Beginning

Biblical Hebrew

Mark D. Futato

Winona Lake, Indiana

Eisenbrauns

2003

© 2003 by Mark D. Futato.

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Futato, Mark David Beginning Biblical Hebrew / Mark D. Futato. p. cm. ISBN 1-57506-022-1 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Hebrew language—Grammar. I. Title. PJ4567.3.F88 2003 492.4´82421—dc21 2003054970

To my wife, Adele

Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all.

(Proverbs 31:30 [29])

לֹא לָנוּ יְהוָה לֹא לָנוּ

כִּי־לְשִׁמְךָ תֵּן כָּבוֹד

עַל־חַסְדְּךָ עַל־אֲמִתֶּךָ

(Psalm 115:1)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1. THE ALPHABET

2. THE VOWELS

3. SYLLABLES, SHEVA, AND STRONG DAGESH

4. THE NOUN: BASIC FORMS

5. PRONOUNS AND THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

6. THE VERB: QAL PERFECT

7. SENTENCES WITH VERBS

8. THE NOUN: VOWEL CHANGES

9. PREPOSITIONS AND VAV CONJUNCTION

10. THE ADJECTIVE

11. THE VERB: QAL IMPERFECT

12. CONSTRUCT RELATIONSHIP: SINGULAR

13. CONSTRUCT RELATIONSHIP: PLURAL

14. QAL PERFECT AND IMPERFECT: WEAK ROOTS

15. QAL PERFECT AND IMPERFECT: I NUN AND III HEY

16. POSSESSIVE SUFFIXES ON SINGULAR NOUNS

17. DEMONSTRATIVE AND RELATIVE PRONOUNS

18. QAL IMPERFECT: I YOD AND I ALEF

19. POSSESSIVE SUFFIXES ON PLURAL NOUNS

20. THE VERB: QAL INFINITIVES

21. THE VERB: QAL ACTIVE PARTICIPLE

22. PRONOUN SUFFIXES ON PREPOSITIONS

23. THERE IS (NOT) AND HAVE (NOT)

24. THE VERB: QAL VOLITIVES

25. QAL: HOLLOW VERBS

26. THE VERB: VAV-RELATIVE

27. CLAUSES: TEMPORAL AND INTERROGATIVE

28. THE PIEL: STRONG ROOTS

29. THE PIEL: WEAK ROOTS

30. NUMBERS AND “SURPRISE”

31. THE HIPHIL: STRONG ROOTS

32. THE HIPHIL: I GUTTURAL AND I NUN

33. THE HIPHIL: I YOD

34. THE HIPHIL: III HEY AND HOLLOW

35. MORE ON PRONOUN SUFFIXES

36. THE NIPHAL: STRONG ROOTS

37. THE NIPHAL: WEAK ROOTS

38. MORE PASSIVE VERBS: QAL, PUAL, AND HOPHAL

39. THE VERB: THE HITHPAEL

40. THE VERB: GEMINATE ROOTS

PARADIGMS

VOCABULARY

ANSWERS TO PRACTICE DRILLS

introduction

Goal

Beginning Biblical Hebrew provides students with a thorough introduction to Biblical Hebrew in an easy-to-learn format.

Familiarity with English and Hebrew grammatical terminology is not presumed. All essential terms are introduced throughout the grammar in clear, nontechnical language.

Students will learn the morphology (forms) and syntax (uses) of Hebrew adjectives, conjunctions, nouns, numbers, prepositions, and verbs.

Students will lay a solid foundation for studying the Hebrew Bible by mastering Beginning Biblical Hebrew.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of Beginning Biblical Hebrew, students will have:

➤ Mastered the pronunciation of Hebrew

➤ Mastered the forms and uses of Hebrew words

➤ Mastered a vocabulary of 400 Hebrew words

➤ Learned how to analyze any Hebrew word

➤ Learned how to translate standard Biblical Hebrew

➤ Grown in an enjoyment of the Hebrew language

➤ Grown in a commitment to use Hebrew in a lifelong study of the Hebrew Bible.