How Biblical Languages Work: A Student's Guide to Learning Hebrew and Greek - Softcover

Silzer, Peter James; Finley, Thomas John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0825426448 ISBN 13: 9780825426445

Publisher: Kregel Academic, 2004

Synopsis

A practical and easy to understand guide to learning both Hebrew and Greek. Ideal for Biblical language scholars. This book provides the first practical beginner's guide to the main components of biblical Hebrew and Greek. It will bring the reader through various organizational structures in Hebrew and Greek using insights gained from years of linguistic and biblical experience. The authors intend this book to be used as a tool to supplement traditional courses in Hebrew and Greek, and to show that these languages are organized in much the same way as other languages. The last chapter includes tips to help each reader learn in his own way. Written by two extremely well-qualified linguists. Uses helpful learning methods by moving from known (English) to unknown (biblical languages). Ideal companion to first-year grammars. Provides a key for getting the most out of both Hebrew and Greek

About this title

About the Authors

Peter James Silzer (Ph.D., Australian National University) has been a member of the Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguistics since 1972. He served as a linguist and Bible translator in Asia from 1975-1992, and taught linguistics and Bible translation at Biola University on behalf of SIL and Wycliffe from 1992-2005.

Thomas John Finley (Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles) is professor of Old Tesament and Semitics at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada California. He is the editor of A Bilingual Concordance to the Targum of th eProphets: Ezekiel and author of commentaries on Joel, Amos, Obadiah, and Micah.

From the Back Cover

An ideal supplement to first year Hebrew and Greek grammars, this practical guide makes learning the biblical languages a less daunting task. By introducing students to characteristics and functions of all human language, experienced linguists Silzer and Finley create the basis from which to describe the major features of Hebrew and Greek: how the sounds are pronounced, how words are put together, how phrases and clauses are structured, how words convey meaning, and how languages change. 

The book includes practical exercises, a glossary of linguistic and grammatical terms widely used in standard grammars of Greek and Hebrew, and other resources for further study, including Internet sites.

“Thanks to Silzer and Finley, we [now] have a book that discusses the basic principles of linguistics and semantics in a readable, understandable manner that will not intimidate or discourage the novice. Students who read this book before taking first year Hebrew and/or Greek should find the task of learning the language(s) much less painful and tedious than it would be otherwise.”

—Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
Dallas Theological Seminary

“This marvelously clear and cogent introduction to biblical linguistics should be required reading for every student of Hebrew and Greek. . . . The only shame is that this book was not available decades ago, when the rest of us were doing our language study!”

—Mark L. Strauss, Ph.D.
Bethel Seminary, San Diego, Cal.

Peter James Silzer (Ph.D., Australian National University) has worked in linguistics and Bible translation since 1972 and now teaches in the School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University in La Mirada, California, on behalf of the Summer Institute of Linguistics and Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Thomas John Finley (Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles) is professor of Old Testament and Semitics at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. He is the editor of A Bilingual Concordance to the Targum of the Prophets: Ezekiel and a commentary on Joel, Obadiah, and Micah.

Edition details

• Publisher: Kregel Academic
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0825426448
• ISBN 13: 9780825426445
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 288