Using a practical approach, Dr. Michael Heiser shows you how to use biblical Hebrew to become a competent interpreter of the Old Testament. Perform word studies alongside an expert and learn to avoid common mistakes. Learn grammatical terminology used in commentaries and journal articles so you can follow the discussion. Dr. Heiser teaches you the concepts and introduces you to the tools, and then walks you through each step of interpretation.

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion you should be able to:

Use the Logos reverse interlinear Bibles to study Hebrew vocabulary and syntax in the Old Testament

Access the various standard and theological lexicons to deepen your grasp of the Hebrew vocabulary in the Old Testament

Use visual filters and Morph searches to find, highlight, and study the various grammatical forms and syntactical structures of the Old Testament

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and Course

Unit 1: Preliminary Matters

• Conceptual Introduction

• Payoff of This Course

• Reverse Interlinear: Primary Tool

• Why the Centerpiece?

• Roadmap for the Course

Unit 2: Tools for Word Studies

• Some Common Tools

• Dictionaries and Lexicons

• Types of Lexicons

• Theological Lexicons

• Lexicons’ Use of Strong’s Numbers

• Lexical Tools That Use Strong’s Numbers

• Limitations of Strong’s Dictionary

Unit 3: English Words and Word Meanings

• How Do Words “Mean”?

• Polysemy

• Contexts

• Relationships to Other Words

• Synonyms

• Antonyms

• Homographs

• How Words Don’t “Mean”

• English Words and Meanings: Summary

Unit 4: Hebrew Words and English Translations

• Polysemy and Translation

• One English Word Translating Different Hebrew Words

• About Hebrew Words

• Root Fallacy

• Sound Fallacy

• Homograph Fallacy

• Core Meaning Fallacy

• “Hebrew Thought” versus “Greek Thought” Fallacy

• Hebrew Words: Summary and Review

Unit 5: Methods for Studying Hebrew Words

• Previewing the Methods

• Inadequate versus Sound Methods

• Gathering Data: Occurrences

• Gathering Data: Glosses

• Thinking about the Data

• Word Distribution

• Semantic Range

• Thinking about Distribution

• Grammar and Syntax

• Meaning of עַלְמָה (ʿalmâ): Tentative Conclusions

• Checking Your Conclusions: Loaded Terms

• Checking Your Conclusions: Metaphorical Sense

• Word Studies: Summary

Unit 6: Nouns

• Previewing Morphology, Syntax, and Meaning

• Nouns: Terms and Concepts

• Nouns: Gender and Number

• Nouns: Definiteness and Relationship

• Construct Relationship: Definition

• Construct State: Classes

• Construct Nouns: Interpretive Examples

• Construct Relationship: Noun and Its Suffix

• Construct Noun and Suffix: Interpretive Examples

• Nouns: Appositional Relationship

• Nouns: Definiteness and the Definite Article

• Definite Article and Uniqueness: “The River” = “Nile”

• Definite Article: Uniqueness or Demonstrative Force

• Definite Article: Species or Class

• Definite Article: Functioning Like a Relative Pronoun

• Definite Article: Substitute for Possessive Pronoun

• Definite Article: Signaling a Vocative

• Definite Article: Interesting Cases of Presence or Absence

• Definite Article: Advice and Discovery

Unit 7: Prepositions

• Previewing Prepositions

• Preposition אֶל (ʾel)

• Preposition אֵת (ʾēt)

• Preposition בְּ (b): Locative Use

• Preposition בְּ (b): Other Uses

• Preposition בֵּין (bên)

• Preposition כְּ (k)

• Preposition לְ (l), Part 1

• Preposition לְ (l), Part 2

• Preposition לִפְנֵי (lip̄nê)

• Preposition מִן (min), Part 1

• Preposition מִן (min), Part 2

• Preposition עַד (ʿaḏ)

• Preposition עַל (ʿal), Part 1

• Preposition עַל (ʿal), Part 2

• Preposition עִם (ʿim), Part 1

• Preposition עִם (ʿim), Part 2

• Prepositions: Summary

• Focus on Prepositions

Unit 8: Conjunctions

• Previewing Conjunctions

• Conjunction אִם (ʾim)

