Best books/CD's for beginning Biblical Hebrew and Greek?

itisdeliciouscake

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I used

Introducing Biblical Hebrew: Allen P. Ross: 9780801021473: Amazon.com: Books for Hebrew
and

A Primer of Biblical Greek: N. Clayton Croy: 9780802867339: Amazon.com: Books for Greek

I've heard complaints about both (although much more for Ross than for Croy) but overall I actually loved using them both. Both start from scratch and move through the basics of the language in an organized and logical fashion.

The best thing about Ross (the Hebrew book) is the final 12 or so chapters which walk beginning students through passages as they would appear in a BHS (the standard Hebrew Bible) while also introducing students to more technical issues like syntax, noun patterns, and basic textual criticism. The major complaint I hear about Ross is his exercises. There aren't a TON of exercises; it takes a long time before getting into ACTUAL Biblical Hebrew (as in, sentences taken straight from the Bible); he tends to not immediately reinforce vocabulary in the exercises (which can make remember new vocab tricky).

I've actually only ever heard one complaint about Croy (the Greek book) and it was that he can scare beginner students with a plethora of paradigms. I'm not entirely sure I agree with this complaint however, as any intermediate Greek student will tell you how much they appreciate having an introductory grammar book they can go back to that erred on the side of having too many paradigm charts. Croy's biggest strength is its abundance of exercises, which start the beginning student translating from the LXX and NT right away (although with TONS of help). The other issue with Croy however is the binding is crap. If you get Croy I HIGHLY recommend you investing a coupla bucks and getting it spiral-bound by a copy-center/office-supply place.

I should mention that the 'seminary-standard' books for Hebrew and Greek are
Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Second Edition: Gary D. Pratico, Miles V. Van Pelt: 9780310270201: Amazon.com: Books (Hebrew)
Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar: William D. Mounce: 9780310287681: Amazon.com: Books (Greek)

Almost every seminary will be using these two books. I can't really comment on them except to say that my Greek and Hebrew professor's each said they disliked these books. I also know that 'seminary-standard' can sometimes mean 'bare-minimum proficiency.' Unfortunately since any reputable seminary requires all students to take Hebrew and Greek, it is often the case that the classes do not push the students to true Hebrew and Greek mastery since the goal is often merely to 'get them through the class.'

The only book I would highly suggest that you DO NOT use is
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-...qid=1388520320&sr=8-1&keywords=Lambdin+hebrew
The Hebrew class at my school recently switched to this book and it was a HUGE mistake. The professor is considering switching back to Ross next semester. I've been tutoring Hebrew for the students who are using this book and it is a HEADACHE.
For some reason it seems to be the standard book at Ivies (I'm told Harvard at least uses it) but why this is the case is beyond me. The order it presents material in is non-sensical (the first verb-form it teaches is the active participle??). It is inconsistent with how it presents material (switching between 1st-2nd-3rd person and 3rd-2nd-1st person). Its scant exercises use very fake Hebrew and for unknown reasons do not include or introduce students to Masoretic accents. Furthermore it stretches some material unnecessarily into several chapters (pronominal suffixes), repeating the same information and confusing students. [/end rant]
 
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itisdeliciouscake

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I should say that you should realize that learning the languages aren't incredibly easy, but neither are they as absurdly hard as some people make them seem. But know that it takes discipline.

I would also recommend starting with only one of the languages and then moving on to the next. Juggling both at the same time could be overwhelming, especially if you haven't studied a dead language before. Beginning with one language and then moving to the next has the added advantage of making the 2nd language you learn tremendously easier. I began with Hebrew and then moved to Greek and found that many of the things that the other beginning Greek students struggled with I did fine.

I would recommend spending at least 6 or so months on one language (however long it takes to get through an introductory textbook) and then, after you've learned enough to work through the biblical text on your own, moving on to the next language. This will help motivate you to learn the 2nd language, since you will be reaping the benefits of the time you spent learning the first language.

As far as which language to begin with, I'm inclined to suggest Hebrew since it is what I began with. Beginning with a language so radically different from English can tend to 'shake-up' a student from thinking in language-categories that they're used to thinking in (for example, there is no such thing as 'past,' 'present,' and 'future' tense in Hebrew). This makes learning Greek much smoother.

But that's only my suggestions, others will say differently. The best way to decide which to begin with is to ask yourself "which book of the Bible would I love more than anything to be able to read in the original language by myself?" For me it was the Psalms. But for others they may be more excited by the prospect of reading the Gospels, or Romans. I think this is the best way to decide because it will keep you motivated through the 'dry spells' of learning the language. You'll be able to remind yourself why you're studying and push yourself through the hard work.

And learning the languages are hard work, but I can honestly say learning them has been the most rewarding thing I've ever done.
 
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