Learn Biblical Hebrew

Knowing biblical Hebrew enables you to engage deeply and richly with the Old Testament in its original language. But because the Bible is a decidedly Jewish book, and the authors of both testaments were all Jews familiar with the Hebrew language and Jewish thought, learning biblical Hebrew will also give you new insight into the meaning of New Testament writings.

It's easy to get started, and it will make you a better student of the Bible. In fact, learning Hebrew is a lot of fun, as long as you put the work in.

As with anything, start with the basics—in this case, the alphabet.

To learn Hebrew, you'll need to learn all of the sounds and symbols of the alphabet. Originally, the Hebrew alphabet was written only with consonents. Over time, vowels were added to aid in pronunciation. The first step in learning the Hebrew alphabet is learning and memorizing the Hebrew letters.

Hebrew Alphabet—Consonants

Hebrew Alphabet—Vowels

Hebrew Alphabet and Transliteration א to ל

Hebrew Alphabet and Transliteration מ to ת

Basics of Biblical Hebrew: The Hebrew Alphabet (Zondervan)

Logos In-App Hebrew Alphabet Tutor

Hebrew Alphabet Song

Learning to Read Hebrew: Vowels

Grammar and vocabulary form the foundation of language. To interact intelligently with Hebrew language resources, students need at least a basic grasp of each. These resources are highly accessible, and you can move through them at your own pace.

A lexicon is a dictionary of vocabulary and thus essential for work in the original languages. Lexicons become a student's most trusted companion in determining the meaning and usage of Hebrew words. These lexicons, especially Brown-Driver-Briggs, are the best.

Here's where the real fun begins. Exegesis is where you bring all the disciplines of original language study together, along with other disciplines of interpretation, to understand the Bible in vivid detail. You do need a basic grasp of grammar and vocabulary to do exegesis, but by no means do you need to be an expert, especially given the resources that can help you.

Visual Filters in Logos Bible Software

One of Logos' many tools for exegesis is Visual Filters, which you can use to color-code and markup parts of speech. For example, you can use it to quickly identify all the verbs in a passage or all the prepositions (watch video below).

You can also use Logos to:

Explore original language tools in Logos

Video Course: Old Testament Exegesis

Learn how to follow Dr. DeRouchie's 12-step exegesis method to arrive at a clear meaning and application of the Hebrew text. Among other things, you'll learn how to:

Explore this Old Testament exegesis course

You may prefer to study Hebrew in a more traditional format: seminary. You can learn biblical Hebrew at most mid- to large-size theological seminaries. These seminaries all partner with Logos Bible Software in some way so that you get access to Logos to help you with your studies:

For the non-traditional student, or for a more cost-effective way of learning, try self-directed online courses. Dr. DeRouchie's course mentioned above is a great start, but you might also consider: