A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew, 2nd Edition

by Jacob Weingreen

This grammar is based upon simple rules which are explained from the point of view of ordinary speech. The language employed is free from heavy technicalities, and grammar itself is arranged in a succession of inter-dependent chapters, each accompanied by exercises in Hebrew - English and English - Hebrew. Vocabularies and tables are also included, and irregular verbs are rationalized philologically. The grammar has been planned to introduce the student as quickly as possible to a working knowledge of Classical Hebrew.

The first edition was published in 1939. This second edition repairs small omissions of reference and includes other corrections of a fairly minor kind.

Genres: Reference, Language, Theology, Old Testament, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Religion

316 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1959

Reviews

[wyclif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been using this grammar since last year, working through a few pages at a time and doing the exercises during down time.

This text, though an old standard for generations of Hebrew students and now somewhat dated, maintains its reputation based on the quality of the exercises. There are many newer Hebrew grammars to choose from, but Weingreen is still the best beginning grammar of the lot if you must learn Hebrew thoroughly. A great feature of these exercises is that they are taken for the most part directly and organically from the OT text. Furthermore, Weingreen works you on the strong verb paradigm before doing weak verbs, and only then discusses underlying rules of phonology illustrated in every category of the weak verb. This is often lacking in some of the modern grammars.

Overall, this is a classic Hebrew grammar that excels at building your intuition of word order and idiom, especially if you take the exercises, translate them into English, and then translate them back into Hebrew. Also a superb reference grammar. I held back a star only because Weingreen's explanation of the verbal system is outdated (you can see this reflected in the fact that seminaries that still recognise the merit of this text also assign a grammatical supplement with updated explanations of the verbal system).

[Daniel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems rather vain to review, let alone rate, a textbook as dry, renowned and comprehensive as Weingreen's. It doesn't just follow the standards - it sets the standards. Suffice it to say it got me through my first year of learning to read Biblical Hebrew, being recommended by my very old school professor (he came to lectures wearing a suit, tie and gown, I kid you not). It is probably not to be used outside that sort of context as it reads more as a list of rules and paradigms than a guide to learning. On the other hand, Hebrew turns out to be remarkably simple language once you've passed the enormously steep initial learning curve. Don't get too bogged down in all the little rules and exceptions that are the pitfalls to learning any language; get the basics of the first half (the second half is just an account of the wide variety of irregular verbs), turn to Genesis 1 (I highly recommend the Reader's Hebrew Bible published by Zondervan) and start reading. It leaps off the page after remarkably little experience in a way that more complicated languages like Latin don't.

One more thing. Weingreen (who wrote this in the 1930s/40s, by the way) follows the old-fashioned idea that biblical translation into English should always use the 'thou'/'thee' form of the verb for 2nd person singular and the 'ye'/'you' form for 2nd person plural. This has advantages for a language textbook, since most end up writing 'you (s.)' and 'you (pl.)' all over the place in a rather ugly fashion, whereas the thou form has a certain elegance to it. If you're not comfortable with that style of language, however, this is probably not the primer for you.

[Tanya Marlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are plenty of books on the market that offer a better and more interactive learning experience for Hebrew than this classic text. But I have found myself returning to it again and again for its clear explanations of grammar concepts and thorough (though now a little old-fashioned) guide to pronunciation. This form of pronunciation gives a greater variety of vowel sounds and consonants than modern Hebrew, which has a lot of overlap in phonetics between the letters. Modern Hebrew pronunciation makes it easier to speak, but harder to memorise the different vowel markings in words that have the same consonants. A great reference book to fall back on.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful grammar that I read when I took Hebrew four years ago, and again when I decided to start taking Hebrew again. I highly recommend it. Though the textbook is older than, say, Lingua Latina or Athenaze, it is fairly clear and includes lots of composition exercises (you can email me for an answer key to some of these exercises).

You probably should have a teacher for this though, since that will do a lot of things for you. BibleMesh is also way better if you want to learn the language, but if you want something more low key, this is a fabulous resource.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grammar book at WTS. Thorough - I love the exercises, even though they're tough. Gets ya learning the stuff.

[Donnie Vick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still the best of the Hebrew grammars. Its the best because of the exercises.

[Brian Reagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent grammar, just plain excellent

[LaochRione · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource for students of Biblical Hebrew. A must have on every linguist's shelf.

[Jonathan Hatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helps me go to sleep at night

[Davis Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's extremely dry, but it really is the best kind of language textbook: no-nonsense, as concise and compact as possible, and it tells you everything you need to know to read the language in its original context without either challenging you through the roof or being patronizing to your abilities. I think it could even be used fruitfully to learn Hebrew on your own, as long as you skip most of the introductory section right away and return to it throughout your studies—otherwise it's just too much information right away that isn't really needed until later (besides the obvious reasons, having an instructor is also helpful for this particular book so he/she can explain the areas where Weingreen's scholarship is outdated). And for people like myself who want to learn Hebrew on a solid reading level but won't really ever have the commitment to master all the intensive nuances of the verb grammar and pointing, it works very well for that purpose too.

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent little primer in the old format, with small doses of grammar and large exercises, designed to hammer in the grammar in parts. It is a little old fashioned, as commented on in other reviews on livingsocial, but then so am I. I may find a more modern primer now, for I've got a basis in reading and the alphabet and in grammar. Since my focus is classical Hebrew, the age of the book is hardly going to matter. I can now read to a large extent the narrative of Exodus, stumbling over the words and the same with the great creation hymn of Genesis. I should be able to separate out the sentence parts in a Jewish prayer-book now, even if I cannot understand every one of the words. This book has proved very useful.

[Shep · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weingreen's Hebrew Grammar is haphazardly organized. Vocabulary words are presented seemingly at random, the chapters are occasionally unclear, and some of the notes on exceptions are more confusing than helpful. Were it not for the guidance and supplementary teaching of my excellent Hebrew professor, I would have been entirely lost. If you are looking for a solid, well-organized, understandable Hebrew Grammar, this is not it.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

The text is seriously dated and the homework is overwhelming, but if you can push through you WILL learn Hebrew. I might consider Allen Ross' Introduction to Biblical Hebrew if I had a choice in which Hebrew grammar to choose

[Greg Baughman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid pedagogy. The exercises helped make approaching the Hebrew text less intimidating. The descriptions, though, take work to understand and could be more clear. Also, some language is dated. I feel that it would be difficult to use this text to learn the language on one's own.