How to Read the Bible in Hebrew

The Torah

Reading the Bible in Hebrew can be a deeply meaningful and rewarding experience. The Hebrew language is poetic and fluid, and translations can capture only one meaning out of several possible renderings of a given verse. Although mastery of the language can take years, a rudimentary knowledge of the structure of Hebrew and a good Hebrew-English dictionary can give you great insight into the deeper meanings of the Biblical text.

Things You'll Need

• Introductory Hebrew grammar textbook (available online)
• Hebrew-English Bible (available online)
• Hebrew-English dictionary (available online)

Instructions

Learn to Read the Bible in Hebrew

1. Memorize the Hebrew alphabet (all consonants). This is not as difficult as you might think. There are only twenty-two letters in Hebrew, five of which are written differently if they occur at the end of a word. That's twenty-seven symbols in all, just one more than in English. Use a conventional textbook or one of the online resources listed below.

2. Memorize the Hebrew vowel system. The correct pronunciation and meaning of the words are indicated by a series of thirteen markings called "nekudot," any of which might appear under or beside each consonant. For example, the first letter of the Bible is a "bet," which makes a "b" sound. Underneath are printed two dots, one on top of the other--that's a "shva," one of the nekudot. The bet plus the shva makes the sound "buh." The following letter is "reish" ("r") with two side-by-side dots beneath it, which makes the sound "ay"--this makes the sound "ray."

3. Sound out your first Biblical verse. Now that you have the letters and the nekudot memorized, you can slowly make your way along each word. Hebrew is read from right to left, with one of the nekudot accompanying each letter (except, occasionally, the last letter) in each word. Many of the online resources, including some listed below, allow you to hear the verse while you read it. Hebrew is also a phonetic language, unlike English, meaning the words are pronounced as they are spelled.

4. Match the Hebrew words to their English translation. You will note that Hebrew is a dense, compact language. Genesis 1:1, for example, consists of seven Hebrew words, but typically requires ten words to render it in English. A Hebrew-English dictionary will help you identify which Hebrew words match the English translation.

5. Identify the root of the words in the Hebrew verse (this can be a little more difficult). Hebrew words are almost universally based on three-letter roots, or "shorashim" (singular: "shoresh"), although the meaning is adjusted with the addition of prefixes, suffixes and infixes. You will have to learn some of the basic variations (such as the addition of the letter "he" at the beginning of a word to indicate the definite article "the") to strip a word down to its root. This stage is the most meaningful of the entire process, because you will get a sense of the multiple nuances of a given verse.

Tips & Warnings

• Take the time to master the alphabet and vowels. Concentrating on these basics, which are relatively easy to learn, will help reduce the frustration level when you get to the more difficult task of translating.

• Jewish law forbids the literal pronunciation of several names of God, in particular the four-letter Tetragrammaton (see for example Genesis 2:7). When used in a religious context, this word is rendered "A-do-noi" (literally, "Our Lord"); in more casual speech, this word is pronounced "Ha-shem" (literally, "the Name").

References

• Ancient Hebrew Learning Center: "Introduction to Learning Hebrew;" by Jeff A. Benner
• Mechon Mamre: "Genesis chapter 1"
• Judaism 101: "Hebrew alphabet"
• Judaism 101: "Root words"

Resources

• Yale University Press: "Biblical Hebrew;" by B. Kittel, 2004.
• Judaica Press: "Hebrew-English Dictionary" by R. Alcalay, 1996.