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 978 – 0 – 310 – 32607 – 6 (softcover) 1. Hebrew language — Grammar. I. Title. PJ4567.3.V348 2012 492.4'82421 — dc23 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 12 13 14 15 16 17 /CTPS/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface
xi
Basic Phonology Alphabet Direction Begadkephat Letters Gutturals Modern Pronunciation Vowels Regular Vowels Vowel Letters Other Vowel Symbols Syllabification Two Rules of Syllabification Syllable Classification The Daghesh and Syllabification The Shewa and Syllabification Rules of Shewa Qamets and Qamets Hatuf Furtive Pathach Quiescent א Hebrew Diphthongs Hebrew Vowel Rules Additional Vowel Characteristics Sqnmlwy v
1 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 5 6 6 6 7 8 9 11 11 11 12 12 13 13
Nominal System Nouns Noun Paradigm Noun Pluralization and Vocalization Definite Article Morphology Syntax Conjunction Waw Morphology Syntax Prepositions Basic Grammar Types of Hebrew Prepositions Spelling of Inseparable Prepositions The Preposition ִמן Adjectives Adjective Paradigm Adjectival Inflection Syntax Independent Personal Pronouns Morphology Syntax Demonstratives Morphology Syntax Relative Pronoun The Relative Pronoun ֲא ֶשׁר The Relative Pronoun ֶשׁ 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 ׇמה The Interrogative ִמי The Interrogative ָל ָמה/֫ ָל ָמּה The Interrogative ֵאיְך/יכה ָ ֵא The Interrogative ֵאי/ַאיֵּ ה Pronominal Suffixes Morphology With Masculine Nouns With Feminine Nouns With Monosyllabic Nouns With Prepositions With ְכּand ִמן With את־/ת ֶ ֵא 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 ֲה Directional Particle נָ ה Particle ִהנֵּ ה Particle of Existence יֵ שׁ Particle of Non-Existence ַ֫איִ ן
63 63 65 66 67 68 70 70 71 71 73 74
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 נָ א Weak Verbs Qal Infinitive Construct
75 75 76 77 79 83 83 85 86 91 94 94 95 95 96 98
Strong Verbs Weak Verbs Syntax of the Infinitive Construct Qal Infinitive Absolute Strong Verbs Weak Verbs Syntax of the Infinitive 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 תin 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
Appendices Verb Paradigms and Charts Hebrew-English Lexicon
154 169
PREFACE This little book was written in order to provide students with a “compact guide” to biblical Hebrew. Beginning students will find 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 find the compact guide helpful for blowing off the dust, filling in the cracks, and keeping fit 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 everyone’s preferences, but we did take careful aim. The best way to access the book’s 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 א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר שׂ שׁ ת
Final Form
ך ם ן
ף ץ
Name
Pronunciation
Alef Bet Gimel Dalet He Waw Zayin Het Tet Yod Kaf Lamed Mem Nun Samek Ayin Pe Tsade Qof Resh Sin Shin Taw
(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
1
Hebrew Alphabet ※ 2 1. Direction. Hebrew is written from right to left, not left to right as in English.
אבגדהוזחטיכלמנסעפצקרשׂשׁת 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.
בּ ב גּ ג דּ ד
b as in boy v as in vine g as in God gh as in aghast d as in day dh as in the
כּ כ פּ פ תּ ת
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 א, ה, ח, ע and ( רa semi-guttural). Gutturals (1) prefer aclass vowels, (2) reject Daghesh Forte, and (3) take Hateph vowels instead of Vocal Shewa. The semi-guttural רmay 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
ג ד ת ו
Traditional Pronunciation
Modern Pronunciation
gh as in aghast
g as in God
dh as in the
d as in day
th as in thin
t as in toy
w as in way
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 five 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
ׇבּ ֵבּ ֹבּ
Qamets
a as in father
Tsere
e as in they
Holem
o as in role
ַבּ ֶבּ ִבּ ׇבּ ֻבּ
Pathach
a as in bat
Seghol
e as in better
Hireq
i as in bitter
Qamets Hatuf
o as in bottle
Qibbuts
u as in ruler
Short Vowels a-class e-class i-class o-class u-class
Reduced (Hateph) Vowels a-class e-class o-class
ֲבּ ֱבּ ֳבּ
Hateph Pathach
a as in amuse
Hateph Seghol
e as in metallic
Hateph Qamets
o as in commit
3
Hebrew Vowels ※ 4
Vowel Letters Vowel Letters Written with ( הHe) a-class ׇבּה Qamets He e-class ֵבּה Tsere He ֶבּה Seghol He o-class בֹּה Holem He Vowel Letters Written with ( וWaw) o-class בּוֹ Holem Waw u-class בּוּ Shureq Vowel Letters Written with ( יYod) e-class ֵבּי Tsere Yod ֶבּי Seghol Yod i-class ִבּי Hireq Yod
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
Notes on Hebrew Vowel Letters 1. Vowel letters written with ( הHe) occur only at the end of a word, as in תּוֹרה ָ (law) and ( ְיִב ֶנהhe will build). 2. Vowel letters written with ( וWaw) and ( יYod) 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
בּוֹ בּוּ ִבּי
➣ ➣ ➣
ֹבּ ֻבּ ִבּ
Holem Waw written as Holem Shureq written as Qibbuts Hireq Yod written as Hireq
Other Vowel Symbols 1. Daghesh Lene ( )בּappears as a small dot only in a begadkephat consonant in order to distinguish between the hard and soft pronunciations. 2. Daghesh Forte ( )בּdoubles the consonant in which it appears. It can occur in any consonant except the gutturals and ר. 3. Silent Shewa ( )ְבּhas a zero value and is never pronounced and never transliterated. 4. Vocal Shewa ( )ְבּmaintains a hurried pronunciation and sounds like the a in amuse.
