left with their patterns on the right.
mi___h
___
_a___
mi___

_a___
ta___h
ta___
__e_
4. Write the three root letters of each of the following words.
__ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __
__ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __
Unit 8
129
Oxford, 1910. (84a-b, 85 = pp. 227-38)
(88 = pp. 239-65)
* Joon-Muraoka has the better discussion on this topic.
Unit 8
130
Unit 9
A Few More Vowels

Unit Description:
In this unit we will complete the phonological part by learning a few more vowels: the short
vowel [o] (qamatz-qatan) and the reduced vowels. We will learn how to recognize them while
discussing the story of Jacobs dream (Genesis 28).
Total New Words 135
Unit 9
131
Vocabulary
ground,
dmh adama
land (f.s.)
seed, offspring

zra zra
Nouns (m.s.)
army, warfare
sb tsava
(m.s.)
ar shar gate (m.s.)

abrhm avraham Abraham
Lord
dny adonay
(divine title)
Proper Nouns God (m.s.);
lhm elohim
gods (m.p.)
yaqb yaakov Jacob
yishq yitshak Isaac
/
Independent n / nk ani / anokhi I

Pronouns
atth ata you (m.s.)
Demonstrative
zeh ze this (m.)
Pronoun
Relative that, which,
er asher
Particle who
ys yatsa he went out
Verbs
kab shakhav he lay down
Unit 9
132
Unit 9
133
Unit 9
134
Unit 9
135
Unit 9
136
Unit 9
137
Unit 9
138
Unit 9
139
Unit 9
140
Unit 9
141
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit, we meet the four remaining Hebrew vowels we have not studied before now. (In the
vowel chart below, vowel names are written as they are pronounced, not as they are
transliterated.)
Hebrew Transliteration Name

Reduced Vowel: A hatf path
Reduced Vowel: E hatf segl
Reduced Vowel: O hatf qamts
Short Vowel: O o qamts-qatn
The Short [o] Vowel

Hebrew has a short [o] vowel, the qamats-qatan (small qamats), which looks identical to the
long [] vowel qamats. The qamats-qatan is pronounced [o] as in open. The qamats-qatan
only appears in closed, unaccented syllables. In every other case, the [ ] vowel is the long
qamats []. For example, in the word [ok-lh], the first vowel is [o] because it stands in
a closed, unaccented syllable; but the last vowel is [] because it is accented.
Reduced Vowels
The guttural letters behave differently from the other consonants because they are
pronounced in the throat. One way in which these letters behave differently is that they dont
usually take a regular shewa. Instead, they use reduced vowels, which add a very short vowel
sound to the letter, making it easier to pronounce. Each of the three reduced vowels is formed by
combining the shewa sign with the corresponding short vowel. Likewise, the pronunciation is
identical to the short vowel. A reduced vowel always opens a syllable like a moving shewa does.
A reduced vowel is likely to appear under a guttural in the same place where a shewa would
appear under a regular letter. The change from shewa to reduced vowel does not change the
basic pattern (e.g.
is the same pattern as , even though it has a hatf path instead
of a shewa).
Unit 9
142
Homework
1. Read aloud the following words from the vocabulary list, and write the
a)
b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 9
143
correct Hebrew words. (Each square will hold one letter or one vowel.)
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
Across: Down:
2. which 1. Lord
3. God 3. you (m. s.)
5. Isaac 4. I
6. this (m.)
Unit 9
144
orlh orla
4. Match each Hebrew word on the left with the word on the right that shares the
same pattern.
Unit 9
145
Oxford, 1910. (9u, 10f-h = pp. 45-46, 54-56)
(6 l-n, 9 = pp. 50-54)
(6, 10 = pp. XX-XXI, XXV-XXVII)
Unit 9
146
Unit 10
The Definite Article

Unit Description:
How does Hebrew mark the difference between "a boy" and "the boy"? This is the question that
will we try to answer in unit 10. We will return to reading and discussing verses from the story
of the creation (Genesis 1) and the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
Total New Words 150
Unit 10
147
Vocabulary
hokmh hokhma wisdom (f.s.)

kkb kokhav star (m.s.)
heart (mind, will,
/ lb / lbb lev / levav
emotions) (m.s.)
Nouns soul, person,

npe nfesh
living being (f.s.)
whole burnt
lh ola
offering (f.s.)
peh pe mouth (m.s.)
LORD* (name of
Proper yhwh adonay*
Israels God)
Nouns
lmh shlomo Solomon

ahr aher another
thr tahor clean, pure
Adjectives tm tame unclean
ypeh yafe fair, beautiful
yr yashar straight, right
yrad yarad he came down
Verbs
lh ala he went up

* This name is usually written and read as
LORD. But in some cases,
particularly when this name appears next to the name , it is written
and read as
GOD.
Unit 10
148
Unit 10
149
Unit 10
150
Unit 10
151
Unit 10
152
Unit 10
153
Unit 10
154
Unit 10
155
Grammatical Remarks
The Indefinite Article
Hebrew has no indefinite article (a). A Hebrew word that does not have the definite article can
be translated with or without a, depending on the context. For example, = horse or a
horse.
The Definite Article

Meaning: The definite article (the) is used in Hebrew in generally the same way as it is in
English. The definite article marks something or somebody specific.
Regular Form: The definite article in Hebrew is not a separate word as it is in English. Instead,
the Hebrew definite article attaches to the beginning of the word it marks. The regular definite
article is composed of three elements: 1. The letter , 2. The short [a] vowel patah, 3. A strong
dagesh doubling the first consonant of the word. For example, = the horse.
Exception: In some words in which the first consonant is followed by a shewa, that first
consonant is not geminated (i.e. doubled by a dagesh) when the definite article is added. For
example, = the children, even though there is no dagesh in the letter . (This
phenomenon only occurs in some words; in other words that begin with a shewa, the dagesh still
appears.)
Noun-Adjective Agreement
Nouns and the adjectives that describe them must agree with each other in definiteness. In other
words, if a noun has the definite article, so will the adjective that describes it. (Remember that
the adjective must also agree with the noun in number and gender.) English convention does not
require us to translate the definite article twice. For example, = the good horse.
Unit 10
156
Notes from the Text
is the personal name of Israels God, but its original vowels were not preserved, so
nobody knows exactly how it was pronounced. In Hebrew tradition, out of a desire to not
accidentally break the third commandment by misusing the divine name, this name was read
LORD. The first and last vowels of were added to the consonants of the name
( the hataf-patah changed to a shewa under the )to remind the reader that this name was
to be pronounced [dny]. Many English translations render this as LORD, with all capital
letters. Sometimes it appears as ( with the vowels of God), in which case we
pronounce [lhm] and translate as GOD. Some reading traditions choose to read the
Name whenever they see the letters with either set of vowels.
The Conjunction: The regular conjunction and appears as the long [] vowel when it is
attached to a word that begins with one of the following:
1. A consonant pointed with a shewa Hebrew cannot begin a word with two shewas, so
the form of the conjunction changes, e.g. .
2. A bilabial consonant (// )The original pronunciation of the was probably [w],
which is very close to these three bilabials (consonants that are pronounced with the lips),
so it very naturally morphed into the bilabial* vowel [] before one of these
consonants, as in .
* According to the International Phonetic Alphabet, this is a close back rounded vowel.
Unit 10
157
Homework
1. Match the Hebrew phrase on the left to the correct translation on the right.
blameless and upright

the unclean place
Solomon went up
the small mouth
great wisdom

and a burnt offering
the LORD went down
( Ezek. 11:19) one heart

( Exod. 25:11)
( Prov. 11:22)

( Gen. 15:5)
( 1 Kings 20:37)
( Lev. 7:18)
( Lev. 5:2)
Unit 10
158
3. Add the definite article to each of the following words.
4. Circle the adjective that agrees with the preceding noun in number, gender, and
definiteness.
Unit 10
159
Oxford, 1910. (35 = pp. 110-12)
(35 = pp. 112-14)
(14, 18, 21 = pp. 5, 8, 12)
Unit 10
160
Unit 11
The Definite Article, Con't &

Some Prepositions
Unit Description:
In this unit we will continue to discuss some other aspects of the definite article. We will also
learn how Hebrew combines the definite article with some prepositions, while discussing verses
from the story of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3).
Total New Words 165
Unit 11
161
Vocabulary
sin, punishment,
wn avon
guilt (m.s.)
Nouns
nn anan cloud(s) (m.s.)
rgel rgel foot (f.s.)
hay hay alive, living
former, first,
rin rishon
Adjectives chief
much, many,
rab rav
great
Independent h hu he, it, that (m.)
Pronouns / h hi she, it, that (f.)
in, with*, at,
- b- b-
by, among
like, as,
Prepositions - k- k-
according to
to, for,
- l- l-
belonging to
/ mh / meh ma / me what? how?
Interrogativ why?
es lmmh lma (lit. for
what?)
he settled down,
kan shakhan
he dwelt
Verbs he kept,
mar shamar he guarded,
he preserved
* - is translated with only in the instrumental sense (i.e. by means of).
Unit 11
162
Unit 11
163
Unit 11
164
Unit 11
165
Unit 11
166
Unit 11
167
Unit 11
168
Unit 11
169
Unit 11
170
Unit 11
171
Grammatical Remarks
The Definite Article with Gutturals
In this unit, we continue our discussion of the definite article (the) and see how it takes a
slightly different form before the guttural letters. The reason for this is that the guttural letters ,
, , , and also ( which sometimes acts like a guttural, as here) cannot be doubled, i.e. they
cannot take a dagesh. Since the dagesh is part of the regular form of the definite article, the
absence of the dagesh sometimes affects the vowel of the definite article as well.
Regular Form ,
Before , , , ,
Before , ,
Before , , pointed with
an unaccented qamats
, ,
The lengthening of the vowel of the definite article before , , and compensates for
the inability to geminate (double) the guttural. Before a regular consonant, the form of
the definite article is + short vowel + gemination: [ hassus]. When no
gemination (doubling) is possible, a lengthening of the vowel compensates for the
missing consonant: [ haara].This process is called compensatory lengthening,
and it can be illustrated in the following tablet:
C V C C
C V V C
Before and , the definite article usually remains , though still with no following
gemination/doubling. In other words, there is no compensatory lengthening in these
cases.
Exception: Whenever a letter , , or is followed by an unaccented qamats (long []
vowel), the vowel of the preceding definite article is the short [e] vowel seghol.
Prepositions / /
Any Hebrew word that consists of only one letter is attached to the word that follows it, as we
saw with the definite article . Other single-letter words include the prepositions in, with,
like, as, and to, for, which are typically pointed with a shewa when they are prefixed to a
word without the definite article (e.g. in a tower). When one of these prepositions
appears before the definite article, the of the definite article is omitted, but the vowel and
dagesh (if applicable) of the definite article remain. For example, = in the tower.
Unit 11
172
Homework
1. Match the Hebrew phrase on the left to the correct translation on the right.
why, LORD? (Ex. 32:11)
he did not keep (2 Kgs. 17:19)

because it had settled (Ex. 40:35)
a straight foot (Eze. 1:7)

the living God (1 Sam. 17:26)
like this thing (Gen. 44:7)

what did he say? (2 Kgs. 8:14)
( Jdg. 10:8) in that year
( Gen. 22:7)
( Ex. 14:20)

