Hebrew

The Hebrew Language Institute

Brought into being by legislation in 1953 as the supreme institute for the Hebrew Language, the Academy of the Hebrew Language prescribes standards for modern Hebrew grammar, orthography, transliteration, and punctuation based upon the study of Hebrew’s historical development. The Academy’s plenum consists of 23 members and an additional 15 academic advisors, all outstanding scholars from the disciplines of languages, linguistics, Judaic studies, and Bible. Its members also include poets, writers, and translators. The Academy’s decisions are binding upon all governmental agencies, including the Israel Broadcasting Authority.

Goals and Functions

As defined in its constitution, the Academy’s functions are: (1) to investigate and compile the Hebrew lexicon according to its historical strata and layers; (2) to study the structure, history, and offshoots of the Hebrew language; (3) to direct the development of Hebrew in light of its nature, requirements, and potential, its daily and academic needs, by setting its lexicon, grammar, characters, orthography, and transliteration.

Hebrew is one of the world's oldest languages, spoken and written today in much the same way as it was more than two thousand years ago. After ceasing to exist as a spoken 1anguage about 250 B.C., it was reborn as a modern language in the 19th century, and today it is the principal language of the State of Israel. Books, newspapers, and magazines published in Israel today are written in a Hebrew that is much the same as the language of the Bible.
For over three millennia Hebrew has been the religious, and often the literary and secular, language of the Jewish people. A Semitic tongue, it was spoken during the period of the migration of the Patriarchs into Palestine and remained the language of the Jews throughout the Old Testament period. In the post biblical period Hebrew gradually gave way to Aramaic as the spoken language, but continued throughout the centuries to serve as the language of ritual and prayer.

Hebrew is one of the world's oldest languages, spoken and written today in much the same way as it was more than two thousand years ago. After ceasing to exist as a spoken 1anguage about 250 B.C., it was reborn as a modern language in the 19th century, and today it is the principal language of the State of Israel. Books, newspapers, and magazines published in Israel today are written in a Hebrew that is much the same as the language of the Bible.

The renaissance of Hebrew as a spoken language in the 19th century may be ascribed almost entirely to the efforts of one man: Eliezer ben Yehudah, who devoted his life to the revival of the language, and at the same time adapted it for modern use through the introduction of thousands of modern terms. Hebrew gradually came into use among the Jewish settlers in Palestine and became the official language of the State of Israel when that nation was created in 1948. Today about 3 million people speak Hebrew either as their maternal, adopted, or religious tongue.

This page provides tools that have helped me to learn Biblical Hebrew, starting with the letters of the Alphabet. If you are interested in modern Hebrew I highly recommend the classes offered at http://www.hebrewonline.com. I have taken these classes and benefited greatly.

There are also many modern tools that I utilize today that are far better than when this site was initially created. Time constraint prohibit me from making updates that the site desparately needs but I still hope that you will find it useful. If you are ready for more advanced Biblical Hebrew study, nothing I have found can compare with the HALOT lexicon and BHS text that can be purchased from www.logos.com. (They don't pay me to say that, and they sell plenty of books I don't use and some I disagree with, but it is an outstanding tool that I use almost daily.)

Unless otherwise noted, courses may be taken for three graduate credits or non-credit. All courses, except for Hebrew language and Framework courses, assume a capability for graduate level study and a basic background in Jewish studies. Gateway and core text courses require knowledge of Hebrew equivalent to Hebrew IV (campus-based instruction) or Hebrew V Online.

The below teachings by Jeff A. Benner were recorded during various teachings and seminars. Please feel free to use or copy these for your own personal use or to share with a group. I offer these teachings for free but if you would like to make a donation to help support the work of the Ancient Hebrew Research Center just click on the donation button below. Jeff also teaches in Paltalk (click for more details), a voice and text chat program on the internet.

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Here you’ll find basic information about the Hebrew alphabet, vowels, and Biblical Hebrew grammar so that you can better understand the Scriptures from a Hebraic point of view. Join me in my Bet Midrash (house of study), and progress from knowing not one letter of Hebrew to reading and speaking it with confidence! **Now with Hebrew AUDIO!**

In addition to learning Biblical Hebrew grammar, this site provides information about common Hebrew blessings and Jewish prayers, the Hebrew Scriptures (Tanakh), the Jewish holidays, and weekly Torah portions from a Messianic point of view. The Hebrew Names of God, as well as an online glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish terms is also provided. Be sure to check out the online store for some excellent study materials!

Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. In Israel, it is the de facto language of the state and the people, as well as being one of the two official languages, and is spoken by a majority of the population.