English Grammar to Ace Biblical Hebrew

by Miles V. Van Pelt

Enables students of biblical Hebrew to grasp the basic concepts of English grammar so that they can transfer those concepts to Hebrew. One of the biggest hurdles students encounter while learning biblical languages is that they've forgotten the English grammar and terminology they were taught a long time ago (if they were taught it at all). Concepts like verb tense and voice, relative pronouns, antecedents, and adjectival substantives, may sound like familiar terms but seem foreign when it's time to put them into practice. English Grammar to Ace Biblical Hebrew reacquaints students and ministry leaders alike with the necessary English grammar in this concise and easy-to-read format, which Exhaustive in scope, this is also a great resource to grab for specific reference points so you can spend time focusing on learning Hebrew and applying your learning to exegesis and biblical study. This book is a companion to English Grammar to Ace New Testament Greek by Samuel Lamerson.

Genres: Reference, Language

112 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Miles V. Van Pelt, Ph.D. is the Alan Hayes Belcher, Jr. Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, Director of the Summer Institute for Biblical Languages, and Academic Dean for the Jackson and Brazil campuses. Miles has strong commitment to and passion for teaching students the Bible in its original languages and has published extensively in the area of Hebrew and Aramaic language instruction, as well as biblical theology. At the RTS campus in Jackson, Miles teaches Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew Exegesis, Joshua-Esther, and courses on the books of Judges and The Song of Songs. Miles is also a competitive CrossFit athlete. He and his wife Laurie have been married for almost 30 years (rock solid and white hot!) and they have four fantastic children.

Reviews

[Christian Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is similar to its Greek book on the subject. A great primer for the Hebrew and a solid reminder of the English. I am looking forward to start Hebrew now after having a better grasp on some grammatical issues that may appear.

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful look at English grammar. Van Pelt's main aim is to give you the English grammar labels so you can more easily enter the translation process of Hebrew.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

The average person has a certain level of familiarity with the process of learning a foreign language through studies that may have occurred during either their high school, college or graduate school years. The basic drill of learning the alphabet, vocabulary, parsing verbs, etc. should still feel somewhat familiar. If you were on any kind of a ministry of theology track and your experience is anything like mine, you may have found that learning New Testament Greek was one thing, but Biblical Hebrew took things to a whole new level of difficulty. That added level of challenge is precisely why a book like "English Grammar to Ace Biblical Hebrew" will be a great help in getting your studies off on the right foot. This companion volume to Lamerson's "English Grammar to Ace New Testament Greek" (Zondervan, 2004) will introduce you to the English grammar concepts that are necessary for the study of Biblical Hebrew. While it would seem logical that graduate level or seminary students should not have a need for a refresher in English grammar, that just does not match up with what Dr. Van Pelt has seen in his Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek classes over the years. In fact, he has noticed a growing trend amongst his students where their struggle with concepts of English grammar directly impedes their ability to learn Biblical languages. That is precisely why he has written this book.

It's hard to imagine there might be more than one way to read such a small book, but Dr. Van Pelt suggests three possible ways to approach reading this text:

*Read the book in order, completing the exercises before beginning your work in a Hebrew grammar.
*Work through nominal material in chapters 1-7 and then work through the nominal material in a Hebrew grammar, finally completing the verbal material in chapters 8-14 in preparation for studying the Hebrew verbal system.
*Each chapter contains references to specific chapters in "Basics of Biblical Hebrew, 2nd Edition" (Zondervan, 2007), allowing you to work through this book in conjunction with "Basics of Biblical Hebrew", topic by topic.

He also offers some excellent study suggestions that will aid your learning of Biblical Hebrew and many other languages and topics:

1. Find a study group!
2. Study regularly!
3. Study early!
4. Exercise!
5. Sleep!

I must admit that I especially found numbers 3, 4, and 5 difficult during my college years.

With only 112 pages, this book is a quick read. On average I was able to complete each chapter and the related exercises in under thirty minutes. Van Pelt's writing style is engaging and filled with humor, making the text readable and interesting. I especially liked the exercises at the end of each chapter. These will especially be good for new students as the exercises will get them comfortable with the types of exercises they will perform as they work through most Hebrew grammars. Another important thing to note as you are working through each chapter, there is a helpful glossary of terms at back of book. This will be invaluable, especially if words like abjad, dipthong and gerund just don't ring a bell.

This book is designed with a very wide audience in mind. It will be useful as introductory material for first year Hebrew students. Second semester or returning Second year Hebrew students who didn't do any Hebrew over the summer or who are struggling with some of the basic grammatical concepts will benefit from this text. Also, Pastors, laymen and others who are well past their college and seminary days, but want to begin rekindling their Hebrew skills will find it useful too. I highly recommend this book and give it an overall rating of 5 stars.

Author information:

Miles V. Van Pelt (Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Alan Belcher Associate Professor of Old Testament and academic dean at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. He is the coauthor of the bestselling Basics of Biblical Hebrew (Zondervan, 2001, 2007), as well as a number of other resources on Biblical Hebrew. Miles and his wife, Laurie, have four children.

Disclaimer:

This book was provided by the kind folks at Zondervan Academic for review.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was an excellent primer for students entering into beginning Hebrew who either 1) have never had exposure to English grammar, or 2) want to brush up on their English grammar. You could even use this book with younger students who are beginning to study English grammar (as a supplement).

[Matt Pelto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful refresher on English grammar with a view toward learning Biblical Hebrew. While I cannot speak to the usefulness of the information presented, as I am in the early stages of learning Hebrew, the information was clear and easy to grasp. It could be improved by laying out terms and concept more clearly and adding an answer key to the exercises. Other than those small complaints, it is an instructive volume made even easier to read my the humor of the author.

[Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful overview of the primary places of grammatical contact between English and Hebrew. Van Pelt is both clear and concise. I look forward to reading the Hebrew Grammar now, with these things fresh in my mind.

[Jordan Shirkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’ll probably only read this if you’re studying Biblical Hebrew. If you’re in this camp, this is a helpful and simple book to master the language of grammar and basic similarities and difference between English and Hebrew grammar.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay, read it to supplement my Hebrew class this semester but it didn’t really do anything to improve my understanding of Hebrew grammar—I actually much preferred the explanations given in Van Pelt’s actual Basics of Biblical Hebrew textbook than this little companion guide.

[Michael Schmid · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very simple and easy-to-read explanation of English grammar to prepare students for understanding grammatical concepts in Hebrew.

[Donald Owens II · Rating 4 out of 5]

What. A. Great. Idea.

Just starting to learn Hebrew, this is a welcome and clear review of English grammar.

[Robert Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, lucid, and aimed at a very average person today who does not know grammar or linguistics. I think everyone would be better off trying to learn Hebrew (or even Greek) after having reviewed this book. I will definitely make this a must for all my students in the future.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent approach to help you understand Hebrew grammar through how it is similar to and different from English grammar. His clear explanations and examples, along with the use of humor, makes the lessons enjoyable.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great to go through before I dive headfirst into learning Hebrew. Very helpful.

[Roy]

Fun read, and I can see how it will help in my review of Hebrew.