( Dt. 28:38)
( Ex. 12:15)
( Is. 22:14)
( Gen. 4:20)
Unit 11
173
3. Add the definite article to each of the following words.
4. Write each of the following words without the definite article and/or the
preposition.
Unit 11
174
Oxford, 1910. (35, 102c-d = pp. 110-12, 298-99)
(35, 103a-b = pp. 112-14, 336)
(14-15, 18, 21 = pp. 5, 8, 12)
Unit 11
175
Unit 12
Construct Chains
Unit Description:
What is the difference between "a wood chest" and "a chest of wood"? In this unit we learn how
Hebrew marks the "of" relationship. We will illustrate this relationship discussing some verses
from Genesis.
Total New Words 180
Unit 12
177
Vocabulary
hel hel tent (m.s.)
rn aron chest, ark (m.s.)
palace,

hkl hekhal
temple (m.s.)
enclosure,
hsr hatser
courtyard (b.s.)
all, each, every,
kl kol
Nouns the whole (m.s.)
utensil, article,
kl kli
vessel (m.s.)
prophet,

nb navi
spokesman (m.s.)
copper,
nhet nhshet
bronze (m.s.)
tpillh tfila prayer (f.s.)
misryim mitsryim Egypt
Proper meh moshe Moses
Nouns snay sinay Sinai
w esav Esau
hibbt hibit he looked
Verbs
lah shalah he sent
Unit 12
178
Unit 12
179
Unit 12
180
Unit 12
181
Unit 12
182
Unit 12
183
Unit 12
184
Unit 12
185
Unit 12
186
Grammatical Remarks
In these units we meet the construct chain, which is the Hebrew method of combining two (or
more) nouns so that one noun describes the other noun in some way.
Construct Chains
Most languages have some method of combining two nouns so that one of the nouns describes
the other. With English compound nouns, the compound noun construction X Y can usually be
expanded into Y of X. For example, a straw hut could also be called a hut of straw. The
of between two nouns (whether written or implicit in a compound) can express a number of
different relationships between those nouns, depending on the nouns and their context. Some
examples:
Tree house - Place: the house is built in the tree
Straw hut - Material: the hut is made from straw
Summer home - Time: the home is visited in the summer
Lighthouse - Purpose: the house sends out light
Police car Possession: the car belongs to the police
In a compound construction, there is always one noun that expresses the central idea,
accompanied by a second noun that describes the central one. In the English X Y or Y of X
construction, Y is central and X is used as a modifier. For example, in tree house, house is
the main idea, and tree tells us something about the house.
The Hebrew method for combining two nouns in an adjectival relationship may be compared to
the English construction XY (e.g. wood chest), in which the words are placed directly next
to each other. The Hebrew construction, however, follows the order of the English construction
Y of X (e.g. chest of wood) by putting the central noun before the describing noun. For
example, a chest of wood appears in Hebrew as . This Hebrew method of
compounding two nouns is described as a construct chain. Like in English, the of
relationship expressed by this combination of two (or more) nouns may express many different
semantic relationships (place, possession, material, etc.); but the grammatical construction is
always the same.
Unit 12
187
Signs of a Construct Chain: 1. Maqaf 2. Construct Form
There are two possible indicators that two (or more) words are in a construct chain. One is that
there may be a maqaf, the line [ ] that connects two words so that they are pronounced together
and function like a single word. Regardless of whether or not the maqaf appears (it often does
not), the words in a construct chain are always treated like a single word. This means that
the first noun(s) in the chain loses its accent, which sometimes causes its vowels to change (the
second indicator of a construct chain). The changed form is called the construct form of the
noun, as opposed to the absolute form that the noun has when it appears by itself or as the last
word of a construct chain. For example, we can see in the construct chain the son
of Bethuel how the absolute form changes from a long [] to a short [e] in the construct
form when this word begins a construct chain. This change from a long vowel to a short
vowel in a construct form is very common. In class we discussed some basic rules for how the
vowels of a noun may change in a construct form. (The vowels may also change in other ways
aside from these rules this is just a place to start.)
Basic Changes
1. A long [] vowel in a final closed syllable changes to a short [a] vowel (e.g. absolute
vs. construct ). Again, this happens because the construct noun is no longer considered
a word by itself. Instead, it joins the following absolute noun to become a single word
whose accent remains with the absolute noun, so the construct noun loses its stress.
2. The long vowels [] and [], when unstressed, change into a shewa [] (e.g. absolute
vs. construct ) . When this rule applies to the long vowels [] and [] under a
guttural letter, a reduced vowel is used instead of a shewa.
3. The long vowel [] sometimes changes to a short [a] in a final closed syllable (e.g.
absolute
vs. construct ) . In most cases, however, the long [] remains
unchanged.
Feminine Singular Suffix

The basic rule of regular feminine singular nouns is that the [h] ending changes to [at] in the
construct form (e.g. absolute
vs. construct ) .
Plural Suffixes
The regular masculine plural [m] ending changes to [] in the construct form (e.g. absolute
vs. construct ) . The regular feminine plural [t] ending remains unchanged in
the construct form (e.g. is both absolute and construct). The other vowel changes
discussed above still apply to both masculine and feminine plural words.
Unit 12
188
Homework
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 12
189

( Num. 13:16) the men whom Moses sent
( Isa. 66:20)
( 1 Kings 8:29)
( Num. 23:21)
( Exod. 35:29)
( Exod. 19:20)
( Num. 21:9)
3. Translate the construct chains below. Think about what kind of relationship
might be expressed in each phrase.

a stone of a wall (a stone that is located in a wall)
Unit 12
190
4. Read the following rules about the creation of construct forms. Then match the
absolute forms on the left to their construct forms on the right and write the
number(s) of the rule(s) that apply in each case.

1. [ / ] [ a / ] in a final closed syllable
2. unstressed [ / ] / [ / ] [ /] (or a reduced vowel)
3. [ / ] [ a / ] in a final closed syllable in some words (but usually

remains unchanged)
4. feminine singular ending [ h / [ ] at / ]
Absolute Construct Rules Applied

2 and 3

Unit 12
191
Oxford, 1910. (89, 128 = pp. 247-48, 414-19)
(92, 129 = pp. 275-77, 463-73)
(72-73, 75-76, 78-79 = pp. 67-70, 73-75, 77-79)
Unit 12
192
Unit 13
Plural Construct Chains

Unit Description:
How does Hebrew mark the of" relationship in plural words? In this unit we will answer this
question. We will also read and discuss the story of Cain and Abel.
Total New Words 195
Unit 13
193
Vocabulary
t ot sign (m.s.)
bkr bkhor first-born (m.s.)
dm dam blood (m.s.)
vapor,
hbel hvel
breath* (m.s.)
gift, tribute,
minhh minha
Nouns offering (f.s.)
servant,
bed ved
slave (m.s.)
pnm panim face(s) (b.p.)
(flock(s) of)
sn tson sheep
and goats (f.s.)
Proper hawwh hava Eve
Nouns qyin kyin Cain
in the presence
lipn lifne of;
Prepositions before
/ mippn / mipne / from the presence
millipn milifne of; from before
Adverb atth ata now
hb hevi he brought in
Verbs he worked,
bad avad
he served
m. = masculine f. = feminine b. = both m. and f. s. = singular p. = plural

* is often used figuratively for something unsubstantial and/or worthless.
Unit 13
194
Unit 13
195
Unit 13
196
Unit 13
197
Unit 13
198
Unit 13
199
Unit 13
200
Homework
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 13
201
( 1 Kgs. 8:25) And now, LORD God of Israel

( Est. 8:15)
( Exo. 11:5)
( 2 Kgs. 21:21)
( Lev. 17:4)
( 1 Kgs. 9:9)
( Num. 17:3)
3. Match the absolute forms on the left to their construct forms on the right.
Absolute Construct

Unit 13
202
4. Translate the construct chains below.

stones of a wall
Unit 13
203
Oxford, 1910. (89, 128 = pp. 247-48, 414-19)
(92, 129 = pp. 275-77, 463-73)
(72-73, 75-76, 78-79 = pp. 67-70, 73-75, 77-79)
Unit 13
204
Unit 14
Independent Personal Pronouns

Unit Description:
I, you, he, she In this unit we will learn about the Hebrew independent personal pronouns. We
will illustrate these pronouns within the framework of the story of Cain and Abel.
Total New Words 210
Unit 14
205
Vocabulary
khn kohen priest (m.s.)
chieftain,
Nouns
ar sar official,
captain (m.s.)

yhdh yhuda Judah
Proper
/ yrlim /
Nouns yrushalyim Jerusalem
yrlyim
nhn anhnu we (c.)
att at you (f.s.)
Independent attem atem you (m.p.)
Pronouns / attn / aten /
you (f.p.)
attnh atna
hnnh hna they (f.)
Preposition lyad lyad beside
im im if, whether
Conjunctions also, even,
gam gam
moreover
Adverb ph po here, hither
he sat, he

yab yashav
dwelled
Verbs
he stood,
mad amad
he stopped
m. = masculine f. = feminine c. = common s. = singular p. = plural
Unit 14
206
Unit 14
207
Unit 14
208
Unit 14
209
Unit 14
210
Unit 14
211
Unit 14
212
Unit 14
213
Unit 14
214
Unit 14
215
Unit 14
216
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we see the forms of all the independent personal pronouns. (By independent, we
mean that these pronouns stand apart as individual words, usually as the subject of a sentence.)
I , we

you (m.s.)
you (m.p.)

you (f.s.)
you (f.p.)
,

he, it (m.) they (m.) ,
she, it (f.) , they (f.)
The first person forms /

and
are common, i.e. not gender-specific.
The variant 1cs forms
and are both common in the biblical text, and there
doesnt appear to be any semantic or pragmatic difference between them; both are the
pronoun I. Likewise, there seems to be no difference in use between the 2fp forms

and .
The 2ms pronoun
can also appear without the mater lectionis:
.
The 2fs pronoun
is one of the rare cases where a final letter takes a dagesh and a
shewa.
The 3fs pronoun has two variants, both of which mean the same thing and are
pronounced the same way. The form appears most commonly in the Prophets and
the Writings. But the Torah/Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) typically uses the form
, with the consonant of the masculine pronoun and the vowel of the feminine
pronoun.
The forms
,
, , and all have a penultimate (second-to-last) accent.
Just as in nouns and adjectives, the masculine plural form is used both for groups that are
entirely masculine and for groups that include both masculine and feminine individuals.
The feminine plural form is only used when every member of the group is feminine.
Both variants of the 3mp pronoun are common in the biblical text, and there doesnt
appear to be any semantic difference between them. The form is the most commonly
used form in the Torah, while is used more in Samuel and some of the poetic
books.
Unit 14
217
Homework
1. Write the independent personal pronouns (listed below) in the appropriate
places on the chart beneath.
Singular Plural
First Person Common

Second Person Masculine
Second Person Feminine
Third Person Masculine
Third Person Feminine
Unit 14
218
2. Write the following phrases under the picture they describe. (The numbers near
the figures in each picture indicate what person they are.)
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 14
219
3. Match the Hebrew phrases on the left to their English translations on the right.
( Gen. 38:22) he stood there

( Gen. 19:27) but if from the flock
( Lev. 1:10) and moreover, the men of the place
( Gen. 40:15) beside the king
( Jos. 5:14) the days that he dwelled

( 1 Sam. 27:7) and even here
( 1 Chr. 18:17) the captain of the army of the LORD
( 2 Kgs. 10:13) who are you (m.p.)?
( Jdg. 11:35)
( Gen. 44:9)
( 2 Kgs. 24:14)

