The First Hebrew Primer: The Adult Beginner's Path to Biblical Hebrew

by Ethelyn Simon

The First Hebrew Primer is a simple, straightforward guide to Biblical Hebrew. Thirty lessons provide enough information and practice to enable you, with the aid of a Hebrew-English dictionary, to understand most biblical texts. The goal of the Primer is to teach students to read and understand Biblical Hebrew as quickly as possible; therefore, the lessons emphasize recognition and translation - not memorization. The thirty lessons incorporate:

Verb, grammar, and spelling charts
Vocabulary lists
Oral reviews
Exercises
Stories
Biblical quotes
Book of Ruth

This revised third edition introduces several new terms and clarifies grammatical points, but will look the same to long-time Primer readers. The key change we have made is the inclusion of new explanatory endnotes. Many readers have expressed a desire to deepen their knowledge of Biblical Hebrew, but have unanimously endorsed the clear, uncomplicated tone of the Primer. We have responded by adding these optional supplementary notes. Students may read the notes to enrich their understanding of Hebrew grammar or concentrate solely on the main text. Either way, the Primer provides a sound foundation for more advanced studies in the Hebrew Bible.

Genres: Judaism, Reference, Nonfiction, Language, Religion, Jewish, Judaica

846 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for someone who doesn't know anything about Biblical Hebrew. I like the revamped children's tales that are given with the vocabulary you've so far learned: The Boy Who Cried Wolf; The Gingerbread Man; The Three Little Pigs and a few others. Finishes up with a revamped Book of Ruth.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book in a Hebrew III course, but worked through the first half on my own to catch up to the level of the other students before the course started. It has a lot of exercises, which are more useful when you have the companion answer book. The explanations of grammar are pretty good compared to some other books I've looked at, but it would be most helpful with a teacher to go through the pronunciation.

[Sue]

Wonderful. No, you will not know all the grammatical terms that Hebrew scholars use and you will not become a translator by studying this course. You can, however, become someone who reads from the Hebrew Scriptures and enjoys it.

[Ben Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wahooooo! This book taught me how to read my Bible. תודה רבה!

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I really enjoy learning Hebrew from this book. It gets you reading Hebrew early in Chapter 4. The first three chapters are mostly alphabet review. It has oral/written exercises and you can also purchase the biblical flashcards and the answer key to the exercises. Yes, I would recommend either getting the answer key or having a Hebrew teacher, just in case. :)

[Keegan Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huuuuuuge chunks of reading practice for every ten or so words learned. One of the best language-learning textbooks I've ever used.

[Brett Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started learning biblical Hebrew a year prior to finishing this book but I used easylearnhebrew.com to learn the alphabet. But you absolutely must go through a grammar primer, or you will be totally lost trying to read biblical Hebrew. So, I had picked a few books starting with Mansoor. His is an older book but I found it tough to follow even with his answer key. I then found this book from torah resource and put a lot of hours in studying, making flash cards, and going through the very long exercises. I finally finished chapter 30 and did very well. I think this book is a must, but it isn't a totally complete work on every possible grammar detail you likely want to know. Now I'm going through the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia readers edition to read through the Masoretic while at the same time I bought 1000 older biblical Hebrew flash cards to help memorize the remaining words. In a nutshell this is a difficult thing to attempt so if you don't have the time this likely isn't for you.

[Genghis Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very encouraging. If you Work at it regularly, then you will be rewarded with tangible progress relatively quickly. I still get a buzz from remembering the first day that I was able to translate a full sentence.

This primer does not inundate you with technical language and does not try to overwhelm you with too many concepts at once.

I found it better not to try and go through it too quickly. Better to reflect on some of the explanations 2-3 times before diving into the exercises. Your mileage may vary.

I purchased the Logos Bible software version of this book and found being able to search for words electronically most convenient.

A pity that it is no longer in print. Unfortunately Logos Bible software no longer offers it either.

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been and continue to use many different 'primers' in my personal study of biblical Hebrew. I found this one to be particularly suited to my learning style and appreciate the methods of reinforcement used within. I recommend it as a definite necessary tool in a set of tools to understand not only the nuts and bolts of Hebrew, but the nuances of the language as well.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It goes well with the audiobook. Hearing all the homework and lessons spoke helps a lot. The answer book helps you check your stuff as well to make sure your on the right track

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very helpful!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too simplified, to the point that you won't learn things that you need to know.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like 'Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way' better than this book, but this is still pretty good. I am learning, slowly.

[Brian Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this teaching Biblical Hebrew to college-level, ministry students. Best resource I have found as a first introduction to Biblical Hebrew.