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Many books have boasted about its abilities to teach languages. However, from my experience, many books have not delivered. But this book, Learn Biblical Hebrew, has not only delivered but it also exceeded my expectations. John Dobson, a respected and well known Hebrew scholar, starts from the basics of the language providing students and readers with the background and foundation they need to grasp the language. Dobson, after he introduces a new aspect of the language, provides numerous examples so that the concept is cemented thoroughly into the readers. Initially, rather than starting with something new and foreign, he relates the Hebrew language to something most people will understand: the English language. And this is something that he continues to do throughout the book. He parallels the English language whenever possible and whenever it is appropriate, so that the readers have a reference point. After he establishes the similarity between the two languages, he introduces the Hebrew alphabet. This might seem an impossible task to accomplish since pronouncing the words will be major guess work on the readers’ part. However, this problem is solved since this book comes packaged with an audio CD-ROM that sounds the letters out loud. This ensures that the sounds are learned properly and removes any chances of mispronunciations. From here Dobson continues to build upon this foundation as he introduces the concepts of vowels, grammar, tenses and much more. The apt title of the book is reflected in the fact that most of the examples used are biblical verses. Hence, students are provided with Hebrew words from the Bible that they can practice with even if they do not possess a Hebrew Bible. Dobson also emphasizes the fact that the Hebrew has changed over the years, making students aware of the many forms and shapes of language. The book also includes an appendix to key information and concepts that is organized and easy to access for quick reference. Even though the author recommends a tutor if somebody is planning to go through the book on their own, I found it uncomplicated and easy to understand the material. A tutor might be more useful at a higher level of learning. The only problem associated with this book is the fact that it does not have assignments or a method to test the skills learned. Hence, it might be hard to gauge how much a concept has been understood, especially if you are going through the book on your own. Otherwise, it is great tool to grasp one of the beautiful and ancient languages of the world! Publisher: Baker Academic
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