( Gen. 31:6)
( Gen. 38:7)
( Lev. 2:8)
Unit 14
220
Oxford, 1910. (32 = pp. 105-108)
(39 = pp. 119-123; Paradigm 1, p. 656)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (81 = pp. 82-83)
Unit 14
221
Unit 15
Pronominal Suffixes
Unit Description:
In this unit we will learn how Hebrew marks the differences between: "my horse", "your horse"
and "his horse".
We will also discuss how the biblical Hebrew symbolized the connection between the dove and
Noah (Genesis 8).
Total New Words 225
Unit 15
223
Vocabulary
dn adon lord, master (m.s.)
brt brit covenant (f.s.)
goodness,
hsed hsed
kindness (m.s.)
palm (of hand), sole
kap kaf
(of foot), pan (f.s.)
apartness, holiness,
Nouns qde kdesh
sacredness (m.s.)
qet kshet bow, rainbow (f.s.)
completeness,
lm shalom soundness, welfare,
peace (m.s.)
instruction, law,

trh torah
direction (f.s.)
lep lef thousand
Numbers
mh mea hundred
/
ahar / ahr ahar / ahare behind, after

with (denotes
Prepositions * t et
proximity)
underneath, below,
that that
instead of
he raised (up),
hqm hekim
he established
Verbs
he gave, he put,

ntan natan
he set

* Before pronominal suffixes: , , , , , , , .
Unit 15
224
Unit 15
225
Unit 15
226
Unit 15
227
Unit 15
228
Unit 15
229
Unit 15
230
Unit 15
231
Unit 15
232
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we continue our discussion of the pronouns and see what they look like when they
are attached to the end of a noun or preposition as a pronominal suffix:
my horse ( )
our horse ( )

your (m.s.) horse ( )
your (m.p.) horse ( )

your (f.s.) horse ( )
your (f.p.) horse ( )

/ ( )
his horse their (m.) horse ( )

( )
her horse ( )
their (f.) horse ( )

The 1cp form - has a penultimate (second-to-last) accent: [-n]. The first person
forms - me and - us are common, i.e. not gender-specific.
When a suffix beginning with a consonant ( -, , ) is added, a shewa appears under
the final letter of the noun in construct form, e.g.
[ss-k].
Since both and can be used as a mater lectionis for the [o] vowel, there are two
variants of the 3ms suffix. The - suffix is much more common (- is probably more
archaic).
The diacritic point in the 3fs suffix - is called a mappiq, and it appears in the at the
end of a word when the is actually a consonant and not just a mater lectionis. We
pronounce the as an aspirated [h], like the breathy sound at the beginning of horse.
(Though the mappiq looks like a dagesh, it is not remember that guttural letters cannot
take the dagesh.)
These are the suffixes that attach to singular nouns. The pronominal suffix forms that
attach to plural nouns are similar, but slightly different, and well learn them at a later
point.
A is used for second/third masculine plural forms, and a is used for the feminine
plural.
Though the second person pronominal suffixes have the same final vowel pattern as the
independent pronouns, they use the letter / instead of ( compare 2mp - and
).
Unit 15
233
Since the pronominal suffixes were originally independent personal pronouns that became
attached to the noun or preposition they followed, they have the same characteristics and often a
similar form:
We used as an example in this unit because the form of this word remains unchanged when
a suffix is added. But whenever the construct form of a noun is different from its absolute form,
the pronominal suffixes attach to the construct form.
The pronominal suffixes are also used when a pronoun appears after a preposition, e.g.
to me.
Unit 15
234
Homework
1. Write the pronominal suffixes (listed below) in the appropriate places on the
chart beneath.
- - - - - -
- - - - -
Singular Plural
First Person Common
Third Person Masculine - / -

Unit 15
235
a) b)
c) d) e)
f) g)
Unit 15
236
3. Match the nouns on the left to the pronouns on the right that indicate the person
to which each noun belongs.

(Exo. 3:5) holy ground (lit. ground of holiness)
( 2 Sam. 2:5)
( Exo. 2:24)

( Prov. 30:4)

(Gen. 22:20)
( Gen. 44:20)
( Lev. 26:6)
Unit 15
237
Oxford, 1910. (33 = pp. 108- 109; 135m-r = pp. 439-441; Paradigm A, p. 509)
(94 = pp. 285- 291; Paradigm 20, pp. 686-687)
Unit 15
238
Unit 16
The Definite Construct

Unit Description:
The question that we will answer in this unit is how Hebrew marks the difference between THE
son of Jesse and A son of Jesse. We will illustrate these constructions within the framework
of the story of Hagar (Genesis 21).
Total New Words 240
Unit 16
239
Vocabulary
maid, handmaid

mh ama
(f.s.)
br ber well, pit (f.s.)
appointed time,

md moed place,
Nouns meeting (m.s.)
melody (technical
mizmr mizmor designation of
psalms) (m.s.)
milhmh milhama battle, war (f.s.)
kem shkhem shoulder (m.s.)

yhntn yhonatan Jonathan
Pharaoh (title of
parh paro
Proper Nouns Egyptian kings)
rh sara Sarah
l shaul Saul
Demonstrative
zt zot this (f.)
Pronoun
Preposition im im with
still, yet,
Adverb d od
again, besides
dibber diber he spoke
Verbs

ylad yalad he bore, he begot
Unit 16
240
Unit 16
241
Unit 16
242
Unit 16
243
Unit 16
244
Unit 16
245
Unit 16
246
Unit 16
247
Unit 16
248
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we discuss the implications of the basic rule for definiteness in construct chains:
*A noun in construct form cannot take the definite article.*
Definite Construct Chains

When Hebrew wants to make a construct chain definite, the definite article is added to the
the house of the king. Because the construct
word in the absolute form, as in
chain is considered to be a single unit in Hebrew, making the absolute form definite makes the
entire construct chain definite by extension. This is true even for construct chains composed of
more than two nouns, e.g. = the sword of the captain of the army. Since a
noun in construct cannot take the definite article, the definite article can only appear on the final
noun of a construct chain (which is the only noun that is in the absolute form), no matter how
long the construct chain is.
Construct Chains with Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are automatically definite because they indicate a specific person (or place), so they
do not take the definite article. (The same is true for nouns with a pronominal suffix, e.g.

my king.) This creates some ambiguity in construct chains in which the word in absolute form is
a proper noun. Typically we understand such a construct chain to be definite, e.g. the
house of David; but since there is no way to make the proper noun indefinite, the word in
construct might also be understood to be indefinite, depending on the context.
For example, in Genesis 22:11 (the story of Abrahams sacrifice of Isaac), ' is often
translated the angel of the LORD because LORD is a proper noun and therefore is automatically
definite. In this context, however, '
might be better translated, an angel of the LORD,
since this angel appears suddenly in the story and doesnt seem to be any specific angel.
clearly refers to a specific son
But in the context of 1 Samuel 20:27, the construct chain
is translated, the son of Jesse.
(i.e. David, who is mentioned earlier in the verse); so
A [noun] of [proper noun]

Other than the context, Hebrew has no way to specifically mark that the first part of a construct
chain that ends in a proper noun is indefinite. In order to do this, Hebrew must use a completely
different construction: ___ ___ a [noun] of / belonging to [proper noun]. For example,
= a son of Jesse. This is not a construct chain it is [absolute noun] + [preposition ] +
[absolute noun]. We see this phrase in 1 Samuel 16:18. The speaker there doesnt know David
specifically, and he knows Jesse has many sons, so he simply refers to David as a son of Jesse.
Unit 16
249
Note on the Prepositions / /
As we saw in class, when the preposition is prefixed to a word that begins with a shewa, the shewa
under the changes to a hireq (short [i] vowel), as in . This is because Hebrew cannot
begin a word with two consecutive shewas. The same is also true for the prepositions and .
Unit 16
250
Homework
1. Match each Hebrew phrase with its corresponding English translation.
( Num. 9:2) upon her shoulder
( Gen. 24:15) from this land
( Gen. 24:20) at its appointed time
( Gen. 50:24)
who bore?
( Gen. 18:23) again to the well
( Exo. 4:30) with this man
( Isa. 49:21) all the words that he spoke
( Gen. 24:58) righteous with wicked
( Psa. 3:1) a melody/psalm of David
( Gen. 26:19)
( Gen. 23:1)
( Gen. 21:13)
( 2 Sam. 9:3)
( 1 Sam. 18:23)

( Gen. 47:19)
( Deut. 2:16)
Unit 16
251
3. Make each of the following phrases definite, then translate.
the voice of the woman
4. Write the following phrases in Hebrew, using the words in the chart below.
Names Absolute Form Construct Form

a son of Abraham

the word of Moses
the king of Egypt
a house of David
a word of Moses
the son of Abraham
a king of Egypt
the house of David
Unit 16
252
Oxford, 1910. (127 = pp. 410-413; 129c-d = pp. 419-420)
(130 = pp. 473-477; 139 = pp. 516-519)
Unit 16
253
Unit 17
Nominal Sentences
Unit Description:
Why doesn't Hebrew need a verb in order to create a sentence? In this unit we will learn how
Hebrew creates nominal sentences. We will also discuss what happened between Jacob and
Rachel near the well (Genesis 29).
Total New Words 255
Unit 17
255
Vocabulary
new moon,
hd e hdesh
month (m.s.)
livestock (inc. cows,
miqneh miqne
sheep, etc.) (m.s.)
Nouns sight, appearance,
mareh mare
vision (m.s.)
der der flock, herd (m.s.)
t et time, season (f.s.)
rhem rhem womb (m.s.)
rahmm rahamim compassion (m.p.)
Number l shalosh three (f.)
Proper
lh lea Leah
Nouns rhl rahel Rachel

imn shimon Simeon
behold!, see (here),
Interjection hn hen (draws attention
to what follows)*
Adverb surely, but (may

ak akh
contrast other ideas)
Verbs
riham riham he had compassion
n sane he hated
* This interjection similar to , but is usually used to draw attention to a fact

that underlies a proposed action or conclusion.
Unit 17
256
Unit 17
257
Unit 17
258
Unit 17
259
Unit 17
260
Unit 17
261
Unit 17
262
Unit 17
263
Unit 17
264
Unit 17
265
Grammatical Remarks
Nominal Sentences
One of the characteristic phenomena of the Hebrew language is the common use of nominal
sentences, which dont require a verb (unlike English sentences). The most basic type of
nominal sentence is created by juxtaposing two nouns or a noun and an adjective, so that
one noun is the subject of the sentence and the other is the predicate (the part of the sentence
that says something new about the subject). Not every noun-noun or noun-adjective pair creates
a sentence. For example, neither a large house nor the large house
are sentences. A construct chain also combines two nouns without creating a sentence, such as in
a mans house or the mans house. (Even if the context didnt make
it clear, the construct form of tells us that we have a construct chain here and not two
independent nouns.)
The basic rule of nominal sentences is that when two absolute nouns (or a noun and an adjective)
that have the same level of definiteness are juxtaposed, they do not create a sentence; but when
they differ in their level of definiteness, a nominal sentence is created. For example, both
elements in a large house are indefinite, and both elements in the
large house are definite, so neither phrase is a sentence. But in or , the
definite noun is more definite than the indefinite adjective , creating a nominal
sentence: The house is large. Note the subject and predicate may appear in any order, so we
must understand the subject by the context (also, the subject is typically the more definite of the
pair). Most nominal sentences express a state of being, so we translate with the English verb to
be (the tense depends on the context).
When a noun is paired with an adjective in a nominal sentence, as in the
woman is wise, the adjective agrees with the noun in number and gender. When two nouns are
juxtaposed, as in
the law is a lamp, each retains its own gender and number.
A construct chain can stand as one of the elements in a nominal sentence. For example, in the
sentence, the mans house is large, the mans house is
considered to be a single definite unit, since a construct chain functions as a single idea in
Hebrew.
Levels of Definiteness
There are three different levels of definiteness that we see in the Hebrew language. Whenever
two elements from different levels are combined, a nominal sentence is created. Remember, the
important thing for creating a nominal sentence is to have a difference in the level of
definiteness.
1. Indefinite noun or adjective, e.g. a house or large.
Unit 17
266
2. Definite:
a. Definite Article, e.g.
the house.
b. Pronominal Suffix, e.g. his house. A pronominal suffix makes a noun
definite by ascribing it to a specific person. Therefore, his large
house is a simple phrase made up of two definite nouns, whereas his
house is large is a nominal sentence because is definite and is not.
c. Proper Noun, e.g. David. Any person/place name is automatically definite
because it refers to someone or something specific. Therefore, King
David is a simple phrase made up of two definite nouns, whereas David
is (a) king is a nominal sentence because is definite and
is not.
3. Most Definite:
a. Personal Pronouns, e.g. I. The independent personal pronouns are also
automatically definite. In fact, they are even more definite than simple definite nouns
like
because they are more specific in their designation. For example, in the
sentence I am the king, many different kings may be described by the
king, but only one person, i.e. the speaker himself, can be described by the pronoun
I. Of course I am a king would also be a nominal sentence.
b. Demonstrative Pronouns, e.g. this. Just like the independent personal pronouns,
the demonstrative pronouns are more definite than regular definite nouns because
they are more specific in their designation. For example,
= This is the
king.
Note: If it doesnt seem to make sense that pronouns are more definite than
anything else, ignore the above explanations and just remember that a pronoun
combined with any noun or adjective will usually make a nominal sentence
Unit 17
267
Homework
1. Match each Hebrew phrase with its corresponding English translation.
(Psa. 103:13) to Leah his mother
( Gen. 30:14) behold, I am a tree
( Eze. 40:3) the LORD has compassion

