Customer Reviews

Old Testament Hebrew Vocabulary: Learn on the Go

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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These two CD's serve as another helpful addition to Zondervan's ever growing original languages library. Pennington again is the "author" who lends his voice to the reading of the Hebrew words and their definitions. It basically follows the same format as his New Testament Greek Vocabulary.

All Hebrews words occurring 20 times and more are given in their descending order of frequency. Pennington also says the alphabet in the beginning and like the NT counterpart there is a 40 page booklet to accompany the CDs. The glosses (definitions) follow Zondervan's Vocabulary Guide for Biblical Hebrew by Van Pelt and Pratico.

The only disappointment which I have so far is that I learned Hebrew using the modern pronunciation whereas Pennington uses the Classical pronunciation. (...)

Pennington performs a valuable service to anyone who seeks to learn Hebrew on their own. The vocabulary includes the most common Hebrew words so that the learner will have the maximum benefit of memorization. Each is clearly pronounced enabling the student to recognize similar sounding words, which is important since much Hebrew Scripture relies on word plays and punning. It is a great resource.

I actually bought the Old Testament Hebrew Vocabulary CDs at a book store for full price, should have come to amazon... I am enjoying them and finding that they are extremely helpful. I like that there is a booklet included so that you can distinguish between letters and vowels that may sound alike on the CD. I have found that my knowledge of hebrew words has increased exponentially since starting this program and while I don't quite feel comfortable reading the Hebrew OT, I haven't finished the program yet, I am noticing more and more that I will read my English version and come across words that are likely translations of words that I know.

I believe that these CDs would be a good place to start in your Hebrew education if you want to get into the OT as quickly as possible. I know for me incentives like reading a sentence or passage in Hebrew really keeps me going through some of the most grueling hours of rote memorization. I would suggest for all that are really serious about their study of original texts to start with these CDs and then get a good grammar book to fill in the gaps. Of the five or six Hebrew grammar books that aimless seminary professors have subjected me to 'A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew' by Weingreen is by far the best I have found. He does a great job about explaining not only what the proper grammar is but also why it is.

Now for the negatives about this CD. First, I'm not sure if everyone would consider this a negative or not but he uses the classical pronounciation instead of the modern pronounciation of Hebrew. It is easy enough to switch around in your head but I figure if you are going to go through all the trouble of learning a language that is still spoken today why not learn it in such a way that you can use it on that trip to Israel that you've always wanted to take? Secondly, the CD is helpful for initially learning how to pronounce the words but after that it is just about useless. My suggestion is to get some 3x5 cards cut them into fifths and write the words on there. you can take the flashcards anywhere and they will be easier to prove your comprehension to yourself. It is really helpful, however, that he set these words up in manageable lists according to frequency. Also, I don't feel that he gives you enough time on the CD to think about the meaning of the word before tell you or enough time to go over the word after you get the definition before he starts on the next word. I know I could use the pause button but pausing that gets old fast. I think he probably intends you to write the cards. Lastly, learning a language takes real committment. We are talking between 1-3 hours a day for several months, maybe even years. What a person puts into learning a language is what they will reap from it. I have found so far that every word frequency list has several words that I am either already familiar with or can guess and at least one word that gives me a theological insight into a passage or thought process behind the OT. I think these are gifts from God to help continue on what is sometimes a dry task, but even with these there is still a lot of discipline and committment required in learning the language. Don't fall into the trap of believing that you put the CDs in your car stereo and magically learn Hebrew on your way to work.

This review went on longer than I anticipated so to sum up. Good beginning resource to jump start a life long discipline of study and faithfulness. Take the book and make flashcards, use the CDs to correct pronounciation. Well worth the money. God bless.

Well, I'm a person taht has big struggles getting my vocab down, and finding people to work with me on it the way I need to work - with near endless repetition until the words all finally "stick." The thing that is great about this is that you can not only take it in the car wit hyou, but if you've put it on your computer in MP3 format you can grab a dry-erase board and dry-erase markers and pause after each word, trying to write the words out and thereby learn them much more actively. Also, it is a great tool to put on your iPod and use it while you exercise (of course, quietly in a public place, though personally I prefer long walks). It is helpful, especially if you are in the process of trying (as I am) to survive the required Hebrew courses for seminary. I think it is a very useful product that has all sorts of potential uses.

These CD's are short, concise, and contain very few frills. All of which are assets when you're trying to get a vast amount of vocabulary under your belt. The words are organized by frequency, which lets you focus on the vocabulary that matches your progress simply by selecting the appropriate audio track. Also included is a helpful booklet containing all the words, organized again by frequency.

I'm a beginning student in Biblical Hebrew, and have found this CD set to be an invaluable tool. There are no shortcuts to learning Hebrew, no "five easy steps" or the like, but there are some fantastic tools out there. This is one of them. Don't set aside the flash cards, the workbook, or the grammar--this won't replace them. But when you drive somewhere, pop in these CD's instead of whatever music you're currently listening to, and you will be amazed at how they help get the vocabulary into your head.

You can't beat it! This study can only help. If you're well versed in Hebrew you will probably find it lacking although I may find it hard to believe you... As for me! it's just what I needed.