Lesson 12
Lesson 5
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Introduction
There are many reasons to learn Hebrew such as to read the Tenach (the Old
Testament of the Bible written in Hebrew) in its original language or simply to learn
how to pronounce Hebrew words such as those in Strong's Concordance without
having to use the transliterations. Probably the most advantageous reason to learn
Hebrew is the ability to understand the original author's words, rather than through
the translators opionion of the author's words.
Learning the Hebrew language can be both fun and exciting. By simply studying the
pages to follow for just a few minutes a day you will soon be reading Hebrew and be
building a small vocabulary of Hebrew words and phrases.
English uses the word "Alphabet" which is the first two letters of the Greek
Alphabet; Alpha and Beta. Hebrew on the other hand uses "Alephbet" as they are the
first two letters of the Hebrew Alephbet; Aleph and Bet. The Hebrew alephbet
consists of 22 consonants and no vowels. The vowels are dots and dashes added
above and below the consonants. One advantage to Hebrew is that the sound for each
letter remains the same unlike English where one has to memorize many variations
such as the word circus where one "c" is pronounced like an "S" and the other like a
"K".
DIRECTION OF READING
Unlike English which is read from left to right, Hebrew is read from right to left just
as many other semitic languages such as Arabic. This may sound difficult but in a
very short time you will get used to it.
When sounding out a word it will be easier if you remember the Consonant (C) and
Vowel (V) patterns. In English the consonants and vowels may be arranged in any
order such as in the word "circle" which has the following pattern; C-V-C-C-C-V.
Hebrew on the other hand is very consistent in that a vowel always follows a
consonant (except the final consonant which may or may not be followed by a
vowel), such as in the following words "Melek" (king) C-V-C-V-C; "Meleko" (his
king) C-V-C-V-C-V and "Hamelek" (the king) C-V-C-V-C-V-C. The Yud (Y) is
another exception to this as it can be a consonant acting as a vowel, just as our
English "Y".
MODERN AND ANCIENT HEBREW
The pronunciation of some of the consonants and vowels have changed over the
centuries but this does not affect the meaning of words so we will learn to pronounce
them according to the modern Hebrew. Modern Hebrew pronunciation is also
divided into two parts, Ashkenazie and Sephardic. Since Sephardic is the
pronunciation adopted by the State of Israel, we will also use this pronunciation.
THE LESSONS
Each lesson includes new consonants, vowels, a practice section, new vocabulary
words and sentences. The practice session will allow you to practice the new letters
and vowels and refresh yourself on old ones. The vocabulary section will consist of a
few words using the new letters and vowels to begin building your Hebrew
vocabulary. The Sentences will allow you to begin using your new words in
sentences. To assist you in learning the letters and words, I recommend that you put
the letters and words you are learning on flashcards so that you can study them at
any time.
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Alephbet
Some common confusions between letters
Consonants
The "aleph" is the first letter of the Hebrew alephbet. This consonant is
silent.
The "beyt" is pronounced two ways, a "b" as in ball, and as "v" as in visit. A
dagesh (a dot in the middle of the letter) indicates that the letter will have the "b"
sound, while the abscence of the dagesh indicates the "v" sound. When the beyt
is prefixed to a word it means "in".
Vowels
Practice
.1
.2
Vocabulary
Came .1
Father .2
Sentences
Father Came. .1
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 2
Consonants
The "final mem" is the form of the letter used when at the end of a word.
The pronunciation does not change.
The yud is pronounced "y" as in yes. When the yud is added at the end of
a word it means "of me" or "my".
Vowels
Practice
.1
.2
Vocabulary
Mother .1
Who .2
My mother .3
My father .4
Sentences
Who came? .1
My father came. .2
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 3
Consonants
The "final nun" is the form of the letter used when at the end of a word.
The pronunciation does not change.
The "hey" is pronounced "h" as in hello. When the "hey" is suffixed to the
end of a word it makes the word feminine. When it is prefixed to the front of a
word it is the definite article meaning "the".