( Isa. 56:3) between the livestock of Israel
(Gen. 26:9) like the appearance of bronze
( Exo. 13:2) but see, she is your wife
(Exo. 9:4) which the LORD your God hates

every womb among the children
(Deut. 16:22) of Israel
( Gen. 29:25) She is Leah.
( Gen. 29:3)

( Gen. 31:33)
( Eze. 48:33)

(Hos. 2:21)
( Exo. 40:17)
( Ecc. 3:8)
( Jdg. 9:22)
Unit 17
268
3. Tell whether each phrase below is a nominal sentence or not, and translate.

yes The man is old.
Unit 17
269
4. Write the following phrases in Hebrew, using the words in the chart below.
Indefinite Form Definite Form

The king is righteous. /

the wise men
straight paths
The land is great.
The men are wise.
the great land
The paths are straight.
a righteous king
Unit 17
270
Oxford, 1910. (140-141 = pp. 450-454)
(154 = pp. 564-577)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (60 = pp. 55)
*Joon-Muraoka has the best discussion on this topic.
Unit 17
271
Unit 18
Nominal Sentences, Con't

Unit Description:
In this unit we will meet different ways to create nominal sentences in Hebrew. We will
demonstrate how the author of Proverbs 6:23 plays with nominal sentences in order to design a
challenging proverb.
Total New Words 270
Unit 18
273
Vocabulary
commandment
miswh mitsva
(f.s.)
Nouns
krev inward part,
qreb
midst (m.s.)

knan knan Canaan
Proper Nouns
knan knaani Canaanite
hm hamesh five (f.)
Numbers
hmim hamishim fifty
lman for the sake of;

lman
in order that
Prepositions
ad ad as far as, up to,
until
Conjunction ap af also, more than
this
z az at that time, then
n en there is/are not
Adverbs y yesh there is/are
rak only, altogether,

raq
surely
hrag harag he killed
Verbs
avar he passed
bar
over / through / by
Unit 18
274
Unit 18
275
Unit 18
276
Unit 18
277
Unit 18
278
Unit 18
279
Unit 18
280
Unit 18
281
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we continue our discussion about nominal sentences, explaining three more common
ways in which Hebrew can create a sentence without using a verb.
Adverbial Predicate Example: = The man is in the house.

A nominal sentence can be created by placing an adverb (often a preposition) at the beginning of
the predicate. Adverbs of place (as shown in the example above) are the most common, though
there are other types. These are some prepositions/adverbs in your vocabulary list that can serve
as adverbial predicates:
, ( with), - , ,
, - , - , , , , , ,
, , .
Existential Predicate Example: = There is a man in the house.

Another major type of nominal sentence is that which has an existential predicate. The Hebrew
word there is / there are is an adverb of existence, not a verb as in English. When used in a
nominal sentence, serves as the predicate. Unlike the English phrases there is / there are,
the single Hebrew word is used with both singular and plural subjects.
Example: = There is not a man in the house.
The Hebrew word there is/are not is an adverb of non-existence, not a verb. When used in
a nominal sentence, serves as the predicate. Like , the word can be used with either a
= There are not men in the
singular or a plural subject. For example,
house.
Interrogative Pronoun Example: = Who is the man in the house?

A third additional type of nominal sentence is that which begins with an interrogative pronoun,
such as who, where, what, etc. (Technically, this is just an extension of the
rule we learned in Unit 17 that a pronoun combined with almost any noun or adjective creates a
sentence.)
One Final Note on Nominal Sentences: Be aware that are cases (especially in poetry, though
this also happens in narrative prose) in which the nominal sentence is unmarked, i.e. the subject
and predicate show no difference in the level of definiteness. In these cases, the reader must
decide by the context and by common sense which element is the subject and which is the
predicate.
Unit 18
282
Homework
correct Hebrew words. Each square will hold one consonant or vowel letter
(mater lectionis); disregard the vowel pointing.
1.
Across:
3. 2.
2. commandment
4. Canaan
4.
5. he passed
6. there is/are not

5.
Down:
1. for the sake of
3. he killed
6. 4. Canaanite
6. also; more than this
Unit 18
283
2. Write the number of the correct translation after each phrase.

(Num. 14:14) 5

( Jdg. 13:21)
( Exo. 18:13)

( Gen. 18:26)

( 2 Kgs. 5:8)
( Gen. 5:32)
( 1 Sam. 21:4)

( Gen. 47:22)
1. from the morning until the evening

2. five hundred years
3. there is a prophet in Israel
4. only the land of the priests
5. you, LORD, are in the midst of this people
6. what is there under your hand?
7. fifty righteous within the city
8. then he knew that he was an angel of the LORD
Unit 18
284
3. Using the words given below, create at least eight nominal sentences in
Hebrew; then translate those sentences into English.
Indefinite Nouns Definite Nouns Interrogatives Adverbs Prepositions

-

who is in the tent?
Unit 18
285
( Num. 14:42) for the LORD is not in your midst

( Num. 22:9)
( Exo. 3:13)
( Gen. 28:16)
( Jer. 13:20)
( Num. 21:5)
( Josh. 4:6)
( Jer. 9:11)
Unit 18
286
Oxford, 1910. (140-141 = pp. 450-454)
(154 = pp. 564-577)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (60 = pp. 55)
*Joon-Muraoka has the best discussion on this topic.
Unit 18
287
Unit 19
Review: Ruth
Unit Description:
The goal of this unit is to slow down a little bit and to look backward to what we achieved until
now. We will review the previous grammatical materials with the framework of the story of
Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1). How can the characters names illuminate the story? This will be
one of the questions that we will ask ourselves.
Total New Words 285
Unit 19
289
Vocabulary
sin,
hattt hatat
sin-offering (f.s.)
mwet mvet death (m.s.)
encampment,
Nouns mahneh mahaneh
camp (m.s.)
miphh mishpaha clan, family (f.s.)
famine,
rb raav
hunger (m.s.)
mb moav Moab
Proper

nom noomi Naomi
Nouns
rt rut Ruth
gibbr gibor strong, mighty
Adjectives
n sheni second
Number ahat ahat one (f.)
thus, here
Adverb kh ko (usually points to
what follows)
he left,
zab azav
he abandoned
he attended to,
Verbs pqad paqad he visited;
he appointed
he judged,
pat shafat
he governed
Unit 19
290
Unit 19
291
Unit 19
292
Unit 19
293
Unit 19
294
Unit 19
295
Unit 19
296
Unit 19
297
Grammatical Remarks
The primary goal of this unit is to review previous material, but we do encounter a couple of
new grammatical points as we begin our reading in the book of Ruth.
Translating Prepositions
Because different languages use prepositions in different ways, we may find cases where well
have to use an English preposition when we translate a Hebrew phrase that doesnt use one. For
example, the phrase in Ruth 1:1 is translated Bethlehem in Judah, even
though the preposition in doesnt actually appear in the Hebrew here. (Sometimes a
relationship like this is meant to be understood from the context, even when no preposition is
used.)
There are also cases in which Hebrew uses a preposition (especially after a verb) that we
wouldnt use in English, and we dont have to include these prepositions in our translation. For
example, in the phrase dont urge me (Ruth 1:16), we dont have to use a
preposition in English. Even though this particular Hebrew verb uses the preposition before
the object pronoun (me), in English we would place the object pronoun directly after the verb,
so this is how we should translate.
Gentilic Suffix
The words
Ephrathites (Ruth 1:2) and
Moabite (Ruth 1:4) both have
what we call a gentilic suffix. This kind of suffix appears on words that express a persons
nationality (compare an in American, i in Israeli, ite in Moabite, etc.). Here is the full
paradigm of the gentilic suffix, showing examples with the Unit 18 vocabulary word
Canaanite:
Singular Plural
Masculine - (e.g. ) - (e.g. )
Feminine - / - (e.g. ) - (e.g. )
As we see in the feminine singular gentilic suffix, the letter can mark a feminine singular noun
or adjective, just like the suffix -. We see this suffix in the word
second (f.) in Ruth
1:4, and weve already seen it on feminine singular construct endings (e.g. queen of).
Unit 19
298
Homework
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 19
299
( Zech. 10:3) for the LORD of hosts/armies visited
( Ruth 3:9)
( Gen. 26:1)
( Gen. 28:14)
( Exo. 29:14)

(1 Sam. 9:9)
( Gen. 31:36)
( Ruth 4:17)
3. Review the material in units 1-18.
Unit 19
300
Unit 20
Qatal Verbs
Unit Description:
After discussing Hebrew nouns and adjectives, in this unit we will start the third part of the first
course 'The verb'. We will learn about the morphology of the suffix conjugation called
"Qatal". We will see that there is a clear connection between the different persons and the
Total New Words 300
Unit 20
301
Vocabulary

aryh arye lion (m. s.)
esh fire (f. s.)
dlet dlet door (f. s.)
Nouns
midbr midbar wilderness (m. s.)
staff, branch;
matteh mate
tribe (m. s.)
Proper
yardn yarden Jordan
Nouns
ribqh rivka Rebekah

arba arba four (f.)
Numbers

arbm arbaim forty
brah barah he fled

npal nafal he fell
he lifted, he

n nasa
carried
Verbs
sgar sagar he shut, he closed
ptah patah he opened
he chased,
rdap radaf
he pursued
Unit 20
302
Unit 20
303
Unit 20
304
Unit 20
305
Unit 20
306
Unit 20
307
Unit 20
308
Unit 20
309
Unit 20
310
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we begin our discussion of Hebrew verbs. Like the nouns, Hebrew verbs are
composed of a root and a pattern (in Course A were learning only the basic pattern, called Qal
well learn the other patterns in Course B). In contrast to English, the Hebrew verb declines
according to person, gender, and number, so each conjugation has a different form for almost
every subject.
Many different terms have been used by Biblical Hebrew scholars to describe the various verb
forms. We name each verb conjugation after the 3ms (third person masculine singular) form,
using the example root --. For example, in this unit we learn about the Qatal form,
whose 3ms form is . We choose to name the verbs in this way (rather than using terms like
past, perfect, etc.) because this method doesnt bring into the morphological discussion any
assumptions about the meaning of the verb form. For each conjugation, well address the form
first, then the meaning.
The Qatal Verb

