A215 INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL HEBREW

                                                                SUMMER 2007

 D.N. Premnath 

Course Description: Introduction to the basics of learning biblical Hebrew with a view to develop

skills in the study of the biblical texts.  Emphasis on grammar, syntax and vocabulary.

Course Objectives:

            -           To provide a solid foundation in the main principles and usages of the Hebrew language as a basis for more advanced study;

            -           To enable students to have a preliminary knowledge of some basic grammatical, morphological and syntactical aspects of the Hebrew language;

            -           To enable students to acquire a basic vocabulary in biblical Hebrew.

Grading Procedure:

                        Class work                                                       20%

                        Homework                                                       40%

                        Final exam                                                        40%

Texts:

            Required:

            Page H. Kelley, Biblical Hebrew. An Introductory Grammar.

            Recommended:

            Kelley, Burden and Crawford, A Handbook to Biblical Hebrew. An Introductory Grammar.

            Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.

            Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament.

Course Outline:

Date                                                     Topic                                       Lessons

May 14            Introduction; Consonants and Vowels                           I-III*

                        Syllables, Accents & Gutturals;                                     IV-V

                        The Definite Article

May 21            Prepositions and Nouns                                                VI-VII

                        Adjectives                                                                    VIII

                        Subject and Demonstrative Pronouns                            IX

June 4              Nouns in construct relationship;                                     X-XI

                        Pronominal suffixes                                                                  

        11            Verbs: Qal Perf.                                                           XII-XIII

                        Verbs: Remaining Stems                                               XIV

        18            Verbs: Qal Imperf.                                                        XV

                        Verbs: Imperf. of remaining stems                                 XVI-XVII

                                    Waw Consecutive

        25            Verbs: Imperative                                                         XVIII

                        Infinitive Construct & Participles                                   XIX-XXI  

                        Weak Verbs:                                                                XXII-XXIII

                        I-Guttural/Pe-Guttural

                        I-’Aleph/Pe-’Aleph 

July 9               Weak Verbs                                                                 XXIV

                        II-Guttural/ ‘Ayin Guttural

                        III-Guttural/Lamedh Guttural                                         XXV-XVII

                        III-’Aleph/Lamedh ’Aleph

                        III-He/Lamedh He                               

         16           I-Nun/Pe Nun                                                              XXVIII; XXX

                        I-Yodh/Pe Yodh

         23           II-Waw/Yodh ‘Ayin Waw/Yodh                                  XXIX

                        Double ‘Ayin Verbs                                                      XXXI

          30          Review

Note: *The Roman numerals refer to chapters in Page Kelley’s text.

Basic Bibliography

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament.

Even-Shoshan, A.  A New Concordance of the Bible.

Kautzsch, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar.

Kelley, P. Biblical Hebrew. An Introductory Grammar.

Kelley, Burden and Crawford, A Handbook to Biblical Hebrew.

Lambdin, T. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew.

Owen, J.J.,  Analytical Key to the Old Testament.

Waltke and O’Connor,  An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax.

Weingreen,  A Practical Grammar to Classical Hebrew.