• Conjunction אֲשֶׁר (ʾăšer)

• Conjunction כִּי (kî)

• Conjunctions לוּ and לוּלֵא (lû and lûlēʾ)

• Conjunction לְמַעַן (lĕmaʿan)

• Conjunction פֶּן (pen)

• Conjunctions עַל־כֵּן and לָכֵן (ʿal-kēn and lāḵēn)

• Conjunction וְ (w, waw or vav)

• Conjunctions: Advice and Summary

Unit 9: Verbs: Terminology

• Previewing Terminology

• Verbal Tense, Aspect, Voice, and Mood

• Verbal Types

• Verbal Person, Gender, and Number

• Verbal Conjugations

• Verbal Parsing and Morphology

Unit 10: Verbal Tense, Aspect, and Mood

• Previewing Verbal Forms and Stems

• Verbal Tense, Aspect, and Mood: Summary

• Perfect/Suffixed Conjugation (qātal)

• Imperfect/Prefixed Conjugation (yiqtōl)

• Summary of Perfect (qātal) and Imperfect (yiqtōl) Forms

• Perfect (qātal) and Imperfect (yiqtōl) Forms: Examples

• Interpreting the Use of Perfect and Imperfect Conjugations

• Volitional Conjugations

• Volitional Forms: Discovering Examples

• Interpreting the Use of Volitional Forms

• Participles: Functions

• Participles: Tense, Aspect, and Mood

• Participles: Discovering Examples

• Interpreting the Use of Participles

• Infinitives: Functions

• Infinitive Constructs: Discovering Examples

• Interpreting the Use of Infinitive Absolute Constructions

Unit 11: Verbal Stems

• Introducing Verbal Stems

• Eight Major Verbal Stems

• Identifying Verbal Stems and Conjugations

• Rare Stems and Stems in LHB

• Verbal Stem Terminology

• Qal/G Stem

• Discovering Occurrences of the Qal

• Qal Passive/Gp Stem

• Niphal/N Stem

• Discovering Occurrences of the Niphal

• Interpreting the Use of the Niphal

• Piel/D Stem

• Meaning Nuances of the Piel

• Discovering Occurrences of the Piel

• Interpreting the Use of the Piel

• Pual/Dp Stem

• Meaning Nuances of the Pual

• Discovering Occurrences of the Pual

• Interpreting the Use of the Pual

• Hitpael/HtD Stem

• Meaning Nuances of the Hitpael

• Discovering Occurrences of the Hitpael

• Interpreting the Use of the Hitpael

• Hiphil/H Stem

• Meaning Nuances of the Hiphil

• Discovering Occurrences of the Hiphil

• Interpreting the Use of the Hiphil

• Hophal/Hp Stem

• Meaning Nuances of the Hophal

• Discovering Occurrences of the Hophal

• Interpreting the Use of the Hophal

• Rare Verbal Stems

• Verbal Stems: Summary

Unit 12: Verb Changes with Vav Conjunction

• Previewing Verb Sequences

• Wayyiqtōl: Consecutive-Sequential

• Discovering Occurrences of Wayyiqtōl

• Wĕqātal: Conjunctive and Sequential

• Other Verb Chains

Unit 13: Aramaic and Transliteration

• Interpretive Overlaps with Aramaic

• Aramaic and Word Studies

• Aramaic Overlaps and Parallels to Hebrew Stems

• Hebrew Alphabet and Transliteration: א to ל

• Hebrew Alphabet and Transliteration: מ to ת

Conclusion

• Quick Review

• Appendix: The Lexham Discourse Hebrew Bible and the High Definition Old Testament

• Assumptions behind the Resources

• Introducing Discourse

• Choice and Meaning

• Introducing the Lexham Discourse Hebrew Bible and the High Definition Old Testament

• Grammatical Labels and Propositional Outlines

• Using the Lexham Discourse Hebrew Bible and the High Definition Old Testament

• Grammatical Categories: Forward-Pointing Devices

• Studying Tail-Head Linkage

• Grammatical Categories: Thematic Highlighting Devices

• Studying Overspecification

• Grammatical Categories: Word Order Devices

• Studying Fronting

• Key Discourse Resources in Logos