Hebrew textbooks

TWO POSSIBLE TEXTBOOKS ON BIBLICAL HEBREW have been drawn to my attention by the Combined Academic Press. I don't think I can use them right now, and they aren't new. but I've never noted them before, so in case any readers might find them useful for their classes, here they are.

JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh, Pocket Edition
Jewish Publication Society
9780827607668
£20.99

This pocket edition offers a lightweight, compact version of the popular JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh. It features the oldest-known complete Hebrew version of the Holy Scriptures, side by side with JPS's renowned English translation. The Hebrew text of this Tanakh is based on the famed Leningrad Codex, the Masoretic text traceable to Aaron ben Moses ben Asher, ca. 930 CE.

Regarded throughout the English-speaking world as a landmark English translation of the Holy Scriptures, the JPS Tanakh has been acclaimed by scholars, rabbis, lay leaders, Jews, and Christians alike.


In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language
Joel Hoffman
New York University Press
9780814736906
£21.99

Hebrew set the stage for almost every modern alphabet. Hoffman follows and decodes the adventure that is the history of Hebrew, illuminating how the written record has survived, the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and ancient translations, and attempts to determine how the language actually sounded. He places these developments into a historical context, and shows their continuing impact on the modern world.

This sweeping history traces Hebrew's development as one of the first languages to make use of vowels. Hoffman also covers the dramatic story of the rebirth of Hebrew as a modern, spoken language. Packed with lively information about language and linguistics and history, In the Beginning is essential reading for both newcomers and scholars interested in learning more about Hebrew and languages in general.