Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Word Function and Sentence Formation)

In this clear and up-to-date introduction to Biblical Hebrew syntax, Steven E. Fassberg provides intermediate and advanced Hebrew students with a detailed overview of word function and sentence formation, giving special attention to variation across genres and time periods and drawing on both recent and classical research written in multiple languages.

Translated and updated from the Hebrew original (Bialik Institute, 2019), Biblical Hebrew Syntax draws on Fassberg’s years of classroom experience teaching Israeli and foreign students at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In addition to describing the function of individual words (morphosyntax) and sentence structure (clausal syntax) in depth, the volume also highlights salient features of different biblical genres––prose, poetry, narrative, speech––and traces how Hebrew syntax shifts across the language’s historical strata, from Archaic through Classical, Transitional, and Late Biblical Hebrew. Copious examples drawn from the Hebrew Bible illustrate the author’s discussions.

To situate Biblical Hebrew syntax within the broader development of the language and offer points of comparison, the volume frequently notes relevant phenomena from extrabiblical material, including inscriptions from the First and Second Temple periods, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Ben Sira, and Tannaitic (Mishnaic) Hebrew, with occasional reference to other Northwest Semitic languages. The bibliography draws together classical and current scholarship in English, German, French, and Italian, as well as significant Modern Hebrew research that is often inaccessible to English-speaking students, giving readers a more complete and current picture of the state of research beyond the English-speaking world.

Ideal for second- and third-year Biblical Hebrew courses, this textbook includes:

• a systematic account of Biblical Hebrew morphosyntax and clausal syntax, illustrated with abundant examples from the Hebrew Bible
• attention to syntactic variation between the different genres of the Hebrew Bible, helping readers recognize how syntax shapes meaning in prose, poetry, narrative, and speech
• coverage of syntactic development across Archaic, Classical, Transitional, and Late Biblical Hebrew
• relevant data from extrabiblical sources, including First and Second Temple inscriptions, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Ben Sira, and Tannaitic Hebrew
• a bibliography comprising English, German, French, Italian, and Modern Hebrew scholarship