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BiBle & interpretation
I
Beginning Biblical Hebrew
A Grammar and Illustrated Reader
John A. Cook and Robert D. Holmstedt
This innovative textbook by two leading experts in Biblical Hebrew combines the best of traditional
grammars, new insights into Hebrew linguistics, and a creative pedagogical approach. The book
includes fifty brief grammar lessons with accompanying workbook-style exercises, appendixes
providing more detailed explanations, and a full-color reader—bound at the back of the book
for right-to-left reading—that incorporates comics, line drawings, and numerous exercises, all in
Hebrew. Professors can adapt the book to either one-semester or full-year courses.
PRAISE FOR Beginning BiBlical HeBrew
“Cook and Holmstedt’s grammar is a breath of fresh air. If you want your students to learn Biblical
Hebrew in a deep and substantial way, and help them enjoy the process as well, then this grammar
is exactly what you are looking for.”—Charles Halton, Houston Baptist University
“A joy to read, a joy to use, and a joy to teach from!”—Bálint Károly Zabán, Review of Biblical
Literature
Now Available
340 pp. · paper · $80.00
978-0-8010-4952-1
Hebrew
Beginning Biblical Hebrew
Instructor’s Manual and Answer Key
John A. Cook and Robert D. Holmstedt
This full-color instructor’s manual includes the entire text of Beginning Biblical Hebrew, plus mar-
ginal notes with pedagogical suggestions and answers to exercises.
Available
324 pp. · paper · $40.00
978-0-8010-4886-9
Hebrew
r-12
Readings
+ #f' +K!7 4 f '
+ ) /Õ' : aÕ! i
' : a ! #' : a !'1 6 +! i ! # f ' ! !
! i ! # !+ 4! / - !
+ 3Õ- !Õ-' ] :' 3Õ! + 3Õ-' ] :' 3Õ' : % Õ +Õf'
=L1K/ k! g 4 k!
f' ++ ) /K!f % ^ ! f % 1 +! + 4 #' : a 7 4 +- ' + : #-'1' 4
K! 4 :¡+ f' K: C k#
-L+ f -L+ f -L+ f
-L+ f !' +-L+ f
T +U + -L+ f !' +-L+ f
T +U + T +U +-L+ f !
L-' '' +0' +
- ' + : 0 ) #-' '' +0' +
f' !-' + :' +f'
T +U +
-' '' +f '' +-L+ f
U +f ' !-' + : #
T +
! /'1
k ! k ! /'1
k ! k ! k ! /! /
k
! i f' '1 !
___________________________________________- ' ' ' / + $
_________________________________________ -' + :' / + %
__________________________________________ f : ' / + &
(Answer—True or Not True, and Why?) ! ] + #= / +L= / !1 4 k
_____ 7 4 C ! + 4 !
____________________________________________________
_____ ! ] :' 4! i !
___________________________________
_____ ! i +-' '0'
___________________________________
_____ f % ^ +- ' ' f '
___________________________________
_____ 7 4 ! = % k f % ^ ! !
___________________________________
_____ f' !+ 4! + ff % ^ +f ' #
____________________________________________________
-L9 ] !¡= X / k
K! #! 9 1 C #! i f ' - !
0 EÕ-' ] :' 3Õf' Õ' !Õ: ) $
I +f ' #-' 'f ' #! i +f '
f :f ' #
I +Õ- ' 1' 3Õ- ' + :ÕI +
L+f '- ' 1' 4f ' ! #
L+f ' #- ' + :f' #
L+Õ-' 'ÕL+Õf :Õf'
7 4 +f % ^ +-' '0' #! i +f' +- ' '
7 4 +f % ^ +-' + :0' #! i +f' +- ' + :
= / +L= / ! 1 4 k
! ] + #
(Answer—True or Not True, and Why?)
! ] + #= / +L= / are true/
false questions with the explanation
required. Again, the explanations are
intended to be short and repetitive.
Here and wherever else this exercise
appears, the great majority (sometimes
all) of the answers are = / +. This
is because it is simpler to write an
explanation for a negative answer; it is
often a matter of correcting a subject or
adding a negative. In contrast, it is often
difcult to compose a simple explana-
tion for a positive answer. Even if stu-
dents begin to notice (and anticipate)
the pattern of frequent = / + an-
swers, formulating the explanations still
requires that they understand the initial
statement and are able to correct it.
= / !
! i !+ 4 #f' !+ 4! + 4f'+ ) ] !' : % #7 4 C! + 4f'
= / !
+ ) ] !'1 6 +! ] :' 4! i !
= / ! +
! i + - ' ' f '
= / ! +
- ' + :L+0' #f % ^ +-' '0'
= / ! +
7 4 CK!7 4 != % k +f %^ !
= / ! +
! i !+ 4f % ^ +! + ff '
-L9 ] !¡= X / k
When there are two Cloze exercises in
the same reading (or, for larger read-
ings, in the same section), the second
is always quite a bit more difcult than
the rst.
: ) $' !0 Ef'
- ' ] : ' 4
- ' + :I +-' 1' 4
I +
-' 'L+f'
f :L+
7 4 +f % ^ +! i +f' +f :f'
r-36
Readings
9 + %9 % 8 '¡= 9 4
-' f %-' : G
! # % k f ! LC f ' g 1
- ' g Kf
# G % '
together
!a
here
' f ' + f
third
9 +%9 % 8 '¡= 9 4
In the rst speech bubble, the phrase
' f ' + i ! - L Q C is an adjectival for-
mation that has not been explicitly
discussed but will be soon after this
(L32). Since - : ' 4 has already been
used in the Genesis 3 readings, it
may be simplest to by-pass discus-
sion of the adjective at this point. (You
may wish to address it with the next
section, however; see below.) If the
subject is addressed here, then focus
on two features: adjectives that follow
the noun like this (1) agree in number
and gender with the noun and (2) typi-
cally match the presence/absence of
the article ! on the noun. More will be
said in L32.
-' f %-' : G
There are several weak verbs in the
vocabulary list. For the I- verb g 1 ,
see appendix C.4b. This type of weak
verb was introduced in : 9 / and
in 9 + % of ! : 9 / . For the I-' verb
f ' , see appendix C.4e. For the II-#
verbs LC,Kf, and - ' g , see appen-
dix C.4g. The II-# verb =K/ was intro-
duced in ! : 9 / (9 + %). Finally, if
any student asks about ! # % k f ! , be
prepared to identify the root !#% and
address the rare 0 ' 1 C Hishtafel.
-' !Y L+: / : f -L9 ] != ! : ##'1' 4= - ! : g1' f' + i !-LQ C
: ! !K+ 49 % 8' #- ! : #K f '-' : 4 ^ !' 1 f
! +3 +! g +! : '!#!'' V: / - ! :
John A. Cook (PhD, University of Wisconsin–
Madison) is associate professor of Old Testament
at Asbury Theological Seminary. He has taught
undergraduate and graduate courses at the
University of Wisconsin (Madison and Milwaukee
campuses), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School,
Wheaton College, and Grace College.
Robert D. Holmstedt (PhD, University of Wisconsin–
Madison) is associate professor of Near and
Middle Eastern civilizations at the University
of Toronto. His primary research interest is the
linguistic study of Northwest Semitic languages.
course help for professors and study aids for students