How Biblical Languages Work: A Student's Guide to Learning Hebrew and Greek - Softcover

An ideal supplement to first year Hebrew and Greek grammars, this practical guide makes learning the biblical languages a less daunting task. By introducing students to characteristics and functions of all human language, experienced linguists Silzer and Finley create the basis from which to describe the major features of Hebrew and Greek: how the sounds are pronounced, how words are put together, how phrases and clauses are structured, how words convey meaning, and how languages change. 

The book includes practical exercises, a glossary of linguistic and grammatical terms widely used in standard grammars of Greek and Hebrew, and other resources for further study, including Internet sites.

“Thanks to Silzer and Finley, we [now] have a book that discusses the basic principles of linguistics and semantics in a readable, understandable manner that will not intimidate or discourage the novice. Students who read this book before taking first year Hebrew and/or Greek should find the task of learning the language(s) much less painful and tedious than it would be otherwise.”

—Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
Dallas Theological Seminary

“This marvelously clear and cogent introduction to biblical linguistics should be required reading for every student of Hebrew and Greek. . . . The only shame is that this book was not available decades ago, when the rest of us were doing our language study!”

—Mark L. Strauss, Ph.D.
Bethel Seminary, San Diego, Cal.

Peter James Silzer (Ph.D., Australian National University) has worked in linguistics and Bible translation since 1972 and now teaches in the School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University in La Mirada, California, on behalf of the Summer Institute of Linguistics and Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Thomas John Finley (Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles) is professor of Old Testament and Semitics at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. He is the editor of A Bilingual Concordance to the Targum of the Prophets: Ezekiel and a commentary on Joel, Obadiah, and Micah.