Ratings and Reviews
Alfred Njinyoh
This course met my most expected need at a time I am starting to consultant check for two OT projects. My challenge at the beginning was the intensive use of the Hebrew Language itself. I expected more English to be included but I later realized it was the most effective method to be immersed into the studies. Good and tolerant instructors, lively sessions with all in class. I am grateful!
Ronald Radke
I really enjoyed this course and this method of using living language for learning Hebrew. The instructors were great: caring, encouraging, brought a spiritual quality to the course, well-prepared. I highly recommend the course to anyone considering it.
Kate Mueller
It's been a joy to study and dive into Biblical Hebrew in an atmosphere of prayer, laughter, and care. The course was building slowly up, leaving nobody behind, and having extra work for those who wanted. The team teaching was excellent.
Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language
Biblical Hebrew Training for Bible Translator Consultants (BTC) 2021
SH BTC 101
Course Goal:
Geared for NT Bible Translation Consultants, the course seeks to internalize the Biblical Hebrew language so that reading the Hebrew Bible becomes more enjoyable, efficient, and exegetically rewarding. This approach allows basic reading processes–such as parsing, lexical, morphological and syntactic analysis -to become more second-nature. The more comfortable the translator/consultant is with the Hebrew text, the better equipped he/she will be to check other translations against the original Hebrew.
Communicative Methodology:
This course is specifically designed to use spoken Biblical Hebrew acquisition methodology. The course will begin to equip Bible translators and consultants to start thinking in Hebrew and thus better equipped to translate it; the consultant should reach a level of reading fluency that allows them to be less dependent on pop-over glosses, grammars, lexicons, and translations. A Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) – that blends the work TPR, Storytelling and the Ulpan methods — will be used to teach Biblical Hebrew primarily in the language itself, both in listening and video homework and in the online classroom.
- Attendance of the live sessions: Minimum 80% but 100% is ideal. Internal-only videos can be used to review and make-up sessions, but participation in the live-sessions is key.
- Homework: For every 1.5 hours of live Hebrew teaching, the consultant should expect 2-3 hours of additional work during the week.
- Know (in Hebrew!) basic regions, cities, and land features of the Hebrew Bible that provide crucial tacit information for the reader of the Tanakh.
- Know the most common Biblical Hebrew vocabulary in various forms (both singular and plural, and absolute and construct forms for nouns and the the five most common binyanim)
- Read more fluently (with less outside help) basic Pentateuchal narrative as well as from books like Ruth or Jonah.
- Articulate simple stories, ask comprehension questions, and discuss basic ideas of the Biblical text, all in spoken Biblical Hebrew.
- Describe simple events in the present and past tenses.
- Listen to narrative Biblical texts with basic comprehension.
- Know several verses from the Hebrew Bible from memory (e.g. Shema and a Psalm) and know a few common Hebrew blessings.
- Learn Hebrew Worship Songs to help facilitate memory and enjoyment.
- Quickly recognize and identify basic linguistic structures including noun and adjective endings, verb stems, conjugations, parts of speech, types of clauses and linguistic features.
- Begin to learn how to type Hebrew using the standard Israeli keyboard including vowel pointing.
- Practical Hebrew Exercises and materials developed by Hebrew for the Nations Staff.
- Biblical text handouts especially geared for highlighting grammatical features and the context of the Land of the Bible.
- Hebrew song sheets (based upon Biblical Hebrew texts)
I enjoyed the interactive lessons, using Hebrew almost exclusively. Each lesson built on the next and by the end, I felt more confident in being able to say simple prayers, read Hebrew aloud, comprehend simple passages and sing songs.