Notes
1. The English verb "to be" and its various tenses such as "am", "is" and
"are" do not exist in Hebrew and need to be added in the translation.
2. English has two indefinite articles, "a" and "an" which also do not exist in
Hebrew and must be added in the translation.
3. The vocabulary word below "ba'ah" is the feminine form of the masculine
verb "ba'" (came) which was introduced in lesson 1.
4. The final syllable of most Hebrew words is accented by pronouncing the
final Consonant-Vowel-Consonant as a syllable. For instance, the word for
"I", in the vocabulary list below, is pronounced "a-niy" rather than an-iy.
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
I .1
Where .2
Son .3
She .4
Prophet .5
Came (f) .6
What .7
The .8
Sentences
Where is my father? .1
I am a father. .2
Who is she? .3
My son came. .6
Learn
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 4
Consonants
The "vav" is pronounced "v" as in visit. When the vav is prefixed to a word
it means "and".
Vowels
When this vowel is placed under the first letter of a word it is pronounced
as a soft "e" as in help. When it appears in the middle of a word it is used
as a syllable break and is not pronounced.
Notes
1. When one of the "a" vowels are followed by the consonant "yud", the
pronunciation is "ah-y", which, when said quickly sounds like "i" as in bike.
2. In some languages, such as Spanish, nouns are masculine, feminine or
neuter . Hebrew is much the same, all nouns are either masculine or
feminine (there is no neuter).
3. The "yud-mem" combination is the masculine plural ending, similar to the
the "s" ending for English plural nouns.
4. When the dagesh (the dot in the middle of a letter) is placed within some
letters, such as in the nun in the word for "Here [am] I" in the vocabulary
list below, it doubles the letter. Therefore, this letter would be pronounced
"hin-ney-niy" rather than "hi-ney-niy".
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
Night .1
God .2
Water .3
Amen .4
Here .5
Sea .6
Here am I .7
To me .8
Sentences
Night came. .1
My son came to me. .2
Mother came in the
.3
night.
My father and my
.4
mother are here.
Water is in the sea. .5
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 5
Consonants
The "shin" is pronounced two ways, "sh" as in sharp, and "s" as in sign.
When a dot is placed on the top right corner of the letter it takes the "sh" sound
and when the dot is placed on the top left corner of the letter it takes the "s"
sound.
Vowels
The dot above the "vav" is pronounced "o" as in open. The "vav" becomes
silent. When this "vav" is suffixed to a word it means "to him" or "his".
Notes
1. In Hebrew, the verb usually appears before the subject of the verb, such
as in sentence #5 below.
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
Peace .1
Skies .2
Said (m) .3
Created (m) .4
Said (f) .5
Ruler .6
Day .7
Light .8
Rabbi .9
Name .10
Sentences
My name is Levi. .1
What is his
.2
name?
His name is
.3
Abraham.
Ruler of Peace. .4
God created
.5
skies.
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 6
Consonants
Vowels
The dot in the "vav" is pronounced "u" as in tune. The "vav" is silent. When
this vav is suffixed to a word, it means "of them" or "they".
Notes
1. In Hebrew the adjectives come after the noun, such as tov (good) in
sentence #1 below.
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
Evening .1
Good .2
Israel .3
Over, On .4
She .5
He .6
Keeping,
.7
Guarding
Sentences
Good Evening. .1
Who came in the
.2
evening?
She came in the
.3
evening.
He came in the
.4
evening.
Peace over Israel. .5
What is his
.6
name?
His name is
.7
Israel.
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 7
Consonants
The "Tav" is pronounced "t" as in tune. A dagesh may appear in the letter
but will not change the sound of the letter.
Vowels
This vowel is a dot which appears at the top and just to the left of the letter
instead of beneath it and is pronounced "o" as in open.
