FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS TAKEN GREEK AND HEBREW...

[matthew11v25]

I will be taking greek and hebrew in a year or so. Since many here have taken greek/hebrew I would like to get advice on preping for future classes (I am too anxious to wait).

What are the most basic/ fundamental things to learn/ memorize (i.e. vocab, etc)?

And the most fundamentally basic books for getting started?

I would like to eventually tip-toe through (if possible) the OT and NT...before I start taking classes.

Thanks.

 

[mgeoffriau]

For Greek, I'd recommend Mounce's textbook. It's interesting enough to start reading on your own, and chance's are it's what you'll use in your class anyway.

 

[doulosChristou]

Originally posted by matthew11v25
I will be taking greek and hebrew in a year or so. Since many here have taken greek/hebrew I would like to get advice on preping for future classes (I am too anxious to wait).

What are the most basic/ fundamental things to learn/ memorize (i.e. vocab, etc)?

And the most fundamentally basic books for getting started?

I would like to eventually tip-toe through (if possible) the OT and NT...before I start taking classes.

Thanks.

Good thinking. Preparing beforehand makes a big difference. I have a two simple suggestions.

1) Work on your English.

Do you know what a "predicate" is? Can you explain the difference between a participial phrase and a relative clause? If you're like most folks, you were either never taught English grammar or you haven't considered it since diagramming English sentences in grade school. You need to know it in order to learn the languages. I've heard that the little book English Grammar to Ace New Testament Greek does a good job of laying this foundation. You also need a basic grammatical vocabulary so when your teacher starts throwing around terms like "anarthrous," you'll know what he's talking about. The Pocket Dictionary for the Study of New Testament Greek and The Pocket Dictionary for the Study of Old Testament Hebrew are inexpensive and helpful.

2) Work on the Basics.

You will want to learn the alphabets first. Know them well. In Greek, know the lower case letters, upper case letters, and final sigma form. Be able to write them out and recite them aloud by memory. In Hebrew, know all your block letters, know the final forms, and be able to identify the BeGad KeFaT letters and the Gutterals. Be able to quickly write out the Hebrew alphabet in order (from right to left), with final forms under those that have one, circling the BeGad KeFaT letters and underlining the Gutterals. Next, you'll want to learn pronunciation and syllabification (especially important for Hebrew). So, you will need to learn the Hebrew vowel pointing system. All of this information will be covered in the first couple chapters of any 1st semester Greek or Hebrew grammar. Try to get to the point where you can read aloud Greek and Hebrew texts even though you don't yet know how to begin translating them. There are CDs you can buy or free online resources that you can test your pronunciation against if you don't know anyone who can evaluate you.

If you just do these 2 things, you will have a significant head start on most students and will have a more enjoyable learning experience. God bless you.





[Edited on 2-10-2006 by doulosChristou]

 

[BobVigneault]

I second getting Mounces text book, however, if you know where you will be learning Greek try to find out what text they are using. The suggestion about learning English grammar is good however Greek grammar and English grammar do not have exact counterparts. Mounce has a chapter to help you with the english grammar you will need to know to translate greek.

 

[daveb]

I'll echo setiments already given:

1. Study up on your English grammar.
2. Memorize the alphabet, be able to recite it and write it out from memory.
3. Try and find out what they are using for vocabulary and get a head start on memorization.

 

[Puritan Sailor]

Originally posted by daveb
I'll echo setiments already given:

1. Study up on your English grammar.
2. Memorize the alphabet, be able to recite it and write it out from memory.
3. Try and find out what they are using for vocabulary and get a head start on memorization.

The alphabets are easy to memorize. Really focus on learning the vocab now, as much as you can learn before you begin the class, especially for Hebrew. Greek is easier because many English words derive from it. But Hebrew is a whole different language AND culture. There are no English commonalities except for some proper names. Work on memorizing the most frequently occuring words first. Then you can spend more time on the difficult words later when you start the language.

 

[WrittenFromUtopia]

Memorizing all of the stems in Hebrew (Qal, etc.) are a must. Absolute must. Also, I find learning vocabulary well to be the easiest way to take command of a new language and learn the grammar as well. It makes it 10 times harder to learn grammar when you're having to consult a lexicon or dictionary for every word in a sentence.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Depending upon how seriously you want to work before beginning your formal classes...
If you plan on just "dinking around"...
Though I've never used them, I believe that there are some computer programs that are designed to help you learn biblical hebrew and greek.

 

[mgeoffriau]

Also, if you have a Palm Pilot, I cannot recommend highly enough the flashcard program with the greek flashcards. It uses the Mounce datebase, so you can organize it by the chapters in the book. It is a huge help, because it makes it easy to cover the sections you needs to.

Need to cover all the vocab in chapters 3-8? No problem. Need to focus on prepositions from chapters 4-15? No sweat. It makes it super easy to get exactly the help you need.

It's basically the same program that's on the CD that comes with the Mounce program, but I found it much more convenient on a Palm Pilot.

 

[fredtgreco]

Learn the alphabet and basic pronunciation. There are several sources for that. Then get a set of vocab cards and live with them. Every day work your vocab. Not for long - maybe 10 minutes at a time. But EVERY DAY. If you learn the vocabulary, you will be WAY ahead.

 

[Dag Fish]

For Hebrew... I agree with Mr. Utopia (above) Learn the Qal at the very least and memorize the rules for the other stems. Vocabulary is a must. The best way I've found is, after you have basic grammar tackled, start translating portions of the Bible. It's the most rewarding way to learn vocab. Good Hebrew books: Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar by Kelley and Basics of Biblical Hebrew by Pratico & Van Pelt. I prefer the later and it comes with a helpful CD.

 

[kceaster]

To any and all who want to use them, I have two files linked below so that you can print out your own flashcards. There are 420 Greek cards and 180 Hebrew cards. You may choose to print these on business card stock that you can obtain from most office supply stores. Or, you may simply print them on paper and cut them out. They are designed so that you feed in the first page, printing the odd pages, and then you simply reverse the order (turn them over) and print the second page on back of the first. Or, if you have some way to print duplex, you can print them in one command with odd and even pages.

The Greek words were taken mostly from Dr. Sid Dyer's Beginning Grammar, along with some others. The Hebrew words are taken from Van Pelt and Pratico, Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew.

The Hebrew Cards begin with the Hebrew alephbet and vowel points. The Greek Cards assume the Greek alphabet and breathing marks.

BTW, the Greek Cards are done in the BWGreek Font (BibleWorks), and the Hebrew Cards are done with the BWHebrew Font. These fonts may be found at the link below. If you download and use the fonts for other purposes, please see the BibleWorks website for copyright notices.

Happy studying!

Hebrew Cards
Greek Cards
Fonts
[edited, May 13, 2021. The above site is gone. Wayback Machine has the following:

Wayback Machine

Wayback Machine

The Cards (docs) appear to be gone but see the main second link]
In Christ,

KC