Some Helpful Hebrew Resources

You might find the following list helpful. The description of each resource originates from the companies' websites:

Beckman, John C. Williams’ Hebrew Syntax. 3d ed. University of Toronto Press. 2007. ISBN 9780802094292

Although the morphology and lexicon of Hebrew are reasonably well understood, its syntax has long been a neglected area of study. Syntax, the relationship of words to one another, forms, together with morphology, the material of grammar. Its relative importance varies according to the language considered. This is particularly true of word order, for when an inflected language loses its case endings, word order assumes many of the functions of the former cases. This outline by Professor Williams re-emphasizes the significance of word order in Hebrew. Developed over fifteen years in a formal course on Hebrew syntax at the University of Toronto, it treats the syntax of the noun, the verb, particles and clauses, with a selection of illustrative examples. Its contents are based on classical Hebrew prose, but some account is also taken of the deviations in later prose and poetry. In this new edition English translations have been provided for all Hebrew phrases and sentences, and the bibliography has been expanded.

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: Wide Margin Edition. German Bible Society. 2007. ISBN: 9781598561999

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) Wide Margin Edition is identical in content to the Standard Edition but is larger in size and priced lower. The Wide Margin Edition gives professors and students the opportunity to make notes in their Bible as they translate the Hebrew Scriptures.

Blau, Joshua. Phonology and Morphology of Biblical Hebrew: An Introduction. Eisenbrauns. May 2010. ISBN: 1-57506-129-5

More than 80 years have passed since Bauer and Leander's historical grammar of Biblical Hebrew was published, and many advances in comparative historical grammar have been made during the interim. Blau's recognized preeminence as a Hebraist and Arabist as well as his understanding of language change make this volume a valuable contribution to the comparative and historical explanation of Biblical Hebrew phonology and morphology. This book is an extensive revision and translation of Blau's original work, which was first published in Hebrew. 

Brown, A. Philip, Bryan W. Smith, Richard J. Goodrich, and Albert L. Lukaszewski. A Reader’s Hebrew and Greek Bible. Zondervan, 2010. ISBN: 0310325897

Ideal for students, pastors, and instructors familiar with the biblical languages, A Reader’s Hebrew and Greek Bible saves time and effort in studying the Bible. Definitions for Greek and Hebrew words that occur less frequently appear as footnotes on every page, allowing the user to read the text quickly and to focus on parsing and grammatical issues (rather than paging through lexicons).

• Complete text of the Hebrew and Aramaic Bible, using the Westminister Leningrad Codex

• Footnoted definitions of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less—twenty-five or less for Aramaic words—with context-specific glosses.

de Waard, Jan. Biblia Hebraica Quinta: Proverbs. German Bible Society. 2009. ISBN: 9781598563092

BHQ is the new (fifth) edition of the Biblia Hebraica. It is being published in parts (fascicles) by the German Bible Society.

• Diplomatic text of the Leningrad Codex, cited from new color photographs. As the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible, it serves as the base text against which other witnesses are collated.
• Masorah magna and parva of the Leningrad Codex are included with the text.
• Layout of poetic texts corresponds as closely as possible to Masoretic accentuation.
• Indications of parallel texts are given on the page.
• A single apparatus is found at the foot of the page.
• Text critical cases are generated and noted in the apparatus when a pre-Tiberian witness arguably, but not necessarily witnesses a Hebrew text that differs from the Tiberian text.
• Two other Tiberian codices are collated for each book.
• Qumran and Judean Desert fragments are collated.
• All available pre-Tiberian witnesses for each textual case are noted.
• A general introduction presents the edition, characterizes the text and masorah of the base text, the particular use of resources, the relation of BHQ to BHS and previous editions etc.

Gelston, Anthony. Biblia Hebraica Quinta: Minor Prophets. German Bible Society. June 2010. ISBN: 9781598563863

            See notes for the Biblia Hebraica Quinta: Proverbs.