Notes
1. The Hebrew word for Moses (Vocabulary word #1) appears to be missing
a vowel after the "mem". Since Hebrew requires a vowel after each
consonant, the vowel is the "o" placed above the letter "Shin". The dot
over the right leg of the letter "Shin" and the vowel "o" are in the same
place.
2. The "et" (Vocabulary word #3) precedes a direct object of the verb and is
rarely translated into English. For example, if I said "I made the dinner",
the direct object is "the dinner" because "the" comes before "dinner". In
this case the Hebrew word "et" would precede "the dinner" in Hebrew. If I
said "I made a dinner", the "et" would not precede it since "dinner" in this
sentence is not a direct object.
3. An exception to the rule requiring the C-V-C-V pattern is the word "reshiyt"
(Vocabulary word #8). The aleph does not always require a vowel after it.
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
Moses .1
God, gods .2
Precedes the
direct object of the .3
verb
Gave (m) .4
Sabbath .5
Teaching .6
To us .7
Beginning .8
Student (m) .9
Sentences
Peaceful Sabbath. .1
And they will keep the
.2
Sabbath.
Moses gave to us the
.3
Torah.
In [the] beginning God
.4
created.
A student studies the
.5
Torah.
A student studies
.6
Torah.
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 8
Consonants
The final "tsade" is the form used when the letter appears at the end of a
word and is also pronounced "ts".
Vowels
This vowel is a combination of the "sheva" vowel and the "a" vowel learned
previously. The vowel works the same as the "sheva" with a pronunciation
of "a" as in father, when placed under the first consonant of the word.
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
Exist (m) .1
Land .2
Sentences
Genesis 1:14
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 9
Consonants
The final "kaph" has the same pronunciations as the "kaph". While most
words end with a consonant, the final "kaph" will usually be followed by a vowel.
Vowels
Notes
1. When the "ah" vowel appears under the letter "chet", the two sounds trade
places. The second word in line 2 of the practice section is pronounced
"ko'ach" not "kocha". This is unique only to this letter and vowel
combination when it appears at the end of a word.
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
Yes, So .1
Grass, Herb .2
Tree, Wood .3
Sentences
Genesis 1:5
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 10
Consonants
Vowels
This vowel is a combination of the "sheva" vowel and the "a" vowel learned
previously. The vowel works the same as the "sheva" with a pronunciation
of "a" as in father, when placed under the first consonant of the word.
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
Which, Who .1
Make, Do (m) .2
Face .3
Sentences
Genesis 1:11
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Lesson 11
Consonants
Notes
Practice
.1
.2
.3
Vocabulary
All .1
Man .2
Bird .3
Fish .4
Sentences
Genesis 1:26
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
Lesson 12
Now that you have completed the previous lessons, you may begin putting what
you have learned to use. Below are the first five verses of Genesis chapter one
for your reading practice.
Genesis 1:1-5
Congratulations
You have completed all twelve lessons. At this point you have the ability to read
the Bible in its original language. Your next step is to practice your reading skill,
build your vocabulary and begin learning word and sentence structure.
Prayer Book Hebrew The Easy Way: While this book is written to aid the
Jewish student in learning to read the Sidur (Prayerbook), it is an excellent book
for the non-Jew as well because of its ability to teach word and sentence
structure.
The Ancient Hebrew Research Center Web Site has some resources that will
assist you with your continued reading practices and vocabulary including an on-
line Hebrew Bible (no vowel pointings) and a Dictionary which lists all the Hebrew
words used twenty five times or more in the Bible.
It would help us greatly if you would E-Mail us to let us know what you think of
the lessons. Did you find them easy to follow? Did you have any problems with
the lessons? Do you have any suggestions that would make the lessons better
for others? May we also invite you to sign our guestbook.
Thank-you very much for your continued interest in the Hebrew language and
allowing us to be a part of your studies. We hope that you will continue your
Hebrew studies with enjoyment and satisfaction. If we can be of service to you
now or in the future, please let us know.
