Customer Reviews

The Cambridge Biblical Hebrew Workbook: Introductory Level

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From browsing the Web, this workbook does not seem to have gotten the attention it deserves. I agree with the previous comment that this might not be suitable as an introduction to Hebrew grammar. That is because it gives basic information very concisely. The main strength, however, is that the explanations given are very clear. It may not use the same terminology as the standard grammars, but anyone who has gotten past any standard grammar will appreciate the quality of the exercises in this book. They are extensive and lead very well to retention. I'm in the next-to-the-last chapter and,so far, enjoying this book. Extreme attention is given to vocalization changes - a feature I haven't seen presented in such a simple fashion. My only complaint is that it doesn't open flat as a workbook should. Other than that, it is a worthwhile purchase.

Each chapter has a concise but very detailed overview of the topic followed by the exercises. Various exercises to recognize grammatical forms are followed by both hebrew to english and english to hebrew translation exercises.

This book is billed as working with "any introductory textbook," but in reality, it works with no textbook. But the authors do not provide chapter references for any of the standard intro textbooks, forcing students who may need more explanation to hunt on their own for appropriate chapters in other books. Furthermore, the topical reviews and exercises are quite difficult, often covering grammatical details and idioms not usually found in introductory textbooks. Nonetheless I give the book four stars because it makes a fine intermediate or review workbook.

I have tried to learn Biblical Hebrew from several books and unfortunatelly found the same drawbacks: too little explanations on the vowel change system and too few exercises. Nava Bergman's book is an answer to my prayers. Finally I can both understand why the vowel change in the ways they do and can master the grammatical material in several exercises. What is of equal importance for me - this is a book for self-students, as I am. That's bacause of the Key section. Another attraction is the fact that the learner reads original Bible sentences in the exercises instead of artificial examples. I also love the appendix: a small collection of Biblical main genres with facilitating notes.
All in all, I adore it.