This verb form is also known as the suffix conjugation because the subject pronoun of the verb
is attached to the basic (third masculine singular) form as a suffix. For the purposes of this unit,
well translate the Qatal form as a simple past tense. But the meaning of the Qatal verb is more
complex than this, so well discuss the use of this form in further detail over the next two units.
As with the pronominal suffixes, many Qatal suffixes are similar to the corresponding
independent pronouns. This connection is clear in the first and second person forms, though it is
not as evident in the third person. The full paradigm of the forms is in your workbook, but here
are a few extra notes:
The 3ms form has the suffix (i.e. it looks like it has no suffix at all).
The 3fs suffix - is the same feminine singular suffix seen on nouns and adjectives.
The third person plural suffix - is common (used for masculine and/or feminine
groups).
The 1cs, 2ms, and 1cp forms have a penultimate (second-to-last) accent. Every other
form is accented on the last syllable.
Note: Because the verbal suffixes are so specific about the subject of each verb, a separate
subject pronoun (e.g.
he closed) isnt necessary in Hebrew. But if no separate
subject is written, English (whose verb forms are not so specific) requires us to translate the
subject pronoun anyway.
Unit 20
311
Homework
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 20
312
( Isa. 50:5) the LORD GOD opened for me
( 1 Sam. 19:18)

( Gen. 27:6)

( Gen. 35:5)

( Josh. 4:20)
( 1 Sam. 1:5)

( Deut. 9:18)
3. Write the Qatal verbs below in the appropriate places in the chart.
Singular Plural
First Person Common


Unit 20
313
for each subject in the 4. Write the appropriate form of the Qatal verb
sentences below, then translate.
) (1 Sam. 10:26
And Saul also went to his home.

And you (m.p.) also went to your home.
Unit 20
314
Oxford, 1910. (44 = pp. 119-122)
(42 = pp. 120-23)
Unit 20
315
Unit 21
Translating Qatal
Unit Description:
What is the meaning of the Qatal form, and how do we translate it into English? These will be
the questions that we will ask in this unit. We will also learn how Hebrew marks the definite
direct object. We will illustrate these topics using a variety of verses from the Bible.
Total New Words 315
Unit 21
317
Vocabulary
border, boundary,
gbl gvul
territory (m.s.)
hlm halom dream (m.s.)
reproach,
herph herpa
disgrace (f.s.)
Nouns kingship,

mlkh mlukha
royalty (f.s.)
letter, document,
sper sfer
book, scroll (m.s.)
wages, reward
kr sakhar
(m.s.)
ysp yosef Joseph
Proper lbn lavan Laban
Nouns ammn amon Ammon
plit plishti Philistine
Definite
Direct (marks definite
Object t et direct
object of the verb)
Marker
he gathered,

sap asaf
he removed
hlam halam he dreamed
Verbs he captured,
lkad lakhad
he seized
he fought (i.e.
nilham nilham
engaged in battle)
Unit 21
318
Unit 21
319
Unit 21
320
Unit 21
321
Unit 21
322
Unit 21
323
Unit 21
324
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we continue our study of the Qatal verb (the suffix conjugation) by examining the
common ways in which this verb might be translated in various contexts.
The Hebrew Verbal System

It is important to keep in mind that the biblical Hebrew verbal system is different in many
aspects from the English verbal system. Because of this, we shouldnt expect that a given form
(Qatal, for example) will have an exact parallel tense in English. One of the notable
characteristics of the Hebrew verbal system, in contrast to English, is the relatively small number
of verbal forms. The fact that Hebrew has fewer forms than English often creates a situation in
which one Hebrew form covers the uses of two or more English forms.
We will emphasize this point later as well, but it may be helpful to note at this stage that biblical
Hebrew uses a relative tense system rather than an absolute tense system. English has an
absolute verbal system, meaning that each verb form has an absolute temporal meaning that
relates to the time of speaking: actions that occur before the speech time are in the past tense,
those that occur at the time of speaking are in the present tense, and those that will occur after
the speech time are in the future tense. Because Hebrew is a relative system, each verb form
derives its meaning from its contextual relationship to other verbs around it. The Qatal form, for
example, does not have an absolute meaning that is distinct from its context; rather, it takes its
meaning from its chronological position relative to its context.
Translating Qatal Direct Speech

Qatal is commonly used in direct speech to express an action that occurred before the time
of speaking. In other words, the Qatal verb is used for an action that is in the past relative to the
present time of the speaker. Therefore, we may usually translate the Qatal verb in direct speech
with either the simple past (e.g. we heard) or the present perfect (e.g. we have heard),
depending on the context. Oftentimes either tense is possible. (The present perfect is typically
used in English to express a past event that has direct implications for the present time.)
The Definite Direct Object Marker

The Hebrew word
is used in Hebrew sentences to mark the definite direct object of the
verb.
The direct object is the noun that is the immediate recipient of the action expressed by
the verb. In the words of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it is the word or phrase
denoting the goal or the result of the action of a verb.
Unit 21
325
Remember that a definite direct object may include nouns and construct chains
marked by the definite article, nouns with a pronominal suffix, proper nouns (personal or
place names), and pronouns.
The definite direct object marker
is written immediately before the definite direct object,
often connected to it by a maqaf (which leads to a vowel change: ). We never translate
into English because there is no word that functions like this in the English language.
It is important to note that while this marker is very common in biblical Hebrew (it appears
almost 11,000 times in the text), it is not always used. In other words, do not be surprised to see
a definite direct object in the text that is not preceded by
.
Notes from the Text

Inner Object: Biblical Hebrew often uses verbs with objects that share the same root, e.g.
we dreamed a dream. This phenomenon is called an inner object or cognate
object.
Groups & Nations: A very common method in biblical Hebrew to designate members of a
particular group or nation is with the noun . For example, children of Ammon =
Ammonites, and children of Israel = Israelites.
Unit 21
326
Homework
Across:
1.
2. Philistine
4. 3. 2.
6. document
7. reproach
5.
Down:
6.
1. kingship
7.
3. Joseph
4. wages
5. he fought
( Is. 10:14)
I gathered all the earth
( Gen. 47:21)

(Gen. 1:1)
( Gen. 41:15)
( Dt. 2:35)
( Gen. 46:25)

( Jdg. 11:15)
Unit 21
327
3. Read each of the following sentences and add the definite direct object marker
to the Hebrew whenever it would be expected to appear. (If it should not
appear, leave the space in the sentence blank.)
(we read his letter)

(he ate the bread)
(you (m.p.) heard a voice)
(they served Pharaoh)

(he ate a fish)
(we read a letter)
(they served a good king)
(you (m.p.) heard the word of the LORD)
4. Translate the following phrases from Hebrew into English. (Note: The definite
direct object marker appears below wherever possible in the syntax of each
sentence. Remember that the verb and object may appear in any order in
Hebrew.)
our king captured
Unit 21
328
(on the subject of )
Oxford, 1910. (117a-m = pp. 362-66)
(125e-j = pp. 444-47)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (27 = p. 19)
Unit 21
329
Unit 22
Translating Qatal, Con't

Unit Description:
In this unit we will continue with the questions concerning the meaning and the translation of the
Qatal form. We will discover how this form performs in different sentences and how Hebrew is
different from English in this point.
Total New Words 330
Unit 22
331
Vocabulary
cattle, herd, ox
bqr bakar
(m.s.)

zbah zvah sacrifice (m.s.)
yyin yyin wine (m.s.)
Nouns possession,

nahlh nahala property,
inheritance (f.s.)
region beyond or
ber ver
across; side (m.s.)
me shmesh sun (f.s.)
ba shva seven (f.)
Numbers
ibm shivim seventy
Preposition in front of, in sight

nged nged
of, opposite to
so, thus
Adverb kn ken (usually points to
what precedes)
he redeemed, he
gal gaal
acted as kinsman
he slaughtered

zbah zavah
for sacrifice
Verbs he missed (a goal or
ht hata way), he went
wrong, he sinned
ktab katav he wrote
th shata he drank
Unit 22
332
Unit 22
333
Unit 22
334
Unit 22
335
Unit 22
336
Unit 22
337
Unit 22
338
Unit 22
339
Unit 22
340
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we continue our study of the Qatal verb (the suffix conjugation) by examining the
Translating Qatal
As discussed in the previous unit, the biblical Hebrew verbal system is different in many ways
from the English verbal system. Because of this, we shouldnt expect that a given form (Qatal,
for example) will have an exact parallel tense in English. The fact that Hebrew has fewer verb
forms than English often creates a situation in which one Hebrew form covers the uses of two or
more English forms. In contrast to the absolute tense system of English, Hebrew uses a
relative verbal system in which each verb form takes its meaning from its relationship to other
verbs in its context.
The Qatal verb expresses what we call an anterior relationship, i.e. it speaks of an action
that occurs before something else in its context. We must look at the context to see which verb
or event the Qatal verb is anterior to (i.e. which verb or event it occurs before), and understand
the meaning of the verb accordingly. These are the common English translations of the Qatal
verb:
1. Past Tense (he heard) / Present Perfect (he has heard) We saw in the previous
unit that Qatal is the regular past (or present perfect) tense in direct speech, since it
naturally expresses an action that happened before the time of speaking. There are cases
also in narrative prose where the context would lead us to translate a Qatal verb with the
simple past tense. But since there is a separate verb form (see Unit 28) that functions as
the regular past tense in narrative prose, the simple past tense is a less common use of
Qatal here.
2. Past Perfect (he had heard) Because the Qatal verb expresses an anterior
relationship in narrative, it is very often found in circumstantial and/or subordinate
clauses that give background information to the main story line. This background
information usually concerns actions that occurred before the main past tense of the
narrative, in which case the Qatal verb should be translated with the English past perfect
(the English tense for a past action that occurred before another past tense action).
3. Future Perfect (he will have heard) The Qatal verb can even be found in contexts
where the action will occur in the future, but before another future action. We express
this relationship in English with the future perfect tense.
Unit 22
341
Homework
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 22
342
( Lev. 4:28) his sin which he sinned
( Ex. 36:11)
( Deut. 31:11)

( Josh. 22:28)
( Isa. 48:20)

( Josh. 15:20)

( Deut. 1:1)

3. Give the four possible translations that each of the following phrases may have
in different contexts:

1. that he had given to me 2.
3. 4.
1. 2. that you took
3. 4.
1. 2.
3. for they have not kept 4.
1. 2.
3. 4. for she will have found
Unit 22
343
( Gen. 37:24) 4

( 2 Sam. 1:12)
( 1 Sam. 20:8)
( Jdg. 18:14)

( Gen. 3:3)
( Gen. 9:17)
( 1 Chr. 14:15)

(Gen. 3:17)
1. for God will have gone out before you

2. there are in these houses
3. the tree that is in the middle of the garden
4. there was no water in it
5. he said, Because you listened to the voice of your wife
6. but if there is sin in me
7. because they had fallen by the sword
8. all flesh that is on the earth
Unit 22
344
Unit 23
Review: Ruth, Con't