Hackett, Jo Ann. A Basic Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. Henrickson, 2010. ISBN:  9781598560282

Linguistics expert and long-time educator Hackett offers a robust introduction to biblical Hebrew grammar and the Masoretic text. The graded exercises from Hebrew to English are intended to introduce the student to the many possibilities of biblical Hebrew prose. Later lessons include texts taken from the Masoretic text of the Old Testament with footnotes to explain unusual or advanced formations. Classroom tested and suitable for self-study as well, this quick-moving one-semester course (30 lessons) features clear, readable explanations, exercises, and examples that provide students with an effective foundation in original language usage. This textbook is also suitable for an entire first-year’s study of Biblical Hebrew conducted at a slower pace.

Course work includes an overview of the history of the Hebrew Bible; deductive lessons on recognition, drawing, and pronunciation of consonants and vowels; memorization and recitation of the alphabet; and proper spelling of words; as well inductive experience in translating biblical passages. The accompanying CD includes:

AUDIO FILES
• Vocabulary lists for each of the 30 chapters
• Hebrew-to-English portions of exercises for all chapters
• Major paradigms for the whole book (nouns, pronouns, verbs in all their various
stems)
• A reading of Genesis 22:1-19 (Appendix C)

TEXT FILES
• Vocabulary lists
• Printable Hebrew-to-English exercises
• Appendix A: Consonants of Biblical Hebrew
• Appendix B: Vowels of Biblical Hebrew
• Appendix C: Genesis 22:1-19 (conversationally paced reading)

• Appendix D: Chart and flow sheet for finding the root of weak verbs
• Verbal paradigms
• Complete answer key for English-to-Hebrew and Hebrew-to English exercises

Van Pelt, Miles, V., and Gary D. Pratico. Charts of Biblical Hebrew. Zondervan, 2007. ISBN: 0310275091

Two resources in one make this a vital study aid. Over 100 of the most vital charts appear in print, and a CD offers over 450 charts. All charts are referenced to Pratico and Van Pelt’s Basics of Biblical Hebrew and may be used with other leading beginning texts. Also ideal for review by advanced students. The book also contains a CD-ROM offers a complete collection of over 450 charts.

________. Graded Reader of Biblical Hebrew: A Guide to Reading the Biblical Hebrew. Zondervan, 2006. ISBN: 0310251575

This graded reader introduces the second-year Hebrew student to various types of biblical Hebrew literature and contains various notations to assist him or her in the further advancement of Hebrew translation and exegesis. The readings chosen for inclusion, which are arranged generally in order of increasing difficulty, span the whole of the Old Testament and represent some of the most important Old Testament texts from the standpoint of biblical history, theology, and exegesis. Parsing exercises are included with each reading, and there is room for one to write one’s own English translation.

Webster, Brian L. The Cambridge Introduction to Biblical Hebrew with CD-ROM. Cambridge University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780521885423)

The Cambridge Introduction to Biblical Hebrew is designed for anyone studying biblical Hebrew for the first time. It is well suited for students enrolled in introductory-level courses as well as clergy and laity engaged in self-study. The accompanying CD (suitable for Mac and PC) includes the workbook, answers, paradigms, and the interactive program TekScroll. TekScroll greatly facilitates learning through grammar illustrations with moving graphics, interactive parsing programs, translation practice items, and a vocabulary program. The grammar illustrations demonstrate key grammatical points. The parsing programs provide feedback, hints, and corrections. Translation practice comes primarily from biblical verses. The vocabulary quizzing program includes audio of the vocabulary words. The textbook is designed for a two-semester course covering one chapter of grammar per week (22 chapters) and then turning to select syntactical items. Each chapter begins with a Focus section, identifying key elements, and is followed by a summary, vocabulary list, and description of the learning activities on the CD. The practice translation items and workbook exercises use only vocabulary from previous chapters (with few exceptions), so that they can be used immediately in classroom instruction.

• Interactive program TekScroll illustrates important grammatical concepts with moving graphics and provides practice items for recognizing forms (parsing) and translation and studying vocabulary                                                                                                                

• Exercises and practice items build on vocabulary from previous chapters, allowing immediate in-class practice without the burden of learning new vocabulary first                

 • Cross-referenced to the second-year textbook, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax by Bill T. Arnold and John Choi, with additional pointers on how to use reference works on syntax.