Learn Hebrew Part 2
Introduction
The writing of these lessons will take time and we hope to add an additional
lesson every few weeks.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions for these lessons please
Email us, thank you.
Hebrew Fonts
Vocabulary
Hebrew words are gender sensitive as are some English words such as "boy"
and "girl". Many English words are not gender sensitive such as "child". In order
to convey the gender of the Hebrew, the symbols (m.) for masculine words and
(f.) for feminine words will be placed after the English words.
Those entries in the vocabulary section which are prefixes will be followed by a
dash (-).
Transliteration
Translation
Words required in the translation that are not in the Hebrew, that are added into
the translation are in italics.
Learn Hebrew Part 2
Lesson 1
Vocabulary
Sentences
Vocabulary
Sentences
Notes
1. A taliyt is a four cornered garment with the fringes tied at each corner
(Numbers 15:37-41), often called a prayer shawl.
2. Tephiliyn, often called by the Greek name phylacteries, are leather boxes
tied to the forehead and hand when praying (Deuteronomy 6:8). Inside the
boxes are parchment with specific Biblical passages written on them.
3. Many feminine words end with "h'-".
4. Masculine plural words are idenitified with a "~yi-" suffix. Feminine plural
words are identified with a "tA-" suffix.
5. The participle verbs such as "leL;P.tim" (praying) use the same plural
suffix when more than one are performing the action of the verb. When a
group composed of both masculine and feminine are the subjects of the
verb, the masculine suffix is used for the participle.
6. Adjectives normally follow the noun.
Learn Hebrew Part 2
Lesson 3
Vocabulary
Participle Verb
Conjugations of dm[ (standing)
Participle Verb
Conjugations of bvy (sitting)
Sentences
Translation Transliteration Hebrew
Here is a boy. hin-neyh na-ar. `r;[;n heNih
A boy is a large child. na-ar ye-led ga-dol. `lAd'G d,l,y r;;[;n
The name of the boy is sheym ha-na-ar yo- `@esAy r;[;N;h
Joseph. seyph. ~ev
What is on the table? mah al ha-shul-chan? `r,pes ?!'x.luV;h l;[
A book. sey-pher.
h'm
What is in the hand? A
book.
mah bay-yad? sey-pher. `r,pes ?d"Y;B h;m
ay-yeyh ha-se-pha-
Where are the books?
riym? ?~yir'p.S;h hEY;a
`!'x.luV;h l;[
One is in the hand and e-chad ba-yad ve-e-
one is on the table. chad al ha-shul-chan. d'x,a.w d"Y;B
d'x,a
Here is one boy. hi-neyh ye-led e-chad `d'x,a d,l,y hENih
The name of the boy is sheym hay-ye-led av- `~'h'r.b;a d,l,Y;h
Abraham. ra-ham.
~ev
Where is Abraham? ay-yeyh av-ra-ham? ?~'h'r.b;a hEY;a
Abraham is on a chair. av-ra-ham al ki-sey. `aeSiK l;[ ~'h'r.b;a
Abraham is standing av-ra-ham o-meyd al `aeSiK;h l;[ demA[
on the chair. ha-ki-sey.
~'h'r.b;a
Here is one girl.
hin-neyh yal-dah a- `t;x;a h'D.l:y
chat. hENih
The name of the girl is sheym hay-yal-dah sa-
Sarah. rah. `h'r'f h'D.l:Y;h ~ev
Where is Sarah? a-yeyh sa-rah? ?h'r'f hEY;a
Sarah is on a chair. sa-rah al ki-sey. `aeSiK l;[ h'r'f
Sarah is standing on sa-rah o-me-det al ha- `aeSiK;h l;[
the chair. ki-sey. t,d,mA[ h'r'f
Abraham and Sarah `tAa.siK;h l;[
av-ra-ham ve-sa-rah
are standing on the
om-diym al ha-ki-sot ~yid.mA[ h'r'f.w
chairs.