Unit Description:
Why did Naomi want to change her name to Mara? What happened to Ruth and Naomi when
they returned from Moab? These will be part of the questions that we will answer in this review
unit. The discussion will enable us to review the previous units.
(Ruth 1-2)
Total New Words 345
Unit 23
345
Vocabulary
hyil power, strength,

hyil
wealth, army (m.s.)
hn hen favor, grace (m.s.)
oz strength,
z
might (m.s.)
Nouns opening, doorway,
ptah ptah
entrance (m.s.)
qsr katsir harvest (m.s.)
shvet rod, staff, club,

bet
scepter; tribe (m.s.)
thillh thila beginning (f.s.)
Proper Noun baz baz Boaz
ml male full
Adjectives qrb qarov near
rhq rahok distant, far
malakh he was/became
mlak
king, he reigned
katsar he reaped,
qsar
he harvested
Verbs
karav he came near,
qrab
he approached
rahak he was/became
rhaq
far, distant
Unit 23
346
Unit 23
347
Unit 23
348
Unit 23
349
Unit 23
350
Unit 23
351
Unit 23
352
Grammatical Remarks
The primary goal of this unit is to review previous material, but we do encounter a couple of
new grammatical points as we continue our reading in the book of Ruth.
Narrative Verb Vayehi

Ruth 1:19-22 describe Naomi and Ruths arrival in Bethlehem. This section opens with
and it came about, now it happened, etc. This is a verb form that we havent taught yet, but
you may compare this opening to the opening of the first chapter:

Now it came about in the days when the judges governed. This specific verb is often
(though not always) used in the biblical text to mark the border between textual units. This
seems to be its use in Ruth 1:19, since the return to Bethlehem opens a new literary unit.
Demonstrative Pronouns
When the demonstrative pronouns , , this/these, or , , ,
that/those, are describing a noun, they behave just like an adjective. In other words, they
follow the noun they describe and match that noun in both number and gender. In addition, both
the noun and the demonstrative pronoun take the definite article, since this or that is a
definite concept. We omit the definite article in our English translation, since English convention
does not allow us to translate the this ___; but be aware that the Hebrew construction does
include the definite article. For example, = this doorway, and =
those letters.
Unit 23
353
Homework
1.
Across:
1. near
2. you (m.s.) became distant
5. 4. 3. 2. 6. power
6.
Down:
1. he harvested
3. favor
4. beginning
5. full

( Jdg. 9:51) a strong tower (lit. tower of
strength) was within the city
( Exo. 32:19)
( 2 Sam. 11:23)
( Gen. 36:31)

( Josh. 9:9)
... ( Ruth 2:19)

(Deut. 29:17)

( Lev. 19:9)
Unit 23
354
3. Circle the correct absolute form of each construct form given on the left.
4. Match each pronoun on the right to the appropriate verb, then match these to a
prepositional phrase that continues the sentence (there may be more than one
logical possibility). Write the full Hebrew phrases below and translate.
Unit 23
355
I walked on the straight path.
Unit 23
356
Unit 24
Yiqtol Verbs
Unit Description:
The second verbal form that we will learn is the prefix conjugation called "Yiqtol". In this unit
we will learn how to recognize this form and how Hebrew marks the different persons in it. We
will discover that also in this form there is a clear connection between the different persons and
the independent pronouns.
Total New Words 360
Unit 24
357
Vocabulary

otsar treasure, treasury,
sr
storehouse (m.s.)
kiss kise throne (m.s.)
*
lah lah tablet, plank (m.s.)
* mizbah mizbah altar (m.s.)

Nouns
long duration of time
**
lm olam
(past or future) (m.s.)
s
pn tsafon north (f.s.)
breath, wind,
*
rah rah
spirit (f.s.)
mneh shmne eight (f.)
Numbers
mnm shmonim eighty

lay ulay perhaps, maybe
Adverbs tomorrow,
mhr mahar
in time to come

zkar zakhar he remembered
spar safar he counted
Verbs
kah shakhah he forgot
pak shafakh he poured (out)
* The patah at the end of these words is called a furtive patah, and it is the only
case in which the vowel that appears below a consonant is pronounced before that
consonant: lah, not lha. This vowel only appears with the gutturals , , and .
** With preposition: / = forever; = from ancient
times.
Unit 24
358
Unit 24
359
Unit 24
360
Unit 24
361
Unit 24
362
Unit 24
363
Unit 24
364
Unit 24
365
Unit 24
366
Unit 24
367
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we return to our discussion of Hebrew verbs. Like nouns, Hebrew verbs are
composed of a root and a pattern (in Course A were learning only the basic pattern, called Qal
well learn the other patterns in Course B). In contrast to English, the Hebrew verb declines
according to person, gender, and number, so each conjugation has a different form for almost
every subject.
Many different terms have been used by Biblical Hebrew scholars to describe the various verb
forms. We name each verb conjugation after the 3ms (third person masculine singular) form,
using the example root --. We choose to name the verbs in this way (rather than using
terms like future tense) because this method doesnt bring into the morphological discussion
any assumptions about the meaning of the form. In this unit we learn about the Yiqtol verb,
whose 3ms form is .
The Yiqtol Verb

This verb form is also known as the prefix conjugation because the subject pronoun of the
verb is attached to the basic form as a prefix. For the purposes of this unit, well translate the
Yiqtol form as a simple future tense. But the meaning of the Yiqtol verb is more complex than
this, so well discuss the use of this form in further detail over the next two units.
As with the Qatal suffixes, many Yiqtol prefixes are similar to the corresponding independent
pronouns. This connection is clear in the first and second person forms, though it is not as
evident in the third person. The full paradigm of the forms is in your workbook, but here are a
few extra notes:
There are two common Yiqtol patterns seen in different roots: 1. and 2. . The
only difference between the forms is that wherever the long [] holem appears in the first
pattern, the short [a] patah is used in the second. There is no difference in meaning.
There are only four Yiqtol prefixes: . Some forms are further distinguished by a
suffix.
The 2ms and 3fs forms are identical, so they can be distinguished from one another only
by the context. The same is true of the 2fp and 3fp forms.
The 2fp/3fp form is the only Yiqtol form with a penultimate (second-to-last) accent.
Unlike the Qatal form, the Yiqtol form does distinguish between third person plural
masculine and feminine. Yiqtol uses the suffix - only for masculine plural (2nd and 3rd).
Note: Because the verbal affixes are so specific about the subject of each verb, a separate subject
pronoun (e.g. he will close) isnt necessary in Hebrew. But if no separate subject is
written, English (whose verb forms are not so specific) requires us to translate the subject
pronoun.
Unit 24
368
The Furtive Patah
The guttural letters , , and , which are pronounced at the back of the throat, are very
difficult to pronounce at the end of the word when they are directly preceded by the E, I, O, or U
vowels, which are pronounced in the front of the mouth. Hebrew solves this problem by
inserting a short [a] vowel (patah) between the E/I/O/U vowel and the guttural. Because the
patah is pronounced in the middle of the mouth, it helps to transition from the front of the mouth
to the back of the throat. (This phenomenon is known in linguistics as a glide.) Since there is
no way to write two consecutive vowels in Hebrew, the patah, called the furtive patah, is
written under the guttural letter, though it is pronounced before it. This is the only case in which
the vowel that appears below a consonant is actually pronounced before that consonant. For
example, we pronounce the word as [lah], not [lha]. Note that the furtive patah is not
accented; the original accent of the word is retained.
Unit 24
369
Homework
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 24
370

(Josh. 8:5) 7
( 1 Sam. 9:16)

(Jer. 26:3)

(Jer. 3:17)
( Lev. 23:16)
( Psa. 111:5)

(Deut. 28:12)
1. Tomorrow I will send.

2. Perhaps they will listen.
3. You shall count fifty days.
4. He will remember his covenant forever.
5. At that time, they will call Jerusalem the Throne of the LORD.
6. The LORD will open for you his good storehouse, the heavens.
7. And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city.
Unit 24
371
3. Write the Yiqtol verbs below in the appropriate places in the chart.
Singular Plural
First Person Common
4. Write the appropriate form of the Yiqtol verb for each subject in the
( 2 Chr. 23:3)
The kings son will reign.

You (f.p.) will reign.
.
.

.

.
.
.

.
.

Unit 24
372
(on the Yiqtol form)
Oxford, 1910. (47 = pp. 125-29)
(44 = pp. 135-38)
(90 = pp. 99-100; 94 = p. 103)
(on the furtive patah)

Oxford, 1910. (22f = pp. 77-78)
2. Joon, P., Muraoka, T., A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Rome, 1996. (21c = pp. 87)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (6 = p. xxi)
Unit 24
373
Unit 25
Translating Yiqtol
Unit Description:
What is the meaning of the Yiqtol form, and how do we translate it into English? These will be
the questions that we will ask in this unit. We will illustrate these topics using a variety of verses
from the Bible.
Total New Words 375
Unit 25
375
Vocabulary
emet firmness, truth,

met
faithfulness (f.s.)

gml gamal camel (m.s.)
sojourner,
ger temporary
gr
resident,
Nouns new-comer (m.s.)
kah strength,
kah
power (m.s.)
eda congregation,
dh
company (f.s.)
ra friend, companion,
ra
fellow (m.s.)
epryim efryim Ephraim
Proper
mnaeh mnashe Manasseh
Nouns
sdm sdom Sodom
Interrogative * h- ha- whether, if
gnab ganav he stole

qbar qavar he buried
rsah ratsah he murdered
Verbs
shaal he asked (for),
al
he inquired (of)
bar shavar he broke

* before a shewa or before a guttural; before a guttural followed by a qamas
Unit 25
376
Unit 25
377
Unit 25
378
Unit 25
379
Unit 25
380
Unit 25
381
Unit 25
382
Unit 25
383
Unit 25
384
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we continue our study of the Yiqtol verb (the prefix conjugation) by examining the
The Hebrew Verbal System

As we discussed in unit 21, the biblical Hebrew verbal system is different in many aspects from
the English verbal system. Because of this, we shouldnt expect that a given form (Yiqtol, for
example) will have an exact parallel tense in English. One of the notable characteristics of the
Hebrew verbal system, in contrast to English, is the relatively small number of verbal forms. The
fact that Hebrew has fewer forms than English often creates a situation in which one Hebrew
form covers the uses of two or more English forms.
Remember also that biblical Hebrew uses a relative tense system rather than an absolute
tense system. English has an absolute verbal system, meaning that each verb form has an
absolute temporal meaning that relates to the time of speaking: actions that occur before the
speech time are in the past tense, those that occur at the time of speaking are in the present tense,
and those that will occur after the speech time are in the future tense. Because Hebrew is a
relative system, each verb form derives its meaning from its contextual relationship to other
verbs around it. The Yiqtol form, for example, does not have an absolute meaning that is
distinct from its context; rather, it takes its meaning from its chronological position relative to
its context.
Translating Yiqtol
1. Future Tense (he will hear) Yiqtol is commonly used in direct speech to express an
action that will occur after the time of speaking. In other words, the Yiqtol verb is used
for an action that is in the future relative to the present time of the speaker. Therefore, we
may usually translate the Yiqtol verb in direct speech with the simple future tense. Keep
in mind that this might also take the form of a question (Will he hear?).
2. Conditional Sentences (if he hears) The Yiqtol verb is also used in conditional
sentences, which are usually translated in English with a present verb form.
3. Language of the Law (he shall hear) The Yiqtol form is also used as the language of
the law, expressing a general command. This is typically translated in English with
shall.
Unit 25
385
Interrogative Heh
In addition to using independent interrogative pronouns ( what, who, etc.), Hebrew
can also mark any sentence as a question by attaching the interrogative to the beginning of the
question. This interrogative may appear before any part of speech (verb, noun, adjective,
etc.), depending on the structure of the sentence it will attach to whichever word comes first.
Its literal translation may be understood as, Is it that? (i.e. Is it true that?), but it can
typically be interpreted in English simply by changing the structure of the sentence to a question
(e.g. Did you? Will you?) and adding the question mark at the end.
Regular Form Will you remember?

