Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Second Edition [Hardcover]

Gary D. Pratico (Author), Miles V. Van Pelt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 2007

Features of Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar, Second Edition text: * Combines the best of inductive and deductive approaches * Uses actual examples from the Hebrew Old Testament rather than 'made-up' illustrations * Emphasizes the structural pattern of the Hebrew language rather than rote memorization, resulting in a simple, enjoyable, and effective learning process * Colored text highlights particles added to nouns and verbs, allowing easy recognition of new forms * Chapters Two (Hebrew Vowels), Nine (Pronominal Suffixes), Seventeen (Waw Consecutive), Eighteen (Imperative, Cohortative, and Jussive), and Twenty-Three (Issues of Sentence Syntax) are revised and expanded * Section of appendices and study aids is clearly marked for fast reference * Larger font and text size make reading easier * Updated author website with additional Hebrew language resources and product information (www.basicsofbiblicalhebrew.com) Features of updated CD-ROM: * Full answer key to the accompanying workbook (compatible with Windows and Macintosh) * Scripture indexes to both the grammar and the workbook * FlashWorksTM, a fun and effective vocabulary-drilling program from Teknia Language Tools * Links to additional resources accessible with internet connection

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The Biblical Language Series published by Zondervan is comprehensive and pedagogically cutting edge....If you have a passion to learn Biblical Hebrew and thus enrich your Old Testament studies, here is your starting point!' -- Alpha and Omega Ministries

(Alpha and Omega Ministries )

Review

''I have used other Hebrew grammars both personally and in-class. The others, however, do not compare with the well-developed pedagogical system of Gary Pratico and Miles Van Pelt's Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar and Workbook. Each lesson is thoughtfully and attractively designed to assist students in the task of learning the essential elements of Biblical Hebrew. Rote memorization is kept to a minimum, while the overall thrust of the grammar is geared toward comprehending the 'nuts and bolts' of the language itself. Therefore, the grammar contains information that is absent in the others, which puts the students at a greater advantage in learning to read and interpret the Hebrew of the Old Testament. ' Reformed Theological Seminary -- John J. Yeo

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 2nd edition (July 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310270200
• ISBN-13: 978-0310270201
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Hebrew > Instruction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A reference work more than a beginning grammar, November 25, 2008

By 

jdc, sr. (NC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Second Edition (Hardcover)

The Ross Hebrew Grammar is very much better, in our view, than the Pratico Grammar. Pratico has produced a book that serves better as a reference book than a beginning Hebrew Grammar. Very often, my students were confronted with material they did not need. Ross' Grammar we have found to be simpler and, for beginning students, that means better. It covers all that beginners need, and just a little bit more (for the students who want it). I am sure that other Grammars do the same. Pratico just gives too much information too soon. Much of it can safely be skipped.
We recently switched from Pratico to Ross' textbook in mid-stream because we grew tired of having to deal with so much unnecessary detail. We have kept Pratico on the shelf, and have referred to it once already. So, it still is serving a purpose. But I cannot recommend it as the text of choice for beginners.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Van Pelt's Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, February 23, 2010

By 

R.M. "RM" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Second Edition (Hardcover)

I purchased this grammar and the accompanying workbook, flashcards, "charts," and the "Get an A" summary sheet for my Hebrew I & II courses under Miles Van Pelt. It was a treat to be taught from this grammar by the co-author himself. But for those of you who are considering buying this grammar for a course under another professor, or for independent study, I definitely recommend these items, except for the "charts" which you don't need at all. Of course, if you're a student who is going to study under another professor than either of the co-authors, be sure they approve of your relying on this text, even if in part.

Now for the self-studier (or, autodidact), I strongly encourage you to get the four items I list above. This grammar (w/ other goodies) is the simplest way to learn Biblical Hebrew, in my opinion, and that is because it is the most scientific. By this I mean that the authors have painstakingly eliminated all the gruelling paradigm memorization as was possible and caught instead upon all the ways the morphology (how verbs change and why) can give you the same information and make it possible for you to parse the verb(al).

We covered two chapters per week for Hebrew I (and in the compressed winter term, Hebrew II one chapter per day), so it is possible to cruise through this system in six months. I can actually read the Hebrew text after having studied all the chapters, but that was with the benefit of constant instruction by a professional. For autodidacts, plan on one year of disciplined study, without rushing too fast past things you're not sure about. The workbook (and CD ROM from the back of the grammar to grade it) are great! Be sure to do all the exercises, except perhaps the English to Hebrew, which isn't really necessary, but could be a useful added drill if you are struggling. Also, for self-study's, be sure to review review review. Don't be ashamed to start over from the beginning once you have finished. Then you might want to obtain a Hebrew Reader. Zondervan has a nice one. Now learn you some Hebrew ya bums!

Please consult my review of William Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek, because the same strategy and paedagogical method was adopted for Hebrew with this grammar as was adopted by Mounce for Greek.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough Grammar yet has some bias, April 24, 2008

By 

David A. Bielby "Ev Xpistw" (Normal, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Second Edition (Hardcover)

This is a well laid out grammar with extensive help on every key grammatical point. I think many of the reviews here I have read bring out good points, however, there is a bias in this grammar that I didn't see mentioned. I'd like to point that out here.

This book uses the traditional pronunciation guides that were used in many older grammars and in Seminaries years ago. However, it is not the only traditional pronunciation of Hebrew. Yet this grammar presents it's pronunciation as if it was the traditional mode. This is unfortunate because it's not completely accurate and because the pronunciation guide used here will cause many of the words you learn to sound like you learned Hebrew in a western language Seminary. It would be better if grammars like this switched to the modern pronunciation of Hebrew, since there are millions of Jews living today who speak modern Hebrew (they use the same alphabet and all the vocabulary in this book).

Also, this Grammar has more detail in some ways than a 'basics' book ought to have, but I really love the way it is laid out and the format of the material.

Therefore, I give it a four star.