MTS B 321 Introduction to Hebrew Exegesis I
Paula S. Hiebert
Fall 2011
T and F 10:30-11:50 AM
Room 353
Aim
This course is the first half of an introduction to the biblical Hebrew language. The second half is
Introduction to Hebrew Exegesis II, offered during the spring semester. Together these courses
are designed to provide a basic knowledge of biblical Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, as well
as the skills to study and interpret the text of the Hebrew Bible in the context of ministry.
Textbook
Jo Ann Hackett, A Basic Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, with CD. Peabody, Massachusetts:
Hendrickson, 2010. (ISBN: 978-1-59856-028-2)
Requirements
1. Attendance and participation in class (10%). You should plan to attend and be prepared
to participate in all class sessions.
2. Written exercises (20%). The exercises assigned in each class should be completed by
the following class session. A deduction in the grade will be made for exercises that are
late.
3. Quizzes (20%). Each class session will begin with a quiz. Though each quiz will
emphasize material covered in the previous class, you should keep in mind that
language learning is cumulative by nature. Therefore, the quizzes will always be
cumulative.
4. Exams (10%, 20%, 20%). There will be three exams during the semester. The first exam
will account for 10% of the final grade, and the second and third exams will each
account for 20% of the final grade. The dates for the exams are identified on the course
schedule. Like the quizzes, the exams will be cumulative.
Teaching Team
Paula Hiebert
Katie Hartwell
khartwell@go.mccormick.edu
Sylvia Miller
smiller@go.mccormick.edu
Course Schedule
B321 Introduction to Hebrew Exegesis I
Tuesday, September 6
Friday, September 9
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew (Lesson 1)
The Hebrew Alphabet, Part 1 (Lessons 2 and 3)
Tuesday, September 13
Friday, September 16
The Hebrew Alphabet, Part 2 (Lessons 4 and 5)
Hebrew Words and Syllables (Lesson 6)
Tuesday, September 20
Friday, September 23
Independent Pronouns and Adjectives (Lesson 7)
Nouns and the Definite Article (Lesson 8)
Tuesday, September 27
Friday, September 30
Review of Lessons 1-8 for Examination 1
Examination 1
Tuesday, October 4
Friday, October 7
Prepositions (Lesson 9)
The Relative Pronoun and the Rule of Shwa (Lesson 9)
Tuesday, October 11, and Friday, October 14 NO CLASS: READING WEEK
Tuesday, October 18
Friday, October 21
The Construct Chain and Demonstratives (Lesson 10)
Nouns With Pronominal Suffixes (Lesson 11)
Tuesday, October 25
(Lesson 12)
Friday, October 28
Qal Prefix Conjugation and Imperative; Direct Object Marker
Tuesday, November 1
Friday, November 4
Review of Lessons 1-13 for Examination 2
Examination 2
Tuesday, November 8
Friday, November 11
Indirect Imperatives; Pronominal Suffixes on Verbs (Lesson 14)
The Consecutive Preterite (Lesson 15)
Tuesday, November 15
(Lesson 16)
Friday, November 18
Qal Suffix Conjugation and Its Object Suffixes; vǝ-qatal form
Qal Prefix Conjugation With Variant Verb Patterns (Lesson 13)
Lesson 16 continued
Tuesday, November 22, and Friday, November 25 NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Tuesday, November 29
Friday, December 2
Qal Infinitive Construct and Infinitive Absolute (Lesson 17)
Qal Particicples; ‫ ֵיׁש‬and ‫( ןֵא‬Lesson 18)
Tuesday, December 6
Friday, December 9
Lesson 18 continued
Review of Lessons 1-18
Tuesday, December 13
Examination 3