I worked extremely hard to learn the Biblical languages. Anyone who has learned Greek and/or Hebrew can probably remember the countless hours spent memorizing vocabulary and paradigms, chanting, and writing writing writing it all out. I can still remember the regular “memorizing migraines”. To be certain though, learning the languages was worthwhile. The reward for language learners is being able to study God’s word on a whole new level for ministry and personal devotion.
Yet, like many others, I have found my grip on the languages to loosen as the years go by. I don’t think I’ll ever be a language scholar (or any other scholar for that matter!), but I would like to retain something of the language skills I developed.
That’s why I am absolutely thrilled that Hendrickson Publishers has published the “Keep Up Your Biblical Languages In Two Minutes A Day” resource series, compiled by Jonathan G. Kline.
The idea is this: providing an opportunity for the reader to conveniently lay eyes on a single verse each day in both English and the original language. Using 365 of the most commonly used Biblical Hebrew words in descending order as the days go on, the book gives a daily opportunity to help readers remember and retain their language skills.
In “Keep Up Your Biblical Hebrew In Two Minutes A Day“, I have been able to take as much or as little time as I have available each day. Even a quick glance of 20 seconds each day is 20 seconds better than nothing! But as the title of the series suggests, just a few minutes is all you need to have a fairly exhaustive exercise each day.
The layout is very easy on the eyes and also intuitively designed to help progress through the exercise. Each entry begins at the top of the page by offering the day’s verse in English (the translation varies), then proceeds to give the new vocabulary word for the day (and in small print the review vocab from the previous two days). Then it presents the full verse written in Hebrew. Depending on your famliarity at this point, you might be able to translate some or all without any study helps. And finally, which I think is the biggest help of all, the page offers an English/Hebrew table breakdown of the words in the verse. Here’s an image to show you what I mean:
Now to be clear, this book will not teach you Biblical Hebrew. Rather, it will help trigger the existing knowledge you have (once had?) of the language, thereby stimulating you to re-engage and gradually be sharpened. Far from being exhaustive, this book gives study helps without giving away the whole hog. It doesn’t spell out which verbal stem is being used and also doesn’t draw attention to prefixes/suffixes. That means that even advanced readers can benefit from this, and might motivate some to dig out the old Hebrew textbooks.
Books from this series would make for an excellent gift for your pastor, and any seminary student in your church. Considering the strong potential it has to help one “Keep Up…” their language skills for life and ministry, the price is really quite reasonable.
Overall, this is an excellent resource which I cannot commend too highly. Whether you find yourself in the Promised Land or wandering in the wilderness of Biblical Hebrew, this resource by Jonathan Kline is sure to keep you exposed to the language regularly and encouraged along the way.
I received a review copy of this book from Hendrickson Publishers in exchange for an unbiased review.
Jared Harfield's Blog 