Building Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary

Reading Biblical Hebrew 📜

Biblical Hebrew is the language of the Hebrew Bible. It is read from **right to left**, it has **no capital letters**, and it is an **abjad**: the letters are consonants, and the vowels are shown by small dots and dashes (called **niqqud**) added above and below. Every word here is shown three ways: the **script**, the **sound** (transliteration in brackets), and the **English**.

First words 📖

Four very common words: - **אֱלֹהִים (elohim)** = God - **מֶלֶךְ (melekh)** = king - **אֶרֶץ (eretz)** = land, earth - **יוֹם (yom)** = day

Match each Hebrew word to its meaning

Spot the word

Which word means "king"?

• מֶלֶךְ (melekh)
• אֶרֶץ (eretz)
• יוֹם (yom)
• אֱלֹהִים (elohim)

More words 🏠

Four more everyday words of the Bible: - **מַיִם (mayim)** = water - **בַּיִת (bayit)** = house - **בֵּן (ben)** = son - **אָב (av)** = father

Match each word to its meaning

People, not things

Select ALL THREE words that name a person.

• בֵּן (ben)
• אָב (av)
• מֶלֶךְ (melekh)
• מַיִם (mayim)
• בַּיִת (bayit)
• יוֹם (yom)

The power of the root 🌱

Here is the key to Hebrew vocabulary. Almost every word is built from a **three-letter root** (written with the sign √), and all the words from one root share a core meaning. For example the root **√מלך (m-l-k)** carries the idea of *ruling*. From it come **מֶלֶךְ (melekh)** = king, **מַלְכָּה (malkah)** = queen, and **מַלְכוּת (malkhut)** = kingdom. Learn one root and you unlock a whole family of words.

Follow the root

The root √שלם (sh-l-m) means "to be whole or complete". Which word grows from it?

• שָׁלוֹם (shalom) = peace
• מַיִם (mayim) = water
• יוֹם (yom) = day
• בַּיִת (bayit) = house

Words from the exam list 📚

The exam sets a fixed vocabulary list. Here are four real entries from it: - **רֵעַ (rea)** = friend, companion - **שָׁלוֹם (shalom)** = peace, health - **בְּרִית (berit)** = covenant, promise - **מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach)** = altar A word not on the list still counts as readable if it clearly shares a **root** with a listed word. That is why roots are worth so much.

Match each exam-list word to its meaning

Check the meanings

Select the TWO statements that are correct.

• בְּרִית (berit) means covenant or promise
• מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach) means altar
• רֵעַ (rea) means king
• שָׁלוֹם (shalom) means water

Read a phrase

An interactive activity.

True of Biblical Hebrew?

Which statement about the writing is correct?

• It reads right to left, and vowels are shown by points (niqqud)
• It reads left to right like English
• It uses capital letters for names
• Every vowel has its own full letter, as in English

Vocabulary summary

Biblical Hebrew reads from _____ to left. Words are built from three-letter _____, so learning one unlocks a family of words. The word for king is _____, and the word for God is _____.

The exam list

On the exam list, רֵעַ means _____, בְּרִית means _____, and מִזְבֵּחַ means _____. A word not on the list is still readable if it shares a _____ with a listed word.