A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew Part One: An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew; Part Two: Continuing Biblical Hebrew

by Bornemann, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780761811855
• ISBN10: 0761811850
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-07-16
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew presents two distinct, but related courses geared mainly toward seminary students, designed to turn out intelligent users of the Hebrew Bible. The first part provides a four week intensive course leading to a lexical knowledge of biblical Hebrew. Its goal is to teach the necessary linguistic tools to enable students to gain a basic grasp of the nature and structure of political Hebrew, to use the Hebrew lexicon and concordance to be able to exercise some control over translations, to develop a basic vocabulary of words significant for biblical thought, to understand the peculiar problems of the Hebrew text and its transmission, and to use scholarly commentaries with understanding. The second part provides a full course in grammar and reading by focusing on the Elijah narratives in 1 Kings 17-19 which contain examples of nearly all the elements needed for a sound knowledge of biblical Hebrew. A major portion of the second part gives a full summary of Hebrew grammar and extensive notes on Hebrew syntax providing a basic reference for any reading of the Hebrew Bible.

Table of Contents

A Prefatory Note
PART ONE: AN INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL HEBREW
An Introductory Note
Hebrew and the Semitic Languages	1	(7)
The Hebrew Alphabet
The Spirants
The Gutturals
Weak Letters
The Hebrew Vowels	8	(4)
The Hebrew Vowel Letters
The Masoretic Vowel Points	12	(6)
The Writing of Hebrew
The Syllable in Hebrew	18	(5)
The Seva
The Dages
The Noun: General Remarks	23	(9)
The Endings for the Absolute State
The First Declension
The Second Declension
The Third Declension
The Definite Article	32	(9)
The Inseparable Prepositions
The Conjunction Vav [***]
The Use of the Adjective
The Copulative and Hebrew
The Construct State of the Noun	41	(8)
The Endings for the Construct State
The Use of the Construct
Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns
The Third Masculine Singular Perfect of the Verb
The Pronominal Suffixes	49	(5)
Suffixes with Nouns
Suffixes with Verbs
Suffixes with Prepositions and the Sign of the Accusative
The Verb: General Remarks	54	(6)
The Root of the Verb
The Forms (or, Aspects) of the Verb
The Voices of the Verb
The Stems of the Verb
The Conjugation of the Verb	60	(5)
The Personal Afformatives and Preformatives
The Two Statements Governing Conjugation
The Qal Perfect
The Qal Imperfect	65	(6)
The Imperative
The Negative Command
The Jussive and Cohortative
The Participles	71	(7)
The Participle in Hebrew
The Infinitives
The Coordinate Nature of Hebrew Expression	78	(8)
The Vav Consecutive
Finding the Root	86	(6)
Finding the Root of Nouns and Nominal Forms
Finding the Root of Verbal Forms
The Strong Verb
Verbs with Weak Letters
The Hebrew Text	92	(18)
The Problem of a Consonantal Text
Errors in the Consonantal Text
Errors in Interpreting the Consonants
Scribal Emendations and Additions
Ketib and Qere
The Accents
PART TWO: CONTINUING BIBLICAL HEBREW
An Introductory Note	107	(3)
ELIJAH: YAHVEH AND BA`AL (1 KINGS 17-19)	110	(19)
The Elijah Story
An Outline of 1 Kings 17-19f
Literary Analysis of 1 Kings 17-19
[1] 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah Announces a Drought
1 Kings 17:2-7 Elijah in Hiding at Wadi Kerit
[2] 1 Kings 17:8-16 The Widow of Sarepat and the Unending Supply of Flour and Oil
[3] 1 Kings 17:17-24 The Raising of the Widow's Son
