Categories
Hebrew Verbs With Gutturals
Verbs which have a guttural for one of the three radicals differ in their inflexion from the ordinary strong verb. These differences do not affect the consonantal part of the stem, and it is, therefore, more correct to regard the guttural verbs as a subdivision of the strong verb. At the most, only the entire omission of the strengthening in some of the verbs middle guttural (as well as in the imperfect Niph'al of verbs first guttural) can be regarded as a real weakness. On the other hand, some original elements have been preserved in guttural stems, which have degenerated in the ordinary strong verb; e.g. the ă of the initial syllable in the imperfect Qal, as in יַחְמֹד, which elsewhere is attenuated to ĭ, יִקְטֹל.—In guttural verbs א and ה are only taken into consideration when they are actual consonants, and not vowel-letters like the א in some verbs פ״א, in a few ע״א, and in most ל״א. In all these cases, however, the א was at Learn more...
Mater Lectionis
The usage of certain consonants to indicate a vowel in the spelling of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac languages is called matres lectionis (Latin "mothers of reading", singular form: mater lectionis, Hebrew: אֵם קְרִיאָה mother of reading). The letters that do this in Hebrew are א (aleph), ה (he), ו (waw) and י (yod). The י and ו in particular are more often vowels than they are consonants.
The practice of using matres lectionis seems to have originated when [ay] and [aw] diphthongs (written using the י (yod) and ו (waw) consonant letters respectively) monophthongized to simple long vowels [ē] and [ō]. This epiphenomenal association between consonant letters and vowel sounds was then seized upon and used in words without historic diphthongs. This system developed as an early system for indicating vowels using the Hebrew alphabet. The consonant letters י (yod), ו (waw), ה (He), and א (Aleph) can be given for a rough indication of long vowels. Originally they were Learn more...
Remarks on Pronunciation
א is the "soft breathing" like the h in English hour.
ה is the "rough breathing" like the h in English heat.
ח is pronounced like ch in the German Buch. ח represents two Arabic letters خ chà (pronounced as above) and ح hhà, a strong aspirate pronounced low down in the throat.
ט is a palatal t, the tip of the tounge is touching the palate instead of the teeth.
ע is pronounced by some the same as א, by others like ng in English sing.
ע represents two Arabic letters ع ʿayn, which to European is very hard to pronounce, but which is something like the n in French bon, and غ ġayn, the corresponding flat sound to ch.
צ is pronounced like ts in English cats, or z in German Zorn.
צ represents two Arabic letters, ص ṣād, a very strong palatal s, and ض ḍād, a strong palatal d.
ק is pronounced lower down in the throat than כּ.
Learn more...
Hebrew Alphabet
The Hebrew character in used at the present day, and in which the oldest existing manuscripts of the Bible are found written, is not only the same that was employed at the time of Jerome, viz. in the fourth century and fifth centuries after Christ, but is even spoken of in the Talmud, and still earlier in the Mishna, by the name of כתב אשׁוּרית Assyrian writing, as consisting of the Assyrian or the Aramaean letters which they affirmed to have been brought by Ezra from Assyria on the returning with his fellow-exiles from the Babylonian captivity. This character is likewise called by the writers of the Talmud מרבע כתב square writing, on account of its angular form, to distinguish it from the more flowing text in ordinary use, which they denominated כתב עגול round writing. This square hand is that which bears the greatest resemblance to the letters found on the Palmyrene monuments and in the Carpentras inscriptions. That this does not extend further back than Learn more...
Hebrew Numerals
Hebrew numeral system is divided in units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. Numbers are divided into cardinals and ordinals. The cardinals have masculine and feminine absolute and construct. The ordinal numbers have two genders, but no contruct state. The numbers have also pronominal suffixes e.g. שׁנינו׃ (us two) in Gen 31:37.
Genesis 31:37
כי־משׁשׁת את־כל־כלי מה־מצאת מכל כלי־ביתך שׂים כה נגד אחי ואחיך ויוכיחו בין שׁנינו׃
for you have felt all my vessels: what have you found of all the vessels of your house? set here before my brethren, and your brethren, and they decide between us two.
Decimal
Hebrew
Glyph
Cardinal
(eg. one, two, three)
Ordinal
(eg. first, second, third)
Masculine
Feminine
Masculine
Feminine
0
N/A
אֶפֶס (efes)
N/A
1
Aleph
א
אֶחַד
(echad)
אַחַת
(achat)
רִאשׁוֹן
(rishon)
רִאשׁוֹנָה
(rishonah)
2
Bet
ב
שְׁנַיִם
(shnayim)
שְׁתַּיִם
(shtayim)
שֵׁנִי
(sheni)
שֵׁנִיָה
(shniyah)
3
Gimel
ג
שְׁלוֹשָׁה
(shlosha)
שָׁלוֹשׁ
(shalosh)
שְׁלִישִׁי
(shlishi)
שְׁלִישִׁית
(shlishit)
or
שְׁלִישִׁיָה
(shlishiyah)
4
Dalet
ד
אַרְבָּעָה
(arba'a)
אַרְבַּע
(arbah)
רְבִיעִי
(revi'i)
רְבִיעִית
(revi'it)
5
He
ה
חֲמִשָׁה
(chamisha)
חָמֵשׁ
(chamesh)
חֲמִישִׁי
(chamishi)
חֲמִישִׁית
(chamishit)
6
Vav
ו
שִׁשָּׁה
(shisha)
שֵׁשׁ
(shesh)
שִׁשִּׁי
(shishi)
שִׁשִּׁית
(shishit)
7
Zayin
ז
שִׁבְעַה
(shiv'a)
שֶׁבַע
(sheva)
שְׁבִיעִי
(shvi'i)
שְׁבִיעִית
(shvi'it)
8
Het
ח
שְׁמוֹנָה
(shmonah)
שְׁמוֹנֶה
(shmoneh)
שְׁמִינִי
(shmini)
שְׁמִינִית
(shminit)
9
Tet
ט
תִּשְׁעָה
(tish'a)
תֵּשַׁע
(tayshah)
תְּשִׁיעִי
(tshi'i)
תְּשִׁיעִית
(tshi'it)
10
Yodh
י
עֲשָׂרָה
(assara)
עֶשֶׂר
(eser)
עֲשִׂירִי
(asiri)
עֲשִׂירִית
(asirit)
20
Kaph
כ
עֶשְׂרִים
(esrim)
30
Lamedh
ל
שְׁלוֹשִׁים
(shloshim)
40
Mem
מ
אַרְבָּעִים
(arba'im)
50
Nun
נ
חֲמִשִּׁים
(chamishim)
60
Samekh
ס
שִׁשִּׁים
(shishim)
70
Ayin
ע
shiv'im
(שִׁבְעִים)
80
Pe
פ
שְׁמוֹנִים
(shmonim)
90
Tsade
צ
תִּשְׁעִים
(tish'im)
100
Qof
ק
מֵאָה
(me'a)
200
Resh
ר
מָאתַיִם
(matayim)
300
Shin
ש
שְׁלוֹשׁ Learn more...
