Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Trevor & Julie Peterson" <06peterson AT cua.edu>]

Dean wrote:

> Well, I speak spanish and english and I would like to learn Hebrew not
> only
> for conversation, but i'd like to be able to read my bible in Hebrew
as
> well, to get somewhat of a deeper understanding....

If you're interested in conversational Hebrew, I would recommend that
you start with Israeli Hebrew. Like any other modern language, you can
learn to speak it through using tapes or taking courses. (You can very
likely find an Ulpan program in your area, perhaps if you check with
some local synagogues or a Jewish school.) The modern language is quite
different from Biblical Hebrew, but not so different that you could not
move from one to the other with relative ease. The advantage to doing it
that way is that you would acquire some spoken fluency before trying to
read biblical texts. (And after all, written texts are generally written
with the native speaker in mind.) The disadvantage is that you might be
inclined to assume too much similarity between the two, but if you're
careful, that pitfall can be avoided.

Conversational Aramaic is a bit more difficult to come by. Probably the
most accessible option would be to find a Syriac Orthodox community.
Many of them still speak Syriac as a kitchen language, although I don't
know how interested they are in teaching it. If you're anywhere near St.
Paul, Minnesota, I might know someone you could contact. But this is one
of those areas where it's probably best to start with Hebrew (or Arabic,
if you find that more available). I suspect that once you're comfortable
in a modern Semitic language, you'll probably be able to transition into
ancient texts OK without learning a modern equivalent every time.

Trevor Peterson
CUA/Semitics