Introduction to Biblical Hebrew

Lesson 1

The Alphabet
(consonants, vowels, sewa)

Syllabication
OT 311
NBTS, Fall 2010
Rev. Charles Rix, Ph.D.
aAleph
(silent)
bB
“v” as in “van”
bet
“b” as in “ban”
gG gimmel
“g” as in “god”
dD dalet
“d” as in “day”
h he
“h” as in “hay”
w waw
“v” as in “van”
 z zayin
“z” as in “zion”
 x het
“ch” as in “Bach”
 j tet
“t” as in “top”
y yod
“y” as in “yet”
$kK
FINAL FORM

kaph
“k” as in “king”
 l lamed
“l” as in “lion”
~m
FINAL FORM

mem
“m” as in “moth”
 !n
FINAL FORM

nun
“n” as in “noon”
 s samek
“s” as in “sack”
[ ayin
“silent”
@pP
FINAL FORM

peh
“p” as in “pat” “f” as in “fat
 #c
FINAL FORM

tsade
“ts” as in “bets”
 q qoph
“q” as in “plaque”
 r resh
“r” as in “rash”
Xo sin
“s” as in “seen”
 v shin
“sh” as in “sheen”
 tT
“th” as in “thank”
taw
“t” as in “tank”
 The Dagesh
• Indicates that the consonant is doubled:

M = mm
N = nn
 The Dagesh
• Indicates a “stop” in the case of the six consonants below,
known as the “begadkepat” letters:

BGDKP
T
 Guttural Letters
• Letters that are pronounced in the throat:

a h x[
 Long and Short Vowels

• Three classes of vowels: a, i, u

• Vowels are placed under the consonant and
pronounced after it
• The exception is the “holem” which is placed
at the top left hand corner of that consonant
 “A “Vowels
Name Vowel With Pronunciation
Letter

Short “a”

Long “a”
patah

qames
 a, as in “car”

a, as in “car”


 “E “Vowels
Name Vowel With Pronunciation
Letter

Short “e” segol

 e, as in “met”

Long “e” sere

Be e, as in “they”

Short/Long “i” hireq

Bi i, as in “unique”
 “U “Vowels
Name Vowel With Pronunciation
Letter

Short “o”
qames
hatup
 o, as in “loft”

Short/Long “u” qibbus

 u, as in “rule”

Long “o” holem

 o, as in “role”
 hMatres Lectionis
Letters that serve as markers for long vowels


Class
  y
a 

i  
Be yBe
(o)
u
(u)
(sureq)
 Note on the h
• The h at the end of a word may either be a
“mater” or an actual consonant.
• A dot or mappiq is usually put in the h to
denote it is a consonant, or H
 = her horse
 = mare
 The Sewa

• The sign for the sewa is 

 The Sewa ְ‫ב‬
• The sewa is placed under a consonant to indicate whether it
is:
– A half vowel, in which case it is vocal
– Not a vowel, in which case it is silent
 The Composite Sewa
• The composite sewa is placed under guttural letters

+  = hatep-patah (a)

+ = hatep-segol (e)
 + =  hatep-quames
 Syllables
• Every Hebrew word has one or more syllables
• Every syllable begins with one (and only one)
consonant
• Every syllable has only one vowel
• A syllable cannot begin with a vowel
– The exception is the conjunction (waw) or 
• A syllable can end with a vowel or consonant
– Open syllables end with a vowel (Cv pattern)
– Closed syllables end with a consonant (CvC pattern)
 Syllables
• The primary stress of a Hebrew word is
normally on the last syllable
• If not, the accented syllable is noted by an
accent mark:
– ‫ֶּֿכסֶק‬
 Rules for the Sewa
A sewa is vocal when it (is): Example

at the beginning of a word

‫שְמוּאֵל‬
ׁ

the second of two sewas (in

immediate succession) ‫ִישְׁמְרּו‬
under a begad-kepat letter
that is doubled by a dagesh ‫דִ ּבְרּו‬
follows a long vowel
‫ש ְֹׁפֵ ְִֵטים‬
 Rules for the Sewa
A sewa is silent when it (is): Example

at the end of a word

ְ‫ֶמ ֶלך‬
the first of two sewas (in
immediate succession) ‫ִישְׁמְרּו‬
comes immediately after a
short unstressed vowel ‫ַמ ְל ָאְך‬
Comes after a any vowel in a
stressed syllable ‫ֶֿנֶֿגְּבָה‬
 Begad-Kepat Letters
• In a consonant that is NOT a Begad-Kepat
letter, the dagesh indicates that the letter is
doubled. This is always true! (yeah!)

• In a begad-kepat letter, the dagesh means will

have implications for pronunciation as well as
doubling.
 Begad-Kepat Letters
Pronunciation
• The pronunciation will be hard if the letter:

– is at the beginning of a word

‫ּכ ֹ ֵהן‬

– follows a silent sewa that closes a syllable

‫ש ָּפט‬
ְׁ ‫ִמ‬
 Begad-Kepat Letters
Doubling
• The pronunciation will be soft if the begad
kepat letter represents a doubling:
‫דִ ּבְרּו‬

– Which is actually

‫ רּו‬/ ‫ ְב‬/ ‫דִ ב‬

 Syllable Division‫׃‬Open Syllables (Cv)
Open syllables only have a Consonant (C) and a vowel (v)

• A long vowel and is unaccented:

ׁ‫חָדָ ש‬
• A short vowel and accented:
‫ֶֶּֿֿכ ֶסף‬
• A vocal sewa following a silent sewa that closes the previous
syllable:
‫ִישְׁמְרּו‬
 Syllable Division‫ ׃‬Closed Syllables (CvC)
Open syllables only have a Consonant (C) and a vowel (v) and
another Consonant (C)

• C-long vowel-C (unaccented)

• C-short vowel-C (accented)
 Other Syllable Rules

• When the ‫ א‬closes a syllable it will not have a

compound sewa, but stands alone‫׃‬
‫לֵאֹל ִהים‬

• When a words ends with a guttural (‫ )ה ע ח‬it will have

an additional “a” vowel. This is called a “furtive
patah” and breaks the rule that a syllable does not
begin with a vowel.
‫רּוַח‬
 Review of Syllable Rules
• Hebrew words begin with a consonant
• Each syllable must have only one vowel
• Open syllables
– The vowel can be long and unaccented
– The vowel can be short and accented
– A vocal sewa following a silent sewa that closes the previous syllable

• Closed syllables
– The vowel must be short and unaccented
– If the vowel is long in a closed syllable, it must be accented
‫‪Examples‬‬
‫ִויהוּדָ ה‬
‫ִוי הּו דָ ה‬

‫יִשְׁמְרּו‬
‫ש ְמ רּו‬
‫ִי ְׁ‬
‫‪Examples‬‬
‫מְדַ ּבֵר‬
‫ְמ דַ ב בֵר‬