Hebrew for the Rest of Us: Using Hebrew Tools without Mastering Biblical Hebrew [Paperback]

Lee M. Fields (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2008

This is a companion volume to Greek for the Rest of Us by William D. Mounce. This book is a guide for English-only readers to understand the language of the Old Testament just enough to work with the Old Testament in more detail and to understand the scholarly literature on the Hebrew Bible. Its specific aims are to aid students to learn (1) why translations differ, (2) how to do Hebrew word studies, (3) what the basics of Hebrew exegesis are, and (4) how to read more advanced Old Testament commentaries with greater understanding. Herbrew for the Rest of Us is set up in a workbook format.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

LEE M. FIELDS is a trained Hebrew scholar with a PhD from Hebrew Union College. He is the chair of the Department of Biblical Studies at Mid-Atlantic Christian University (formerly Roanoke Bible College), Elizabeth City, NC. SPANISH BIO: Doug Fields tiene mas de 20 anos de experiencia en el ministerio con jovenes y es autor de mas de 40 libros incluyendo Videos que ensenan, Melodramas espontaneos, Ministerio de Jovenes con Proposito. Doug es pastor de jovenes de la comunidad cristiana de Saddleback en el sur de California y con frecuencia sirve de maestro en los entrenamientos de Especialidades Juveniles.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (November 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310277094
• ISBN-13: 978-0310277095
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LEE M. FIELDS is a trained Hebrew scholar with a PhD from Hebrew Union College. He is the chair of the Department of Biblical Studies at Mid-Atlantic Christian University (formerly Roanoke Bible College), Elizabeth City, NC.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good work with a misleading title, March 14, 2009

By 

Ij Thomason (Baranduda, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hebrew for the Rest of Us: Using Hebrew Tools without Mastering Biblical Hebrew (Paperback)

Lee Field's, "Hebrew for the Rest of Us" has been published as the Hebrew language equivalent to Bill Mounce's, "Greek for the Rest of Us"; however, the similarity of titles aside, the two works could hardly be more different! Whilst "HRU" is certainly well written I doubt that it would meet the needs of the intended audience, non-Hebrew trained Christian readers. It is simply too demanding. Positively, the text is replete with test questions, which is surely a 'good' thing. Negatively, it lacks any sort of answer key, which for a work of this sort must be a 'bad' thing.

As someone who tutors tertiary-level students in the biblical languages, I believe "HRU" would best serve the needs of those who are engaged in instructor-led learning at a theological college/seminary, or as a refresher text for those who had previously studied the language. Perhaps the ideal niche for the work would be a course along the lines of "introduction to Hebrew". But the interested 'layman' looking for a 'self-directed learner-friendly' text should probably look elsewhere (say, Kittel et al, "Biblical Hebrew: a Text and Workbook").

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly edited, March 30, 2010

By 

Lucas D. Weeks (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hebrew for the Rest of Us: Using Hebrew Tools without Mastering Biblical Hebrew (Paperback)

The editing in this book is the worst that I've ever seen in an academic book. The charts are confusing and generally not helpful. Finally, for some strange reason, the author insisted on abbreviated commonly used words. The word "pronoun", for instance, would repeatedly be abbreviated to "prn". Why? It made it difficult to read and to understand.

All in all, probably the worst academic book that I've ever used. Don't bother.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a full-on grammar, February 1, 2012

By 

shemayah phillips (Falwellistan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hebrew for the Rest of Us: Using Hebrew Tools without Mastering Biblical Hebrew (Paperback)

I do not own or use this book. I did go over it. It is actually a good little intro. But it is not quite a grammar and I do not believe it makes that claim. Yet it would suit most Christians, most ministers, and some Jews although it is definitely a Christian aimed resource. (He, at one point, takes a shot at Revelation's 666, though I'm not so sure he understands gematria well. Tarsus is 666, not Neron Kaesar. That's clearly Christian-centric.) But for most it would serve as a good tool to introduce the casual looker-upper and a bit more for Biblical Hebrew. But the key term is "casual reader." This approach serves the majority of people and most textbooks and courses are overkill. Funny thing is that most ministers will receive a store-bought ejication in Hebrew only in order to make them look like they know what they're talking about when totally misunderstanding the theology of the Tanakh and wrangling it about to promote non-biblical religion. So again, this is all most of them need. I once made a comment about a grammar /tool geared toward a Christian audience. A person made the comment that it was published by Zondervan, as if I was to accept that it would be Christian directed. Biblical Hebrew is just that, Biblical Hebrew, and should be. Anything else needs to be noted regardless of author or publisher. And I admit my prejudice against Christianity. If this little book is still usable in my opinion, then it must be half-way decent. Compare it to some others that include enough nonsense to sound like it mixes Hebrew and Sunday school, it is even more a positive approval.