Before a shewa Did you write?
Before , , , , Is he a servant?
Before , , , , pointed
with a qamats
Is he wise?
The interrogative is usually pointed with the reduced [] vowel, the hataf patah.
Since Hebrew cannot begin a word with two shewas (or with a reduced vowel and a
shewa), when the interrogative appears before a letter with a shewa, it is pointed with
the short [a] patah instead of by the usual reduced []. (Though this form of the
interrogative looks very much like the definite article , remember that the definite
article is usually accompanied by a dagesh in the first letter of the attached word, which
is not the case with the interrogative .)
The interrogative is also pointed with the short [a] patah when it appears before a word
beginning with a guttural letter.
The interrogative is pointed with short [e] seghol when it appears before a guttural that
is followed by a long [] qamats.
The changes made to the form of the interrogative before a shewa or a guttural may
lead to situations in which the interrogative takes the same form as the definite article.
In such cases, the reader must decide the meaning by the context.
Unit 25
386
Homework
a) b)
c) d) e)
f) g)
Unit 25
387
( Exo. 12:46) And you (m.p.) shall not break a
bone in it.
( Hos. 4:1)

( 1 Kgs. 21:19)
( Num. 2:24)
( Gen. 48:14)

( Jer 19:11)

(Gen. 23:19)
( Oba. 1:5)
3. Sort the following words into the appropriate columns, according to whether
the initial is the interrogative , the definite article the, or could be either
and must be determined by the context. (See units 10-11 for the forms of the
definite article.)
Interrogative Definite Article Either (must decide by context)
Unit 25
388
4. Translate the following questions from Hebrew into English.
) (Num. 23:19 ?Has he said

) (1 Sam. 26:17

) (Jdg. 13:11

)(1 Sam. 21:12
) (Jdg. 4:20
) (Ruth 1:19
) (Eze. 22:2

) (1 Sam. 17:8
Unit 25
389
(on the interrogative )
Oxford, 1910. (100 k-n = p. 296)
(102 l-o = pp. 334-35)
3. Lambdin, T.O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Norwich, 1976. (54 = p. 48)
Unit 25
390
Unit 26
Translating Yiqtol, Con't

Unit Description:
In this unit we will continue with the questions concerning the meaning and the translation of the
Yiqtol form. We will discover how this form performs in different sentences and how Hebrew is
different from English in this point.
Total New Words 390
Unit 26
391
Vocabulary
ht ahot sister (f.s.)
bmh bama high place (f.s.)
owner, lord,
Nouns bal bal
husband (m.s.)
arm, shoulder,

zra zra
strength (f.s.)
abbt shabat sabbath (b.s.)
ahb ahav Ahab
Proper liyyh eliyhu Elijah

Nouns
l elisha Elisha
bal bal Baal
Numbers
erm esrim twenty
lm shloshim thirty
bhar bahar he chose
he was weak,
Verbs
hlh halah
he was sick
krat karat he cut (off/down)*
rap saraf he burned

* The expression he cut a covenant means he made a covenant.
Unit 26
392
Unit 26
393
Unit 26
394
Unit 26
395
Unit 26
396
Unit 26
397
Unit 26
398
Unit 26
399
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we continue our study of the Yiqtol verb (the prefix conjugation) by examining the
Translating Yiqtol
As discussed previously, the Yiqtol form (like other Hebrew verbs) does not have an exact
parallel tense in English. In part because Hebrew has fewer verb forms than English, the single
Hebrew verb form Yiqtol covers the uses of several different English forms. Remember also that
Hebrew uses a relative verbal system in which each verb form takes its meaning from its
relationship to other verbs in its context. The uses of the Yiqtol verb in biblical Hebrew come
under two main categories:
1. Posterior Action The Yiqtol verb expresses what we call a posterior relationship, i.e.
it speaks of an action that occurs after (or in the future relative to) something else in its
context. We must look at the context to see which verb or event the Yiqtol verb is
posterior to (i.e. which verb or event it occurs after), and understand the meaning of the
verb accordingly. As discussed in Unit 25, this often means that we can translate a Yiqtol
verb, especially in direct speech, with the simple future tense or as a conditional.
However, when the Yiqtol form appears in the context of a past tense narrative, the
translation is more difficult. Different contexts may require this verb to be translated
could do, would do, was to do, should do, might do, etc. The point is that the
Yiqtol action happens after something else.
2. Habitual / Repeated Action Yiqtol is also used for any habitual or repeated action.
This includes the language of the law (Unit 25), commands meant to be continually
followed.
General Truth, Habitual Present Habitual present is used for an action that is
repeated over a period of time, beginning in the past and extending into the future,
e.g. He reads the newspaper every morning. Likewise, a general truth is true not
only in the present, but also at any point in the past or in the future. It is often seen
in proverbial phrases such as, A bribe blinds those who see (Exodus 23:8). In
both cases, the Yiqtol verb may be translated in English with the simple present.
Past Iterative The Yiqtol form may also be used in the context of a past tense
narrative for repeated or continued action in the past (English: he used to do or
he would do). This is very similar to the habitual present; the only difference
between them is that with the past iterative, the action occurs and is repeated only
in the past.
Unit 26
400
Homework
1.
Across:
3. 2. 2. Elisha
5. owner
4. 6. arm
7. sabbath
6. 5.
Down:
7. 1. Ahab
2. sister
3. twenty
4. thirty

after these things, the son of
(1 Kgs. 17:17) the woman became sick
( 2 Kgs. 10:19)

( Deut. 16:2)
( 2 Sam. 3:13)
( 1 Kgs. 19:1)
( 1 Kgs. 3:4)

(Josh. 6:24)
Unit 26
401
3. Write the appropriate form of the Yiqtol verb for each subject in the
( Isa. 6:8)
Whom shall I send?
Whom shall the LORD send?
.

.
.

.

.
.

.

.

Unit 26
402
4. Write the number of the correct translation after each phrase, paying attention
to how the Yiqtol form is translated in each context.
( Jdg. 13:18) 3
( 1 Sam. 2:25)
( 2 Chr. 19:6)
...
( Jdg. 12:1)
( Deut. 16:20)
( 2 Chr. 1:10)
( Num. 18:22)

( Hos. 2:20)
1. But they would not listen.

2. For you do not judge for man.
3. Why do you ask for my name?
4. Justice, justice you shall pursue.
5. We will burn your house with fire.
6. And bow and sword and war I will break.
7. For who can govern this great people of yours?
8. The Israelites shall not come near the tent of meeting again.
Unit 26
403
Unit 27
Review: Ruth, Con't

Unit Description:
What is the semantic connection between the resting place and Naomis plans for Ruth? (Ruth
3:1) How is the author of the book playing with the connotations of the verbs 'to know' and 'to
lay down'? These will be some of the questions that we will answer in this review unit. The
discussion will enable us to review the previous units.
(Ruth 3)
Total New Words 405
Unit 27
405
Vocabulary
gren threshing-floor
gren
(m.s.)

gem gshem rain, shower (m.s.)
hs hatsi half (m.s.)
Nouns wing, extremity (of
knp kanaf
garment, earth) (f.s.)
krb kruv cherub (m.s.)
qatse end, edge,

qseh
extremity (m.s.)
Proper
ahrn aharon Aaron
Nouns lw levi Levi, Levite
shesh six (f.)
Numbers
im shishim sixty
tmol yesterday,
Adverb tml
recently, formerly
biqq biqesh he sought
pra paras he spread (out)
Verbs rahats he washed (off/

rhas
away), he bathed
samah he rejoiced,
mah
he was glad
Unit 27
406
Unit 27
407
Unit 27
408
Unit 27
409
Unit 27
410
Unit 27
411
Grammatical Remarks
The primary goal of this unit is to review previous material, but we do encounter several new
topics as we conclude our reading in the book of Ruth.
Echoing Earlier Texts

In the beginning of her speech (3:1), Naomi doesnt explicitly say how she intends to make
things better for her daughter-in-law; but the attentive reader may catch a hint in her choice of
words. In
( Shouldnt I seek for you a resting place?) there is an echo of
Ruth 1:9:
(May each of you find rest in the home of her
husband). By this connection, we see that the implicit meaning of rest in 3:1 is a
home and a husband. This manner of using previous vocabulary to make a point is common in
Biblical Hebrew narrative.
Ellipsis
Hebrew, like English, can sometimes omit words that should be understood by the context. We
see an example in Ruth 3:2, where the word threshing floor is used as an ellipsis for the
barley that is on the threshing floor. This verse literally reads, He is winnowing the threshing
floor but of course he is winnowing the barley, not the floor itself. (Such an expression may
be compared to an English sentence like, The actors performed for a full house of course
they performed for the people in the building, not for the building itself.)
Vocabulary Notes
the night is used in Hebrew for tonight, just as is used for today.
his heart was well (Ruth 3:7) is a Hebrew idiom that means, He was
happy.
( Ruth 3:9) apparently refers to the edge of ones garment. In the ancient Near
East, the edge of a persons garment symbolized identity and the authority of and
protection given by that person. This metaphor also appears in several other places in the
biblical text.
Unit 27
412
Homework
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 27
413
either yesterday or today (lit.

( 1 Sam. 20:27)
also yesterday, also today)
( 1 Kgs. 8:6)
( Psa. 105:39)
( Jdg. 17:9)
( Exo. 13:20)
( Pro. 29:2)

(Exo. 12:50)
3. Do the following verbs express action that occurred yesterday ( ) or will

occur tomorrow ( )? Sort the verbs into the appropriate columns. (Assume
that they appear in the context of direct speech, in which the Qatal form
expresses simple past and the Yiqtol form expresses simple future.)
4. Review the material in units 1-26, especially the verbs in units 20-26.
Unit 27
414
Unit 28
Wayyiqtol Verbs
Unit Description:
The third verbal form that we will learn is the form Wayyiqtol. In the first part of this unit we
will learn how to recognize this form. In the second part we will discover what the meaning of
this form is and how to translate it into English. We will illustrate its usages using a variety of
Total New Words 420
Unit 28
415
Vocabulary
l el God, god (m.s.)

almnh almana widow (f.s.)

ama cubit (length of
ammh
the forearm) (f.s.)
kavod abundance, honor,

Nouns kbd
glory (m.s.)

maeh maase deed, work (m.s.)
sr tsur rock, cliff (m.s.)
raa evil, misery,

rh
distress, injury (f.s.)
elzr elazar Eleazar

binymin binyamin Benjamin
Proper
Nouns
yha yehosha Joshua
yb yoav Joab
btah batah he trusted

gadal he grew (up), he
gdal
became great
he sought, he
Verbs
darash inquired of (often
dra
used of seeking
counsel from a deity)
zar azar he helped
Unit 28
416
Unit 28
417
Unit 28
418
Unit 28
419
Unit 28
420
Unit 28
421
Unit 28
422
Unit 28
423
Unit 28
424
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we return to our discussion of Hebrew verbs. As with the Qatal and Yiqtol forms, we
have named this third verb pattern Wayyiqtol after the 3ms form of the verb () . In this
way, we can name the verb only by its morphology without presuming anything about its
meaning.
The Wayyiqtol Verb Morphology

