ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a comprehensive introduction to Biblical Hebrew language and texts. It presents the essentials of biblical grammar and vocabulary in a systematic way. Hebrew is a fascinating language with a rich history spanning 3,000 years. It is a member of Afro-Asiatic language family, which is a large group of languages spread throughout much of northern Africa and Middle East. Biblical Hebrew has no word corresponding to the English of. In order to indicate that one noun possesses or owns another, as in the phrase the horse of the king or the kings horse, Biblical Hebrew uses a construction termed the construct chain. The construct chain consists of two nouns placed right next to each other, with the first one possessed by the second. In many cases the relationship between the two nouns is not really one of possession, but rather resembles a nounadjective relationship, with the absolute noun describing the construct one.