~'h'r.b;a
Notes
1. Remember that the "a" vowels are pronounced like the "a" in father. In the
above sentence is the word "d"Y;B". The transliteration for this word is
bay-yad. The first syllable "bay" is pronounced "bahee" (as in good "bye")
not "bay" as in a bay of water.
Learn Biblical Hebrew - Part 3
Introduction
If you know the Hebrew alephbet, your next step in Biblical Hebrew studies is to
learn sentence and word structure. The following is the first few verses of Genesis
chapter one where we will examine each word, one at a time, explaining their
construction and relationship within the sentence. The final lesson is Genesis chapter
one for you to practice your translation on. You will need the BST Hebrew Font to
view the Hebrew text in these lessons.
Below are a couple resources to assist you in your Biblical Reading. We are
including a singular link below to these but do not make any specific links at each
occurence within the lesson as you will learn quicker when you search for the word,
prefix or suffix within the resources. If you have any questions, comments or
suggestions on these lessons please e-mail us.
Study Resources
Hebrew/English dictionary of common Hebrew words
Prefixes, suffixes and infixes added to Hebrew roots
Hebrew Alphabet
Learn Biblical Hebrew - Part 3
Hebrew Prefixes, Suffixes and Infixes
Prefixes
The --ה To --ל
In --ב Like --כ
And --ו Which --ש
Noun Derivatives
---מ ם---
---ת ת---
-י-- --ו-
ה--- תי---
ןו--- תו---
Genesis 1:1
תישארב
The בis a prefix meaning "inside". This letter is an abbreviated form of the Hebrew
word "( "תיבbeyt) meaning "house". The house is where the family resides "inside".
Words related in meaning to the root are commonly formed by adding certain letters
to the root and all of the words derived from the same root will be related in
meaning. The letters "תי--" are added to the root to form a new noun, תישאר, meaning
"beginning" (The head of a time or space as in the beginning of an event or a river.)
By being able to recognize the prefixes and letters added to a root to form noun
derivatives, one can easily see the root word within the word. There are
approximately 8,000 different words in the Bible, all of which are derived from only
about 1,500 root words. Of these 1,500, about half are used very infrequently in the
Bible. This means that with a good understanding of about 750 root words one can
easily read the Biblical text without memorizing all 8,000 words used within it.
ארב
This is a verb (word denoting action). While this word is usually translated as
"create" a better Hebraic translation would be "fatten" or "filled" as what is fattened
is filled up. The Hebrews thought and communicated in concrete terms rather than
abstracts as we do. The word create is an abstract word while the word fatten or
filled are concrete.
Each verb identifies gender (masculine or feminine), number (singular or plural) and
tense (perfect or imperfect). This verb would literally be translated as "he did
fatten/fill". The "he" is masculine singular and the word "did" indicates perfect tense.
Perfect tense is completed action and is similar to our past tense. Imperfect tense is
incomplete action and is similar to our present or future tense. Notice the difference
of tenses between Hebrew and English. English tenses are related to time while
Hebrew is related to action.
םיהלא
This word is the subject of the verb, the "he" in "he did fatten". Generally the subject
of the verb will follow the verb rather than precede it as in English. In English we
say "John ran fast." but in Hebrew this would be written as "ran John fast".
The root word for this noun is " "הלאmeaning "power". This word is used for anyone
or anything which, has "power" and is often translated as "God". The suffix "םי--"
denotes a plural for masculine nouns. While English plurals denote quantity (more
than one), Hebrew plurals can also denote quality (very large or great). The word
" "םיהלאcan be translated as "gods" (quantity) or "a great god" (quality). The idea of
"a great god" is generally written as "God".
Only through context can it be determined if the plural noun is identifying quantity
or quality. This can be the context within the passage or the sentence structure itself.
In this verse the context of the sentence structure requires this word to be understood
as qualitative since the verb was preceding it states "he (singular) did fatten" and not
"they (plural) did fatten".