The Wayyiqtol form is also known as a prefix conjugation because the subject pronoun of the
verb is attached to the basic form as a prefix. In fact, the Wayyiqtol form is identical to the Yiqtol
form with a prefixed conjunction . The full paradigm is in your workbook, but here are a few
extra notes:
The only visible difference between the Wayyiqtol form and the Yiqtol form with a
simple conjunction (at least in the basic pattern, which is all well study in this first level)
is that the Wayyiqtol form begins with ( instead of )and inserts a dagesh into the
subject prefix letter.
The 1cs form takes a qamats under the and shows no dagesh in the prefixed ;since
the guttural cannot take a dagesh, the preceding short [a] vowel is lengthened to
compensate.
The medieval grammarians gave the name waw conversive to the Wayyiqtol , since
they assumed that this converted a future verb into a past tense verb. But modern
scholars understand from comparative Semitics that there were once two different
prefixed forms with entirely different functions. One of these became the Yiqtol form,
and the other developed into the Wayyiqtol form. So it seems that the Wayyiqtol form is
actually an ancient past tense form conserved after what medieval grammarians called
the waw conversive.
Translating Wayyiqtol
The Wayyiqtol form is used as the regular narrative past tense in Biblical Hebrew prose,
expressing the main line of action in a past tense narrative, so it is usually translated with the
English simple past. We may translate the Wayyiqtol into English (and, so, then, etc.);
but within certain contexts sometimes it is also possible or even preferable to omit this
conjunction in the translation. Since the verbal affixes are so specific about the subject of each
verb, a separate subject pronoun (e.g. he closed) isnt necessary in Hebrew. But if
no separate subject is written, English (whose verb forms are not so specific) requires us to
translate the subject pronoun.
Unit 28
425
Homework
1. Across
2. he helped
2.
4. widow
5. honor
3.
7. evil
4.
Down
6. 5.
1. deed
7. 3. god
4. cubit
6. he sought

And Joshua chose 30,000 men
(Josh. 8:3)
( Gen. 21:8)
( 1 Chr. 5:20)
( Psa. 78:35)
( 2 Sam. 21:14)
...

( Num. 34:17)

( 2 Sam. 10:7)
Unit 28
426
3. Are the following verbs written in the Wayyiqtol form, or are they simply Yiqtol
verbs with a prefixed conjunction? Circle the correct form and translate.
Wayyiqtol + Yiqtol and he will write

Wayyiqtol + Yiqtol and you (f.s.) wrote

Wayyiqtol + Yiqtol
Wayyiqtol + Yiqtol
Wayyiqtol + Yiqtol

Wayyiqtol + Yiqtol
Wayyiqtol + Yiqtol

Wayyiqtol + Yiqtol
4. Convert the following Yiqtol verbs to the Wayyiqtol form.
Yiqtol Wayyiqtol

Unit 28
427
Oxford, 1910. (49c-e = pp. 133-34)
(47 = pp. 139-41)
Unit 28
428
Unit 29
Weqatal Verbs
Unit Description:
The fourth verbal form that we will learn is the form Weqatal. In the first part of this unit we will
learn how to recognize this form. In the second part we will discover what the meaning of this
form is and how to translate it into English. We will illustrate its usages using a variety of verses
from the Bible.
Total New Words 435
Unit 29
429
Vocabulary
zen zen ear (f.s.)
kbe kves lamb (m.s.)
mispr mispar number (m.s.)

Nouns
ammd amud pillar, column (m.s.)
par par young bull (m.s.)
men shmen fat, oil (m.s.)
ta tsha nine (f.)

Numbers
tim tishim ninety
Adverb al-kn al-ken therefore
he was/became
hzaq hazaq
strong/firm
hab hashav he thought, planned
he put on (clothing),
lba lavash
he wore
Verbs he anointed,
mah mashah
smeared
he stretched out;

nth nata
he inclined/turned
he set in order,
rak arakh
he arranged
Unit 29
430
Unit 29
431
Unit 29
432
Unit 29
433
Unit 29
434
Unit 29
435
Unit 29
436
Unit 29
437
Grammatical Remarks
In this unit we return to our discussion of Hebrew verbs. As with the other forms, we have
named this fourth verb pattern Weqatal after the 3ms form of the verb ( ) .
The Weqatal Verb Morphology

The Weqatal form is also known as a suffix conjugation because the subject pronoun of the
verb is attached to the basic form as a suffix. In fact, the Weqatal form is identical to the Qatal
form with a prefixed conjunction . The full paradigm is in your workbook, but here are a few
extra notes:
The only visible difference between the Weqatal form and the Qatal form with a simple
conjunction is that the 1cs and 2ms Weqatal forms have an ultimate accent, not
penultimate.
Remember that the conjunction changes to when it precedes a word that begins with a
shewa, as is the case with the second person plural suffixed forms (e.g.

).
Other than in the 1cs and 2ms forms, there is no visible difference between the Weqatal
form and the Qatal form with a simple conjunction, so we must understand the form by the
context. But while the Qatal form only very rarely appears with the conjunction (e.g.
and he heard), the Weqatal form must include the conjunction (e.g. and he
will hear); so if we see a suffixed form prefixed by the conjunction , it is most likely
(though not always) a Weqatal form. A suffixed form without the prefixed has to be a
Qatal form.
Translating Weqatal
Concerning their modal usages, the Weqatal form is used with the same meaning as the Yiqtol
verb (future or repeated action). One pragmatic distinction between these two verb forms is
where they appear in a sentence. The Weqatal form always appears at the beginning of its clause
(any part of a sentence that contains its own subject and verb), while the Yiqtol form usually
appears in the middle or at the end of its clause.
We may translate the Weqatal into English (and, so, then, etc.); but within certain
contexts sometimes it is also possible or even preferable to omit this conjunction in the
translation. Since the verbal affixes are so specific about the subject of each verb, a separate
subject pronoun (e.g. he will close) isnt necessary in Hebrew. But if no separate
subject is written, English (whose verb forms are not so specific) requires us to translate the
subject pronoun.
Unit 29
438
Homework
a) b) c)
d) e)
f) g) h)
Unit 29
439
) (1 Kgs. 11:9
because his heart had turned

) (Lev. 6:4
) (Lev. 14:29
) (1 Kgs. 18:31
) (Gen. 41:57
) (Lev. 17:12

) (Lev. 1:7
3. Convert the following Qatal verbs to the Weqatal form.
Qatal Weqatal

Unit 29
440
4. Write the number of the correct translation after each phrase, paying attention
to how each Weqatal verb is translated in context.
( Gen. 24:4) 7

(Gen. 30:32)
...
(Gen. 32:19)

( Exo. 3:16)
( Exo. 4:14)

( Exo. 8:23)

(Exo. 12:12)

(Exo. 33:9)
1. It will be my wages.
2. And he will be glad in his heart.
3. Then you shall say, it is a gift.
4. We must sacrifice to the LORD our God.
5. And you shall gather the elders of Israel.
6. And it would stand at the entrance of the tent.
7. And you will get a wife for my son, for Isaac.
8. And I will pass through the land of Egypt on this night.
Unit 29
441
Oxford, 1910. (49h-m = pp. 134-35)
(43 = pp. 134-35)
Unit 29
442
Unit 30
Where We've Been

Unit Description:
"Where We've Been" is the name of our last meeting in this course. In this meeting we'll go back
through the course and see the long way that we have come from our first unit until now.
Total New Words 450
Unit 30
443
Vocabulary

ymn yamin right (hand) (f.s.)
open/common
migr migrash land,
pasture-land (m.s.)

mlakha occupation,
mlkh
Nouns work (f.s.)
pr pri fruit (m.s.)
sdqh tsdaka righteousness (f.s.)
/ ml smol the left (m.s.)

ar ashur Asshur, Assyria
bbel bavel Babel, Babylon
Proper siyyn tsiyon Zion
Nouns

ml shmuel Samuel
mrn shomron Samaria
Adverb / lbad lvad alone, by itself

Adjective
/ hb / hab ahev / ahav he loved

naga he touched,
Verbs nga
reached, struck

nasa he pulled out/up,
nsa
set out, journeyed
Unit 30
444
Unit 30
445
Unit 30
446
Unit 30
447
Unit 30
448
Unit 30
449
Unit 30
450
Unit 30
451
Unit 30
452
Unit 30
453
Unit 30
454
Unit 30
455
Unit 30
456
Homework
( Num. 12:15) 3
( Dt. 8:3)
( Eze. 18:5)
(2 Kgs. 19:19)
( Mic. 1:9)

( Gen. 48:14)
( 1 Kgs. 13:32)
... ( 2 Kgs. 25:1)

1. not on bread alone

2. you alone, LORD, are God
3. and the people did not set out
4. and his left hand on Manassehs head
5. and he does justice and righteousness
6. it has reached to the gate of my people, up to Jerusalem
7. the king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem
8. and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria
Unit 30
457
( Num. 35:4) the pasture lands of the cities

( 1 Sam. 1:20)

( Gen 3:3)
( Gen. 48:14)
...
(2 Kgs. 15:19)

( Gen. 37:3)

( Psa. 78:68)
We hope youve enjoyed learning Hebrew with us as much as

weve enjoyed teaching you! We wish you the best in your future
Hebrew studies and hope to see you again in our next course.
Unit 30
458
Verbal Paradigms
*accented syllables are bolded in the charts below*
Qatal (Unit A20)
Singular Plural
First Person Common
Yiqtol (Unit A24)

Singular Plural
First Person Common
Wayyiqtol (Unit A28)
Singular Plural
First Person Common




Weqatal (Unit A29)

Singular Plural
First Person Common



Biblical A en 2017

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Biblical A en 2017

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Biblical Hebrew A

2017 All Rights Reserved

Copying, photocopying, recording, translating, storing in

Hebrew is an ancient and fascinating language with a rich history.

E Hebrew Transliteration Name Examples

* It is customary in treating Hebrew vowels to speak of length as well as quality.

O Hebrew Transliteration Name Examples

U Hebrew Transliteration Name Examples

The Hebrew Alphabet Then and Now

Total New Words 15

m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular

The Letters ---

The Hebrew Alphabet Continued

New Words in this Unit 15

Total New Words 30

m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular

The Hebrew Alephbet

The Hebrew Vowels

New Words in this Unit 15

Total New Words 45

m. = masculine f. = feminine b. = both m. and f. s. = singular

A Hebrew Transliteration Name

All A vowels are pronounced [] as in father.

The Vowels E-I-O-U

New Words in this Unit 15

Total New Words 60

m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular p. = plural

E Hebrew Transliteration Name

I Hebrew Transliteration Name

All I vowels are pronounced [i] as in meet.

O Hebrew Transliteration Name

U Hebrew Transliteration Name

All U vowels are pronounced [u] as in boot.

4. Transliterate the words below into Hebrew.

The 'Dagesh' and Syllable Division

New Words in this Unit 15

Total New Words 75

m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular p. = plural

Nouns and Adjectives

New Words in this Unit 15

Total New Words 90

m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular

( Lev. 25:30) a complete year

New Words in this Unit 15

Total New Words 105

m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular

The Moving Shewa

The Silent Shewa

a very good man

Moving Shewa Silent Shewa

Hebrew Word Structure

New Words in this Unit 15

Total New Words 120

m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular

* may also appear as an adjective.

4. Write the three root letters of each of the following words.

* Joon-Muraoka has the better discussion on this topic.

A Few More Vowels

New Words in this Unit 15

Total New Words 135

m. = masculine f. = feminine s. = singular p. = plural

Hebrew Transliteration Name

Reduced Vowel: E hatf segl