Chapter 1

Consonants

This chapter deals with everything that you would need to know about the consonants in Biblical Hebrew.

Below is an illustration showing the consonants in a font that is often used in printing. Every teacher has his own writing style that might differ a bit from the next. But in all cases the written forms are more simple that those in the picture.

They are really simple, and students typically master this within a few days.

Chapter 2

Vowels

This chapter deals with everything that you would need to know about the vowels in Biblical Hebrew.The vowels (a,e,i,o,u) are in the form of dots and short lines in different combinations that are placed under a consonant. There are a few exceptions. The vowel system is really simple, and students get it easily.Below is an example of a text (Ps 1:1) with consonants and vowels.

מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד יְהוָה רֹעִי לֹא אֶחְסָר

Chapters 23-29

Strong verbs

These verbs have no gutturals in their roots.

When verbs change to indicate a different gender, number, voice, mood or tense,we call those changes the "conjugations" of the verb into a particular paradigm.In most Hebrew dictionaries, the third person masculine singular ( 3ms ) of the Qal paradigm is used to list verbs. It is therefore also called the lexical form. For this reason paradigms start with the 3ms.

In the case of verbs, the paradigms are also called binyan ( pl. binyanim ). The first paradigm, the Pa'al ( Qal ) consists of three radicals, and two vowels. The other six paradigms are formed by adding one or more consonants to the root, like the Niph'al for example, or by making an internal change, like the doubling of the middle consonant in the Pi'el for example.

Chapters 23-29 covers all aspects of these verbs that are needed to read them in the Tanakh.

Appendix 9A

Volume 1, p. 240

There are two ways in which this appendix can be used.

1. Students can focus on a particular verb, and work through all the different forms in which that verb appears.

2. Students can focus on a particular book, and look at all the verbs that appear in that particular book.

Appendix 10A

Volume 1, p. 262

This Appendix is meant to be used after a student has worked through Chapters 1-29.

Then this Appendix offers the student an excellent tool to:

• Review many of the concepts found in the basic grammar.

• Come into direct contact with the tanakh, and be able to understand almost all the words found in the passages.