Every serious student of the Holy Scriptures should acquire at least a fundamental knowledge of Biblical Hebrew. Very often I’ve heard people respond to this recommendation by saying things like, “I speak English, so why do I need to learn Biblical Hebrew?”… or “Hasn’t the Bible already been translated for us?” My response to these statements is simple; learning Biblical Hebrew is not about the language you currently speak, its about learning the foundational language of the Bible so that you might know what the Bible says without filtering it through other languages and the biases of tradition that translators bring to the translation process.
We all know what happens when a word is passed around the dinning room table from person to person – it usually ends up not being the same word that it started out as. The same kind of thing happens in Bible translations; very often the original meaning gets lost resulting in deviations from the Author’s intent that almost always leads to division among believers.
So, why should every serious student of the Bible learn Biblical Hebrew? Well, I’ll give you 16 reasons for learning Biblical Hebrew.
- Hebrew is the original language of the Bible.
- Hebrew is the language that the Creator used to create the heavens and the earth and all the hosts therein.
- Hebrew is the language that the Almighty used to communicate to people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Yeshua (Jesus), Paul, etc.
- Hebrew was the written language the Almighty used to write the 10 Commandments on the two tablets of stone at Mount Sinai.
- Hebrew was the language Moses used to write the Creator’s instructions, commandments, statutes, and judgments know as the Torah.
- Hebrew was the language of the book of Psalms which is the official hymnal of the Bible.
- Hebrew was the language of the prophets of old, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and may others.
- Hebrew was the language of the used during the times of the 1st and 2nd Temple in Jerusalem where the Scriptures were publicly read; they were read in Hebrew during and beyond the times of Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus) and to this present day, the Hebrew Scriptures are read in the Hebrew language in the Jewish Synagogues.
- Yeshua (Jesus) read the Hebrew Scriptures in the Synagogue during His earthly ministry.
- Yeshua (Jesus) taught the Hebrew Scriptures.
- All of the original apostles of Yeshua (Jesus) were Israelites who spoke Hebrew and read the Hebrew Scriptures.
- The Hebrew Scriptures are the foundation for the New Covenant writings.
- Biblical Hebrew will help you to understand the culture of Biblical Israel and the Hebraic expressions used throughout the Scriptures.
- Studying Biblical Hebrew will give you an insight into the concepts of the New Covenant writings that were based upon the TANAKH (Old Testament); such insight is often not possible using the Greek or English languages.
- Biblical Hebrew will help you to discover the Hebraic roots of the New Covenant community and open the door for restoration of the true faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Yeshua (Jesus).
- Learning Biblical Hebrew will make you a better student of the Bible so that you may live the abundant life that the Scriptures promise, and be an approved and effective laborer in the Kingdom of God.
Charles J. Shields
Now Arise Ministries
Thanks for posting this article. I’m interested in learning Biblical Hebrew.
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for expressing you interest in learning Biblical Hebrew.
To start your journey you can click on the link at the bottom of the article that says “Click here for 30 free Hebrew lessons.” The free lessons are listed there. Just click on Lesson 1 and the journey begins!
If you have any questions, or want to go beyond those very basic lessons, you can do so by submitting a request for information on the same web page as the lessons.
Be blessed in your learning and be a blessing.
Shalom!
Charles
FYI- Having difficulty getting the 30 free lessons? Short version- click the “picture” instead of the link.
Long version~
The link takes you to a registration page where you will be contacted by a very nice representative- at least the guy who called me was very polite and helpful- from the “E-teacher group”. This guy had no idea what I was talking about. He kept asking “Did you say 30 free or 33” lol. We took a virtual walk to this blog so he could see the link. Upon seeing the link he said it was a promotion- duh- ya- After he mumbled something he thanked me for not screaming at him. What? Me scream….never. :0 Just give me my lessons.
I asked him how much the course cost. I almost burst out in a loud “say what” 🙂 but I didn’t. I laughed and said “No wonder you stumbled over the word free”. As we continued to talk, I just happened to click the picture above the link. Walla, the short lessons appeared…woohooo. I told the rep. to click the picture which he did. Then he had an “ah ha” moment. He proceeded to talk all about the instructor of the free lessons, said she was one of the best. He encouraged me, got me pumped to start right away. As a matter of fact, he gave me my first lesson over the phone, all the way from Israel! He taught me the Hebrew word “Valley” which happens to be his name; “Guy”. I thanked Guy for being so nice and he thanked me for the virtual walk and for not screaming at him. The call ended with us both hanging up laughing. 🙂
Lady Z, Thanks for sharing this experience; it was quite hilarious! It’s funny how all that miscommunication seems to go away when everyone is speaking Hebrew. In my second year of Hebrew, my instructor was a Korean with a PHD in Semitic languages and he spoke Korean English. The class consisted of me (an African American), some folks from England, one guy from Italy, and some folks from South Africa. Although we all spoke some form of English, Hebrew was our new common ground.