Biblical Hebrew Forum

[clayton stirling bartholomew <c.s.bartholomew AT worldnet.att.net>]

on 07/11/00 2:56 PM, yochanan bitan-buth wrote:

> 1. What are the biggest challenges to learning Biblical Hebrew and how can
> they be addressed or ameliorated?

yochanan,

#1 Morphology is a big challenge

#2 Vocabulary is a big challenge

#3 syntax is relatively easy

Being a lazy student I started with #3 which is backwards but I only wanted
to know enough Hebrew to make the LXX understandable. I was able to achieve
this goal in a relatively brief period (several years) by studying syntax
first. 

BTW, this is how I learned Greek as well. I started with syntax and picked
up morphology on the fly as I was studying syntax. I worked so well with NT
Greek that I was tempted to write a book called "Learning NT Greek in only
Five Hours a Day." My problem with Hebrew is that there are only so many
hours in a day and when you take a few hours for NT Greek and a few hours
now and then for Attic Tragedy and Homer then Hebrew just doesn't ever get
much time. 

I don't know how problems #1 and #2 can be solved short of massive exposure
to the text (thousands of hours of reading).

Clay


--  
Clayton Stirling Bartholomew
Three Tree Point
P.O. Box 255 Seahurst WA 98062