Book Review: Exegetical Gems from Biblical Hebrew

H. H. Hardy II, Exegetical Gems from Biblical Hebrew: A Refreshing Guide to Grammar and Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2019). Hardy is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Hardy has several works focusing on ancient Hebrew linguistics that are just published or getting ready to be…

Brief Comments on 2 Kgs 1:9-18

I went over 2 Kgs 1 in class today with my students. There are several fascinating aspects of this narrative that are worth noting. In 2 Kgs 1:2-8, Ahaziah is in bed after falling through the latticework. He sends to Ekron to inquire of Baal-Zebub (בַּעַל־זְבוּב) whether he will get better. Elijah meets Ahaziah's messengers…

Book Reviews: The Mother of the Infant King Isaiah 7:14; Biblical Hebrew Word Order Debate; Why Read the Bible in the Original Languages?; Shadal on Leviticus

As a result of several pressing academic projects, I have not been able to post in the last few weeks. There are several books I have been wanting to review here. Realising that I will not be able to devote a significant amount of time to a thorough review of these books, I discuss a…

Brief Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Notes on Neh 5

Nehemiah rebukes the Jews for enslaving their brothers after having gone through an extensive process to free them from their captivity.  Three different groups speak their complaint as introduced by the phrase וְיֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר אֹמְרִים in Neh 5:2, 3, and 4 (cf. the use of the Qal wayyiqtol of √אמר in Neh 4:4, 5, 6,…

Book Review: Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary in Context

Miles V. Van Pelt and Gary D. Practico, Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary in Context: Building Competency with Words Occuring 50 Times or More (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2019). Introduction Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary in Context allows the student to read the Hebrew lexemes which appear most often in the Hebrew Bible in a controlled environment. This…

Comparing Gen 3:5 in G and MT

I was reading through the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible in Gen 3 over the weekend. One aspect of G's translation in Gen 3:5 caught my attention. The more I read the verse the more I was convinced there was no real difference between the MT and G. I offer a brief description of…

Book Review – Ruth: A Guide to Reading Biblical Hebrew

Adam J. Howell, Ruth: A Guide to Reading Biblical Hebrew (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2022). I appreciate Lexham providing this volume for review. Their provision did not impact my review. On a personal note, I enjoyed reading this volume while preparing for my viva voce.  Introduction  Howell has recently published Ruth: An Illustrated Hebrew Reader’s…

The Best Beginning Biblical Hebrew Grammars

I was recently asked on this blog which Beginning Biblical Hebrew grammar is the best for a self-learner. I will overview the beginning grammars which I am familiar with (cf. there are of course others not discussed) and offer my opinion. There are certainly many other beginning Hebrew grammars which would be helpful for the…