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Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
I have studied Hebrew for 4 years from a Prof. who was a student of Lambdin. After hearing so much about him, I finally decided to purchase this myself. Lambdin has written the best introduction to Hebrew grammar on the market. There are other books that might be better for getting a basic grasp of translation and how the language works. However, if you are looking to really understand the structure and morphology of Biblical Hebrew, this is the book for you.
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
The explanations of hebrew grammar and sounds are much too difficult to understand in this "introduction". I spent more time trying to learn all of his transliterations and grammatical terms than I did actually learning the Hebrew. In fact, from the start in his sounds and spelling section he doesn't even give you the Hebrew characters! This might be all well and dandy if this was spanish or something but this is Biblical Hebrew, the main point is to be able to read and understand it instead of pronouncing it. I found that after a little study I could pronounce many things but I couldn't tell you how they looked on paper.<
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
This is the best learning grammar of Biblical Hebrew out there. Lambdin is an excellent scholar and his introduction is clear, comprehensive, not too sophisticated for the beginning student and not too simple for someone with a previous background in linguistics.BUY THIS BOOK THROUGH UK AMAZON!!!!If you buy the British version (paperback, green cover)through www.amazon.co.uk, it costs about 20 pounds, i.e. 30 DOLLARS!!! The shipping is a bit pricey but it's still less than half the price!
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
This is an excellent introductory textbook for "serious" study of Biblical Hebrew, and as such, one is required to have a solid background in Grammar.
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
Thomas Lambdin's textbook of Biblical Hebrew was designed for college courses taught by a professor, not for self-study. Lambdin is thorough and detailed. The amount of detail at the beginning, particularly about the minute details of vowel points and vowel pronunciation, can seem overwhelming. If you're studying on your own, you have the luxury of not mastering all these details for a test before you proceed to the rest of the book. Just learn the basic "a, e, i, o, u" values of the vowel points and move on. Go back to study the finer details after you're more comfortable reading Hebrew.Since many people do use Lambdin's book to study Biblical Hebrew on their own, it is nice that a key to it has been published:Annotated Key to Lambdin's Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. You may also find it helpful to use a much simpler introductory grammar. I personally likeA Modern Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, though many others are available as well.Lambdin's book was originally published as a large hardback book, with a font large enough to be easily read. The small paperback edition now more commonly available has shrunk the font so much it is hard to read the vowel points. If you can get hold of an old hardback, I recommend it.
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
I have been studying Hebrew at both the undergraduate and graduate levels for three years, and Lambdin is by far the best introductory grammar I've come across. I used Lambdin in my first two years, but I have since read three other introductory Hebrew grammars (Seow, Pratico/Van Pelt, and Kelley). I must say that, while Lambdin is certainly more dense, one will have a MUCH better command of the basics of the language after completing this book than the others I've encountered. Other than for ease, I'm not sure why anyone would choose not to use Lambdin. Of course, if one is taking the easy route to language learning, one should probably not expect to actually learn the language.