[4] 1 Kings 18:1-6 Obadiah and Ahab During the Drought and the Search for Water and Elijah
[5] 1 Kings 18:7-18 The Meeting of Elijah with Obadiah and Ahab
[6] 1 Kings 18:19-24 Elijah's Challenge for a Contest on the Karmel
[7] 1 Kings 18:25-29 The Failure of the Prophets of Ba`al
[8] 1 Kings 18:30-40 Elijah's Victory and the Slaughter of the Ba`al Prophets
[9] 1 Kings 18:41-46 The Coming of the Rain
[10] 1 Kings 19:1-8 The Flight of Elijah into the Wilderness
[11] 1 Kings 19:9-18 The Theophany at Horeb
[12] 1 Kings 19:19-21 The Call of Elisha
A SUMMARY OF HEBREW GRAMMAR
Hebrew and the Semitic Languages	129	(4)
Proto-Semitic and the Three Language Families
Synopsis of the Semitic Consonantal System
The Hebrew Alphabet	133	(4)
Mutes and Spirants
Sibilants
Sonants
Gutturals (and ***)
Weak Consonants
The Vowels in Hebrew	137	(2)
Matres Lectionis
The Masoretic Vowel Points
Seva, Dages, and Other Vowel Points	139	(3)
The Noun in Hebrew	142	(7)
Gender
Number
States
The Three Declensions
Nominal Forms *** from *** and Roots
Nominal Forms from *** Roots
Nominal Forms from *** Roots
Case Endings
The Definite Article	149	(1)
Prepositions	150	(2)
Nominal Character of Prepositions
The Inseparable Prepositions
The Conjunction Vav	152	(1)
Pronouns in Hebrew	153	(3)
Personal Pronouns
Demonstrative Pronouns
Interrogative Pronouns
Relative Pronouns
Pronominal Suffixes	156	(5)
Pronominal Suffixes with Nouns
Pronominal Suffixes with the Inseparable Prepositions
Pronominal Suffixes with Prepositions and the Accusative Particle
Pronominal Suffixes with Verbs
The Verb in Hebrew: The Basic Structure	161	(4)
The Stems of the Verb
The Personal Afformatives and Preformatives
The Two Statements Governing Conjugation
The Simple Stems: Qal and Nip`al	165	(5)
The Intensive-Repetitive Stems: Pi`el, Pu`al and Hitpa`el	170	(2)
The Causative Stems: Hip`il and Hop`al	172	(3)
Unusual Stems: Sap`el and Histap`el	175	(1)
Verbs with Pe Nun [***]	176	(2)
Verbs with Lamed He [***]	178	(3)
Verbs with Pe Yod and Pe Vav [*** and ***]	181	(3)
Verbs with `Ayin Vav and `Ayin Yod (Middle Hollow Verbs) [*** and ***]	184	(3)
Verbs with `Ayin `Ayin (Double `Ayin Verbs) [***]	187	(1)
Verbs with Pe Guttural [*** Guttural]	188	(2)
Verbs with Pe 'Alep [***]	190	(1)
Verbs with `Ayin Guttural [*** Guttural]	190	(1)
Verbs with Lamed Guttural [*** Guttural]	191	(1)
Verbs with Lamed 'Alep [***]	192	(2)
NOTES ON HEBREW SYNTAX
The Noun	194	(2)
Indefinite Nouns
Nominal Forms Definite in Themselves
The Use of the Article in Hebrew
The Omission of the Article in Hebrew
The Adjective	196	(3)
The Qualifying Adjective
The Predicate Adjective
Comparison of Adjectives
Adjectives Used as Nouns
Numerals	199	(5)
Distributive Use
Multiplicative Use
Ordinals
A Note on Writing Numbers
The Perfect and Imperfect Forms of the Verb	204	(1)
Imperative, Jussive, and Cohortative	205	(3)
The Imperative
The Jussive
The Cohortative
Vav Consecutive	208	(3)
Vav Consecutive as a Narrative Device
Vav Consecutive and the Expression of Purpose and Result
Vav Consecutive Introducing a Passage
The Infinitives	211	(3)
The Infinitive Construct
The Infinitive Absolute
The Participle	214	(3)
The Participle in Its Nominal Character
The Participle in Its Verbal Character
The Sentence in General	217	(1)
The Nominal Sentence	218	(2)
The Order of Words
The Lack of a Copula
The Problem of Tense
The Verbal Sentence	220	(2)
The Subject Separately Expressed
Indefinite Constructions
The Order of Words
The Negative Sentence	222	(1)
The Interrogative Sentence	223	(2)
Desiderative Sentences	225	(1)
Compound Sentences: The Coordinate Nature of Hebrew Expression	226	(1)
The Relative Clause	227	(2)
Dependent Clauses Introduced by Particles and Conjunctions	229	(4)
Conditional Sentences
Purpose Clause
Glossary	233	(28)
Index of Subjects	261	(14)
Appendix	275