Elementary Hebrew

IMPORTANT! In order to see the Hebrew characters on your screen in each lesson, you will need the following installed on your computer:

1. Netscape 3.0 or later OR Internet Explorer 3.0 or later.

To get Netscape, click here:

To get Internet Explorer, click here:

2. A Hebrew font. Use the freeware font available courtesy of Scholars Press. Click HERE to get it. (At the same place, you can also get Coptic, Syriac, and Greek fonts if you're interested). You will have to unzip it first and then move it to your FONT subdirectory (under your WINDOWS directory on Windows 95 or later based machines) before the font will be recognized by your system.

Elementary Hebrew

1. Course Objectives: The objective of this course is to provide the student with a basic understanding of Ancient Hebrew grammar, and to build a foundation for further study of the Hebrew Bible.

2. WARNING: A little knowledge is a DANGEROUS thing. The student should be warned in advance that completion of this course will NOT make him or her an expert in Hebrew. It will, however, give one the ability to translate simple sentences. For more advanced ability the student MUST pursue further studies.

3. Method: The student will be required to complete, and submit for evaluation ALL assignments made in this course. These assignments will be graded, and the student will receive those grades. Grading is an important part of the learning experience. It helps the instructor know where more reinforcement is needed, and it helps the student know areas of weakness and areas that need improvement.

4. Materials: In addition to Internet Explorer or Netscape and a Hebrew font (see above) the student will need to purchase the following books:

Biblica Hebraica Stutgartensia.
Brown, Driver, Briggs. Hebrew-English Lexicon. Various publishers
Menahem Mansoor. Biblical Hebrew Step-by-Step. Baker Books.

Books are available from The Campus Bookstore.

5. Remarks: Finally, do not be overwhelmed or frightened off by the subject matter or the apparent "strangeness" of the material. Stick it out, and the rewards will be immeasurable. Take one step at a time, do not move to the next lesson until you are certain that you have mastered all of the previous ones, and remember that taking Hebrew is like eating a cow: it can only be done one hamburger at a time, but eventually you will finish the whole thing!

Course Outline

Below are the lessons for Elementary Hebrew. Click on the lesson you want:

Obviously, this course is not finished yet. New lessons will come up as they are available. Stay tuned!

Lesson 1- The Hebrew Alphabet
Lesson 2- Vowels
Lesson 3- Introduction to Grammar, Gender, the Conjunction, and the Definite Article
Lesson 4- Adjectives
Lesson 5- Plurals, More on Adjectives, More on the Definite Article
Lesson 6- Segholate Nouns; Personal Pronouns, Nominal Sentences
Lesson 7- Introduction to the Verb
Lesson 8- More About Gender and Verbs
Lesson 9- Verbs Continued
Lesson 10- Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives
Lesson 11- Prepositions
Lesson 12- Relative Pronouns; t)e
Lesson 13- Verbs with Guttural Roots; More on Gender
Lesson 14- Sentences in the Negative; Declension of Singular Nouns
Lesson 15- The Dual
Lesson 16- The Imperfect
Lesson 17- Declension of Masculine Plural Nouns
Lesson 18- The Imperative, More About Prepositions, and the Declension of Feminine Nouns
Lesson 19- Numbers, More About the Definite Article and the Conjunction
Lesson 20- Singular Nouns in the Construct State
Lesson 21- Plural Nouns in the Construct State
Lesson 22- Niphal
Lesson 23- Piel
Lesson 24- Pual
Lesson 25- Hiphil
Lesson 26- Hophal
Lesson 27- Hitpael
Lesson 28- Introduction to Translation
Lesson 29- Translation of Genesis 1