Introduction to Biblical Hebrew [Hardcover]

Thomas Oden Lambdin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1971

The choice of vocabulary and grammar, in this book, is essentially an introduction to the prose, not the poetical language. Generous use of transliteration is meant to serve three purposes: it enables the reader to perceive Hebrew as a language and not an exercise in decipherment, it removes the obstacles to mastering innumerable pages of abstract phonological and orthographic details, and facilitate the memorization of the paradigms.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Hebrew

From the Publisher

The choice of vocabulary and grammar, in this text, is essentially an introduction to the prose, not the poetical language. By keeping the grammatical discussion at a relatively unsophisticated level the text can be used for study without a teacher. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 345 pages
• Publisher: Scribner's (1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684413221
• ISBN-13: 978-0684413228
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Grammar, February 6, 2002

By 

J. E. S. Leake "sailor and scholar" (Offshore, Persian Gulf) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew (Paperback)

In my opinion, Lambdin is among the best grammars of Biblical Hebrew (tho' I can't quite understand why US students pay so much for it when the UK edition, tho' paperback, is a quarter of the price).

When I first studied Hebrew, I used Weingreen (which I still consider an excellent book for those who like an old-fashioned approach to language), but when it came to reviewing the language, I used Lambdin, whose far more sophisticated approach gave me quite a different and very valuable perspective on the language.

Another book available in the UK which is invaluable to lone students, H.G.M. Williamson's Annotated Key to Lambdin's Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, which is what it says it is! It is available on Amazon.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You Need Good Eyesight, September 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Introduction to Biblical Hebrew (Hardcover)

Lambdin's book is not bad - it is more pedagogical and suitable for self-study than most of the old traditional hebrew texts such as Weingreen and Davidson. However for someone using the book for self-study purposes and not taking a Hebrew course concurrently it may be difficult to jump start your language study with Lambdin: the introductory chapter on sounds and spelling is not well written and may have the effect of discouraging the student from further reading. But beyond that the book is fairly easy to digest.

My only other concern is with the paperback edition. The print of the Hebrew letters and points is small. Have a look at a copy before you order. This may not seem significant as you read this review but once you start studying from it you may have regrets.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to Biblical Hebrew, July 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew (Paperback)

Of the grammar books I have used in learning classical Hebrew, this was the most useful. The text is clear and complicated grammar is introduced both logically ad usefully. Adapted biblical passages are used as reading material after each chapter for most of the book. Don't worry about the reviewer's insistence that poetical language isn't covered - except for archaic poetry, the grammar is the same. One proviso, tho' - I didn't give the book 5 stars because it has no key. The University of Sheffield in the UK publish a key, H.G.M. Williamson's "Annotated Key to Lambdin's Introduction to Biblical Hebrew", ISBN 1 85075 065 3 (about $25). Together, they beat anything else.