Biblical Hebrew Texts and its History 

Hebrew University Instructors

Class Hours: 45     Credits: 3

March

In this course, participants will learn how to analyze the ways in which Biblical Hebrew narrative texts are structured. We will concentrate on participant reference, the verb system, default and marked word order, as well as the effect of text structure on non-chronological arrangement and paragraph division. We will compare narrative with dialogue and other genres, such as found in prophetic texts. Longer stretches of narrative texts, like the Samson and Balaam narratives, will be among the texts studied during the course. Participants will learn more about how they can help teams to translate biblical texts while respecting fully the discourse features of the Hebrew text.

Class Hours: 45     Credits: 3

Taught Simultaneously With Courses 1 & 2 During February and March

The instructor, Eyal Nahum, is an experienced Hebrew teacher. After having taught Modern and Biblical Hebrew for a number of years, Eyal has developed his own materials for teaching Biblical Hebrew using a similar methodology to that of the Modern Hebrew Ulpan at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He uses modern techniques for rapid language acquisition as applied to Biblical Hebrew.

Classroom instruction and interaction is conducted in Biblical Hebrew. This allows students to internalize the language by building both their memory and their analytical skills in the language, by exploiting all four of the major language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing. The book to be used in the course (“מבראשית”) was written by Eyal Nahum and is the fruit of many years of teaching Biblical Hebrew as a foreign language.

Instructor: Eyal Nahum, native Israeli,  MA in linguistics (Hebrew University), linguist, Polis Institute, Jerusalem.

Class Hours: 100   Credits: 5

April

One-month course with comprehensive study tours throughout the land with Hebrew Bible in hand and an eye on Bible translation issues.  Lectures are organized under three main topics: geographical regions, historical periods, and cultural issues. 18 field trips enable the translator to experience the sites of Biblical events, to see archeological evidence of life in Biblical times, as well as to observe flora and fauna of the Land.  The Hebrew Bible readings on location enable the translator to understand the biblical text more accurately. This course is a learning experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world! The land serves as a visual experiential dictionary of Biblical Hebrew.

Instructor: Dr. Halvor Ronning and other experienced academic guides and lecturers.

Note: Attendance in Israel is required for this course. 

Class Hours: 120     Credits: 6

May

Dr. De Blois will focus on Hebrew lexical semantics. This course teaches the student how to discover the meaning of the words they encounter in the Hebrew text. By focusing on the structure of meaning more than on grammatical structure, students will deal with prototypical meaning, metaphorical extensions, semantic domains, etc. These are aspects of the text that few students have learned before but that are essential for a good understanding of the text and for finding appropriate equivalents in the target language.

Extensive readings will focus on the the full verbal system and syntax.

Instructor: Dr. Reinier de Blois, Director of Nida Institute, American Bible Society. 

Note: Attendance in Israel is required for this course. 

Class Hours: 45       Credits: 3

June

Using their own newly revised handbook, Hebrew Poetry: a guide for understanding and translating (UBS, 2020), Drs. Wendland and Zogbo walk students through the various genres and characteristics of biblical Hebrew Poetry.  Emphasis is placed on learning to identify and understand the functions of important stylistic features on different levels of discourse.  As a case-study, participants will be invited to analyze the prophetic poetic book of Joel in an in-depth way, to see how form contributes to meaning, and also to explore what means they can use to create a powerful poetic rendering in their own language (or a language they know).  

Instructors:

• Dr. Ernst Wendland, UBS Translation Consultant; Lutheran Theological Seminary, Lusaka, Zambia; Professor in the Department of Ancient Studies at Stellenbosch University.
• Dr. Lynell Zogbo, UBS translation consultant; former professor at FATEAC, Cote d’Ivoire; and current UBS handbook author.

Note: Attendance in Israel is required for this course. 

Class Hours: 60        Credits: 4

A. RESIDENT OPTION: The all-inclusive cost is $7,500.

1. tuition for all six courses, including student health insurance.
2. room and board for three months.
3. all study trip fees – including travel, overnights and entrances to museums and archeological sites.

It does not include individual personal expenses.