תא
This word literally a plow point which creates the furrows in the field and is guided
by the driver of the plow. In order to keep the furrow straight, the driver heads for a
mark in the distance. Therefore, this word is literally "the moving toward a mark".
The word " "תאis used over 11,000 times (and never translated into English as there
is no equivelent) to point to the direct object of the verb. Some examples of a direct
object are; "Bible", "the book" and "his book" where the "book" is specically
identified". Conversely, an example of an indirect object would be; "a book" where
the book is not specifically identified.
םימשה
The first letter, ""ה, is another prefix and is usually translated as "the". This prefix is
the short form of the word " "להmeaning, "to look at something".
The root word is " "משand while usually translated as "name" is more literally
"breath". In Hebraic thought your breath is your character, who you are. In the
Hebraic culture one's name was to reflect their character, or "breath".
Again we find the suffix "םי--" indicating a plural - "breaths" or "winds" of the sky
and best translated as "skies".
Because the "( "הthe) precedes the word "( "םימשskies), this word is a direct object,
hence, the reason for the word " "תאbefore it.
תאו
Another very common prefix is the letter ""ו, usually translated as "and". This is the
abbreviated form of the word " "ווmeaning, peg or nail. As a nail attaches two items
together, this prefix attaches two or more things together in a sentence, in this case
"the skies and the land".
Added to this prefix is the word " "תאwhich was previously discussed. Because of
this word we know that the word which follows is also a definite object of the verb
""ארב.
ץראה
The letter " "הis the prefix meaning "the". The word " "ץראis a common word
meaning "land".
Learn Biblical Hebrew - Part 3
Lesson 2
Genesis 1:2
ץראהו
As previously discussed the prefix " "וis used to attach two parts of a sentence
together but is also used to attach two or more sentences together, in other words
bringing all of the words of one story together. In fact, the entire chapter of Genesis
chapter one is one long story as each sentence begins with a ""ו.
The letter " "הis the prefix meaning "the" and the word ""ץרא, as previously
discussed means "land".
התיה
The root word of this verb is ""היה, a very common root literally meaning "to exist"
or "breath" as one who exists breathes but, is usually translated with a form of the
English verb "to be". This verb is made feminine, singular, and perfect tense because
the " "הis added at the end of the root. When a " "הis added to a root which ends with
a ""ה, the " "הis changed to a ""ת. This verb would be literally translated as "she did
exist" where the "she" is the "land" from the previous word.
והת
The root word here is " "התmeaning "empty". By adding the letter " "וto the root, a
noun derivative is formed meaning, "empty" or "void".
והבו
The first letter, ""ו, is the prefix meaning "and" and is used to connect the word
following it with the previous word.
The root word is " "הבmeaning, "to fill a void". A common Hebrew word also
derived from this root is "( "אובbo') and is usually translated as "come" or "go". The
English translations of this word imply movement in a certain direction but the
Hebrew meaning of the word is to "fill a void" and can be either here (come) or there
(go).
The " "וadded after the root forms a noun derivative meaning "void".
There are two styles of poetry seen in the passages we have looked at thus far. The
first is the use of similar sounding words together such as we see with this word and
the previous word - "tohu v'vohu". The other is called parallelism where one idea is
expressed in two separate ways. The first sentence we looked at said that "God filled
the sky and the land" while this sentence says that "the land was unfilled (a void)".
(Hebrew does not write sentences in chronological order as we do.)
ךשחו
The first letter is the prefix meaning "and". The word " "ךשחmeans "dark" or
"darkness".
לע
ינפ
The root for this word is " "הנפmeaning, face. This word is always used in the plural
form ""םינפ. This word is in the construct state "faces OF....".
When a masculine plural noun is used in the construct state, the letter " "םis always
dropped. Also, when the masculine plural is added to a word that ends with the letter
""ה, the " "הis dropped.
םוהת
A noun derived from the root " "םוהmeaning "sea". This derivative, formed by
adding the letter ""ת, has the more specific meaning of "deep sea".
