Tongue of the Prophets [Paperback]

Robert St. John (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The fascinating story of the courageous Jewish scholar. Eliezer Ben Yehuda devoted his life to making Hebrew the language of Palestine and to furthering the establishment of a Jewish state there. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Wilshire Book Company (June 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879801662
• ISBN-13: 978-0879801663
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #597,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: Tongue of the Prophets, April 15, 2000

By	"katechristine" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tongue of the Prophets (Paperback)

This is the biography of a Jewish man named Eliezer Ben-Yehuda who made it his life's work to revive the Hebrew language and help return his people to their homeland of Israel. He persevered through a terminal illness, the death of his first wife and several of his children and constant financial trouble. He was misunderstood and criticized by many of his own people, yet he began a movement which brought many Jews home to Israel and helped unite them with a common language. I think one of the most amazing things about this true story is that, in reviving the Hebrew language, Eliezer actually had to create many words himself. Because the language had been "dead" for so long, there were no words for things such as airplanes, automobiles or concerts. He had to hunt through the existing language to find words that he could combine or slightly modify to make new words. He also spent weeks and months hunting through old literature to find lost Hebrew words. This is the most interesting biography I've ever read. Eliezer's passion and perseverance were inspiring.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Man Who Re-discovered Hebrew, May 6, 2002

By	Lindsay Billington (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tongue of the Prophets (Paperback)

For any interessted in Jewish history, or of the language of Hebrew itself. An excelent recount of the man who 're-discovered' the language of Hebrew. This book is full of adventure and real life drama. It follows all the ups and downs of his rediscovery of the Hebrew language and the fierce opposition against him. Does not read like a regular biography, very easy to read, could not put down ! I would recommend this book to anyone!

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of "a faithful fanatic", August 24, 2010

By	charlene at Dosido Bookshelf (Fullerton, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tongue of the Prophets (Paperback)

When the nation of Israel was born, they could make modern Hebrew their national language largely through the life work of Ben Zion Ben Yehuda (and his amazing wives), born Eliezer Perlman in 1858. This book of his life is a wonderful read!

"It is the story of a faithful fanatic who had two great love affairs, made enemies of his best friends, went to prison for his beliefs, was always on the verge of death from tuberculosis, yet fathered eleven children, gathered the material for a sixteen-volume dictionary unlike any other philological work ever conceived, authored plays, a geography, and two of the most urgent 'appeals' ever addressed to his own people, and died while working on the word for 'soul.'" (copied from back cover)