Williams Hebrew Syntax (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

John C. Beckman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0802094295 | ISBN-13: 978-0802094292 | Edition: 3rd

Although the morphology and lexicon of Hebrew are reasonably well understood, its syntax has long been a neglected area of study. Syntax, the relationship of words to one another, forms, together with morphology, the material of grammar. Its relative importance varies according to the language considered. This is particularly true of word order, for when an inflected language loses its case endings, word order assumes many of the functions of the former cases. This outline by Professor Williams re-emphasizes the significance of word order in Hebrew. Developed over fifteen years in a formal course on Hebrew syntax at the University of Toronto, it treats the syntax of the noun, the verb, particles and clauses, with a selection of illustrative examples. Its contents are based on classical Hebrew prose, but some account is also taken of the deviations in later prose and poetry. In this new edition English translations have been provided for all Hebrew phrases and sentences, and the bibliography has been expanded.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The particular excellence of the book... is its abundant quotation, to illustrate every nuance of the language of the Hebrew Bible.'

(Times Educational Supplement )

About the Author

John C. Beckman is the Hebrew Language Program Research and Teaching Assistant at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary."

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division; 3rd edition (June 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802094295
• ISBN-13: 978-0802094292
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Hebrew > Instruction

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I pick up this grammar first., December 14, 2007

By 

Jackson Atkins (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Williams Hebrew Syntax (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

Beckman thoroughly revised and expanded Williams' original work without losing it's genius. He includes a concise and informative explanation for each grammatical category and gives a literal interlinear and idiomatic translation for every example. Beckman has helped all future Hebrew students with his extensive footnotes. For every category, he gives a footnote with the section number of the same category in the five major reference grammars--A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, Gesenius, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, and Joüon. Thus, he made his grammar into an index of all grammars.

Despite these advances, I have one minor criticism. The authors do no include a separate section on hinneh, "behold." This particle plays a key role in many constructions as evidenced in the grammar. However, the student must flip though the whole book to find these uses when they should be together. Perhaps the authors left this out to save space but they could at least include hinneh in the Hebrew word or subject indexes. I hope a future edition could correct this very minor oversight.

I use this grammar every time I read Hebrew. When I arrive at a construction I need help with, I reach for William's Hebrew Syntax first. Usually, I am satisfied with his description but if I need more I use his footnotes to quickly find the appropriate section in an advanced grammar. Beckman has made a grammar that is ideal for quick reading while also acting as gateway to more advanced study. I recommend all students buy Williams Hebrew Syntax and either Bruce K. Waltke and M. O'Connor An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax or Paul Jouon and T. Muraoka A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. With this combination, you can quickly look up constructions without flipping though thousands of pages and still have access to advanced information when you need it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Substantial Improvement, July 25, 2007

By 

David A. Booth - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Williams Hebrew Syntax (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

I used this revised Syntax last Fall in its pre-publication form. Beckman's expansion of Williams' Outline makes it significantly easier for students to correctly grasp key grammatical categories. The low price of this valuable work means that every student of Biblical Hebrew will want to own a copy.

For teachers, one great advantage of this volume is that it is possible to cover the entire text in one semester (something that is nearly impossible to do with Waltke or Jouon). If you are teaching Intermediate Hebrew, you owe it to yourself and your students to give the third edition of Williams' Syntax a close look.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than I Expected, July 10, 2007

By 

Shawn W. Shell "hesed v'emet" (Massilllon, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Williams Hebrew Syntax (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

This is more than I expected to get for my money. Beckman has done Ronald J. Williams' "Outline of Hebrew Syntax" a great service by expanding the material by Williams, offering copious references to other grammars of biblical Hebrew, explaining grammatical jargon of linguists, and changing the print from that of a typewriter to a beautiful, readable Hebrew font. I purchased "A Guide to Biblcal Hebrew Syntax," and "Davidson's Hebrew Grammar: Syntax" by Gibson, but I found Beckman's update of Williams' book to surpass the former. The book is definitely worth the cost of the book. It will serve as a great aid along with the student's Hebrew Bible, and introductory Hebrew Grammar, as the student undertakes his or her journey to read God's word for all its worth.