חורו
The first letter " "וis the prefix meaning "and". The word " "חורis another Hebrew
word meaning "wind". This word is often translated as "spirit" but again, this is an
abstract word whereas, "wind" is a more concrete word and closer to the meaning of
the Hebrew.
םיהלא
This is the same word discussed previously. When two nouns appear together they
are in the construct state. This word and the word " "חורwould be translated as "wind
OF powers".
תפחרמ
The root to this verb is " "ףחרmeaning, "hover over" such as a bird does over the
nest. The letter " "תindicates this verb is feminine singular (she) perfect tense. The
letter " "מis a type of verb conjugation to be discussed later. This verb can literally be
translated as "she did hover". The "she" of this word is the " "חורwhich is a feminine
word. While most consider the "Spirit" a "he", Biblically, it is a "she".
לע
ינפ
This word was also previously discussed meaning "faces" and is in the construct
state with the following word.
םימה
The first letter " "הis the prefix meaning "the". The root word is " "המwith the
masculine plural suffix ""םי. When a word ends with the letter " "הas in this root
word and the masculine plural suffix is added, the " "הis dropped.
The word " "המmeans "unknown" and is commonly translated as "what" a word used
to discover an unknown. Another form of this word is " "ימand is usually translated
as "who", another word used to discover an unknown.
When this word appears in the plural form it always refers to "water". The sea (a
place of large water) is seen as an unknown place, hence, the relationship between
water and an unknown.
Note that the previous sentence contains no verb, a common occurrence in Biblical
Hebrew.
Learn Biblical Hebrew - Part 3
Lesson 3
Genesis 1:3
רמאיו
The first letter " "וis the prefix meaning "and". The root word is ""רמא.
Hebrew root words can be used as a noun or a verb. As a noun this root would be "a
word" while as a verb it is "to say". We see a similar occurrence in English as in the
sentence; "He will play Moses in the play". The first use of the word "play" is a verb
while the second is a noun. The context of the sentence as well as the type of
prefixes and suffixes added to the word will tell you if the word is a verb or a noun.
When the letter " "יis added to the root ""רמא, the word is identified as a verb and can
literally be translated as "he will say" (masculine singular perfect tense). But, since
the letter " "וis the prefixed the tense is reversed and becomes "and he did say".
םיהלא
This word has been discussed previously and is the subject of the previous verb.
יהי
The root of this word is " "היהas discussed previously meaning "to exist". The ""י
identifies the verb as masculine singular imperfect tense, "he will exist".
When a verb ends with a ""ה, it is often dropped when conjugated. The same is true
for a verb that begins with a " "נwhich is also dropped when the verb is conjugted.
All verbs are three-letter words. If you come across a verb and remove the prefixes
and suffixes and find only two letters remaining, most likely the verb has dropped
the final " "הor the beginning ""נ.
רוא
A root word meaning "light". This word is the subject of the previous verb.
יהיו
This is the same verb with the same conjugation as the previous verb but includes the
" "וwhich reverses the tense to perfect and becomes "and he did exist".
רוא
The same word meaning, light, and again the subject of the previous verb.
Learn Biblical Hebrew - Part 3
Lesson 4
Genesis 1:4,5
At this point you should be able to translate verses 4 and 5. Most of the words as
well as the prefixes and suffixes have been covered above with the exception of
those listed below. Once you have translated the verses you can use a translation to
check your work.
One of the best resources to assist with Biblical reading in Hebrew is a lexicon that
lists every word in the text. With type of lexicon you can look up any word found in
the Bible, including all its prefixes and suffixes, such as the word ""תישארב. The
lexicon will tell you that the letter " "בis a prefix, and that the root for this word is
""שאר. The lexicon will also define the word itself. You can also look up the root and
see all of the other words derived from this root. One of the best lexicons is
"Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon" by Benjamin Davidson.
Learn Biblical Hebrew - Part 3
Lesson 5