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Biblical Hebrew

A C o m pac t G u i d e

Books by Miles V. Van Pelt with Gary D. Pratico


Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar Basics of Biblical Hebrew Workbook Charts of Biblical Hebrew A Graded Reader of Biblical Hebrew The Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew Old Testament Hebrew Vocabulary Cards Biblical Hebrew Laminated Sheets (Zondervan Get an A! Study Guide) Basics of Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary Audio

Other Books by Miles V. Van Pelt


English Grammar to Ace Biblical Hebrew Basics of Biblical Aramaic: Complete Grammar, Lexicon, and Annotated Text

Biblical Hebrew
A C o m pac t G u i d e

Miles V. Van Pelt

ZONDERVAN Biblical Hebrew: A Compact Guide Copyright 2012 by Miles V. Van Pelt Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Van Pelt, Miles V., 1969_ Biblical Hebrew : a compact guide / Miles V. Van Pelt. p. cm. ISBN 9780310326076 (softcover) 1. Hebrew language Grammar. I. Title. PJ4567.3.V348 2012 492.4'82421dc23 2012004858 Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design: Tammy Johnson Typeset by Miles V. Van Pelt Printed in China 121314151617/CTPS/10987654321

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface xi 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 5 6 6 6 7 8 9 11 11 11 12 12 13 13

Basic Phonology
Alphabet Direction Begadkephat Letters Gutturals Modern Pronunciation Vowels Regular Vowels Vowel Letters Other Vowel Symbols Syllabication Two Rules of Syllabication Syllable Classication The Daghesh and Syllabication The Shewa and Syllabication Rules of Shewa Qamets and Qamets Hatuf Furtive Pathach Quiescent Hebrew Diphthongs Hebrew Vowel Rules Additional Vowel Characteristics Sqnmlwy v

Nominal System
Nouns Noun Paradigm Noun Pluralization and Vocalization Denite Article Morphology Syntax Conjunction Waw Morphology Syntax Prepositions Basic Grammar Types of Hebrew Prepositions Spelling of Inseparable Prepositions The Preposition Adjectives Adjective Paradigm Adjectival Inection Syntax Independent Personal Pronouns Morphology Syntax Demonstratives Morphology Syntax Relative Pronoun The Relative Pronoun The Relative Pronoun Interrogative Pronouns 14 14 15 18 18 20 22 22 24 26 26 27 29 30 33 33 34 36 38 38 38 40 40 41 42 42 42 44

The Interrogative The Interrogative The Interrogative / The Interrogative / The Interrogative / Pronominal Sufxes Morphology With Masculine Nouns With Feminine Nouns With Monosyllabic Nouns With Prepositions With and With / As a Resumptive Pronoun With Perfect Verbs With Imperfect (Imperative) Verbs Construct Chain Basic Grammar Vowel Reduction in Closed Syllables Vowel Reduction in Open Syllables Masculine Plural Nouns Feminine Singular Nouns Plural Segholate Nouns Monosyllabic Nouns Diphthongs Nouns Ending with Seghol He Tsere Changes to Pathach First Rule of Shewa vii

44 44 44 45 45 46 46 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 57 59 60 60 60 60 61 61 61 62 62

Numbers One through Ten Eleven through Nineteen Twenty through Ninety Nine One Hundred and Up Ordinal Numbers Particles Interrogative Particle Directional Particle Particle Particle of Existence Particle of Non-Existence

63 63 65 66 67 68 70 70 71 71 73 74 75 75 76 77 79 83 83 85 86 91 94 94 95 95 96 98

Verbal System
Qal Perfect Strong Verbs Stative Verbs Weak Verbs Syntax of the Perfect Qal Imperfect Strong Verbs Stative Verbs Weak Verbs Syntax of the Imperfect Qal Imperative Strong Verbs Lengthened Imperative The Particle Weak Verbs Qal Innitive Construct

Strong Verbs Weak Verbs Syntax of the Innitive Construct Qal Innitive Absolute Strong Verbs Weak Verbs Syntax of the Innitive Absolute Qal Active Participle Strong Verbs Weak Verbs Syntax of the Participle Qal Passive Participle Strong Verbs Weak Verbs Syntax of the Participle Niphal Stem Verbs Meaning of the Niphal Stem Strong Verb Paradigms Weak Verb Diagnostics Piel Stem Verbs Meaning of the Piel Stem Strong Verb Paradigms Weak Verb Diagnostics Loss of Daghesh Forte (Sqnmlwy) Pual Stem Verbs Meaning of the Pual Stem Strong Verb Paradigms Weak Verb Diagnostics ix

98 99 102 105 105 105 107 109 109 110 112 114 114 115 116 118 118 119 121 124 124 125 127 129 130 130 130 132

Hiphil Stem Verbs Meaning of the Hiphil Stem Strong Verb Paradigms Weak Verb Diagnostics Hophal Stem Verbs Meaning of the Hophal Stem Strong Verb Paradigms Weak Verb Diagnostics Hithpael Stem Verbs Meaning of the Hithpael Stem Strong Verb Paradigms Weak Verb Diagnostics Metathesis in the Hithpael Stem Assimilation of in the Hithpael Stem Other Derived Stem Verbs Polel Stem Polal Stem Hithpolel Stem Hishtaphel Stem

