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Hebrew/Aramaic New Covenant?
#1
Shlama all,

I'm considering buying these books to learn Hebrew to be able to read THIS New Covenant:



<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Guide-to-learning-Hebrew/lm/31J8R806L3YY6/ref=cm_lmt_srch_f_1_rsrsrs0">http://www.amazon.com/Guide-to-learning ... _1_rsrsrs0</a><!-- m -->



<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Hebrew-Ethelyn-Simon/dp/0939144115/ref=pd_sim_b_4_img">http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-He ... im_b_4_img</a><!-- m -->



<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Grammar-Classical-Hebrew/dp/0198154224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202178937&sr=8-1">http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Grammar ... 937&sr=8-1</a><!-- m -->

(I actually already have THIS Grammar above)




And here's the one that I want to learn to read:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.aramaicbooks.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=131">http://www.aramaicbooks.com/product_inf ... cts_id=131</a><!-- m -->


What might be an informed opinion on buying these books on Hebrew to learn the language?

Thanks for any help, Albion
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#2
Shlama,

From the first link I would recommend numbers 3 and 4 in the list on that page if you want to learn Biblical Hebrew.
Biblical Hebrew: Step by Step Volume. 1 by Menahem Mansoor
Biblical Hebrew Step by Step, Volume 2: Readings from the Book of Genesis by Menahem Mansoor

I used these two books in helping my nephew get a jump start before he began taking a Hebrew course in college and it helped him very much.

The Hebrew/Aramaic NC has modern Hebrew but it would be helpful in learning. If you can wait another week I'm still putting together some lessons based on the concepts of the two books mentioned above to learn Biblical Hebrew.

Blessings,
Ya'aqub
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#3
If you want to read Biblical Hebrew, the books by Menachem Mansoor in the previous post are EXTREMELY good. I used these years ago. Volume 2, in particular, picks up where Volume 1 leaves off, by taking you through passages in Genesis and explaining every word and phrase in detail. You really need an explanation like this to take you from a grammar, to actually reading the text. Otherwise, you can read grammar after grammar from cover to cover, but you will still find it hard to actually read the text. It's like splashing about in a swimming pool and being able to swim across the pool, to actually being able to swim confidently in the sea.
But the Aramaic/Hebrew New Covenant you mentioned is in Modern Hebrew, which although is grammatically very similar to Biblical Hebrew, it has a wider range of vocabulary than Biblical Hebrew, and the style is slightly different. You might be better getting some cassettes or CDs and learning Modern Hebrew, rather than trying to adapt what you learn from Biblical Hebrew. If you just want a Hebrew version of the New Covenant, rather than a translation of the Peshitta, you might want to consider Delitzsch's translation of the Greek done in the late 1800s. It is very easy to follow if you know Biblical Hebrew because all the words and phrases are taken from the Bible. Reading it alongside the Peshitta is very easy, even though it is translated from the Greek and not the Peshitta. It sounds strange, but a translation of the Greek back into a Semitic language actually works surprisingly well...
- Ewan MacLeod
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