133 133 134 136 139 139 139 141 143 143 144 145 147 147 148 148 149 150 152 154 169

Appendices
Verb Paradigms and Charts Hebrew-English Lexicon

PREFACE
This little book was written in order to provide students with a compact guide to biblical Hebrew. Beginning students will nd the presentation of material convenient for review. Intermediate students can use this mini-grammar as a practical tool for translation. Even the veterans of this biblical language will nd the compact guide helpful for blowing off the dust, lling in the cracks, and keeping t in biblical Hebrew. The utility of a compact guide is offset by limitations related to page length and size. The selection of content will not satisfy everyones preferences, but we did take careful aim. The best way to access the books content is through the extended table of contents. The material presented in this book is derived primarily from Basics of Biblical Hebrew, 2nd edition, by Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt (Zondervan, 2007). Thanks again to my friend and editor, Verlyn Verbrugge, for all of his expert help with the production of this guide. My teaching assistants, Kelley Baldridge and Josh Drake, make it possible for me to write in the midst of a full schedule. Thanks to Paul Sumner for his careful proofreading. Finally, I am indebted to a special team of Hebrew language consultants who provided expert proofreading and content checking: Jane E. Baynard, William Baynard, Chapel Baynard, Leigh Ann King, William King, May Hudson King, and Charlie King. You guys saved my bacon!

xi

HEBREW ALPHABET
Letter Final Form Name
Alef Bet Gimel Dalet He Waw Zayin Het Tet Yod Kaf Lamed Mem Nun Samek Ayin Pe Tsade Qof Resh Sin Shin Taw 1

Pronunciation
(silent) b as in boy g as in God d as in day h as in hay w as in way z as in Zion ch as in Bach t as in toy y as in yes k as in king l as in lion m as in mother n as in now s as in sin (silent) p as in pastor ts as in boots k as in king r as in run s as in sin sh as in ship t as in toy

Hebrew Alphabet 2 1. Direction. Hebrew is written from right to left, not left to right as in English.

2. Begadkephat Letters. Six Hebrew consonants have two possible pronunciations. The presence or absence of the Daghesh Lene distinguishes between the hard or soft pronunciations of the consonant.

b as in boy v as in vine g as in God gh as in aghast d as in day dh as in the

k as in king ch as in Bach p as in pastor ph as in alphabet t as in toy th as in thin

3. Gutturals. The guttural consonants are , , , and ( a semi-guttural). Gutturals (1) prefer aclass vowels, (2) reject Daghesh Forte, and (3) take Hateph vowels instead of Vocal Shewa. The semi-guttural may take Vocal Shewa. 4. Modern Pronunciation. Israeli Hebrew differs in a number of ways from what is considered to be the traditional or ancient pronunciation. Consonant Traditional Pronunciation gh as in aghast dh as in the th as in thin w as in way Modern Pronunciation g as in God d as in day t as in toy v as in vine

HEBREW VOWELS
Hebrew vowels can be divided into two groups: regular vowels and vowel letters. In each group, there are as many as ve vowel classes (a, e, i, o, u). The regular vowels are presented in three major categories: long, short, and reduced. The vowel letters are organized by the consonant with which they appear (He, Waw, and Yod).

Regular Vowels
Long Vowels
a-class e-class o-class

Qamets Tsere Holem

a as in father e as in they o as in role

Short Vowels
a-class e-class i-class o-class u-class a-class e-class o-class Pathach Seghol Hireq Qamets Hatuf Qibbuts Hateph Pathach Hateph Seghol Hateph Qamets 3 a as in bat e as in better i as in bitter o as in bottle u as in ruler a as in amuse e as in metallic o as in commit

Reduced (Hateph) Vowels

Hebrew Vowels 4

Vowel Letters Vowel Letters Written with ( He) a-class Qamets He e-class Tsere He Seghol He o-class Holem He Vowel Letters Written with ( Waw) o-class Holem Waw u-class Shureq Vowel Letters Written with ( Yod) e-class Tsere Yod Seghol Yod i-class Hireq Yod
Notes on Hebrew Vowel Letters

a as in father e as in they e as in better o as in role o as in role u as in ruler e as in they e as in better i as in machine

1. Vowel letters written with ( He) occur only at the end of a word, as in (law) and (he will build). 2. Vowel letters written with ( Waw) and ( Yod) are often referred to as unchangeable or historically long vowels. 3. Defective writing is that phenomenon in which certain vowel letters are written without their consonant. There are three patterns of defective writing.

Hebrew Vowels 5

Holem Waw written as Holem Shureq written as Qibbuts Hireq Yod written as Hireq

Other Vowel Symbols


1. Daghesh Lene ( )appears as a small dot only in a begadkephat consonant in order to distinguish between the hard and soft pronunciations. 2. Daghesh Forte ( )doubles the consonant in which it appears. It can occur in any consonant except the gutturals and . 3. Silent Shewa ( ) has a zero value and is never pronounced and never transliterated. 4. Vocal Shewa ( ) maintains a hurried pronunciation and sounds like the a in amuse.

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