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Ancient Hebrew Language and Alphabetplanned (fig. 2). The Shemites 15 were the descendants ofShem, traveling west speaking Hebrew. The Hamitestraveled south into Africa and became the Egyptiansspeaking Egyptian. The Japhethites traveled northbecoming the Sumerians16, probably a sub-group of theScythians17, speaking Sumerian. In Genesis 10 we find the"table of nations", a record of the scattering of thedescendants of the sons of Noah.15The Shemites (aslo called Semites) are the Hebrews. Later cultures,such as the Phonecians, Canaanites, Akkadians, Moabites, Amonitesand Arameans sprouted out of the Hebrews and are also part of theShemitic family.16The land of the Sumerians was known as Sumer, which is Shinar inthe Bible (Genesis 10.10) also known as Babylonia. It is believed thatthe Japhethites traveled north the Black and Caspian seas and are theancestors of the Sumerians. See Unger, "Scythian," 987 andMadelene S. Miller and J. Lane Miller, "Sumer," Harper's BibleDictionary, 1973 ed.: 710.17Unger, "Scythian," 987.8

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetFigure 2 The scattering of the descendants of Noah's three sons.It is not until we come to Noah's grand-children that wefind names that are of a language other then Hebrew, suchas Nimrod18 (Genesis 11.8), Sabteca19 (Genesis 10.7) andmany others whose names have no meaning in Hebrew 20,correlating in time with the confounding of the languageat the Tower of Babel.It has long been a tradition within both Judaism andChristianity that Hebrew is the mother of all languages 21.18See Strong's #5248See Strong's #545520The construction of Hebrew words, including names, follows a setof patterns. Words that do not follow these patterns are suspect ofbeing of foreign origin.21Will Smith, "Hebrew Language," Smith's Bible Dictionary, 1948ed.: 238.199

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetThe evolution of the Hebrew alphabetThe original pictographic script (fig. 3) of the AncientHebrew alphabet22 consisted of 22 letters, eachrepresenting an object such as water (top left corner) or ashepherd staff (second from right at bottom).Figure 3 Ancient Shemitic/ Hebrew pictographic inscription onstone boulder c. 1500 BCEAfter the Tower of Babel, the Ancient Hebrew alphabetbegan to evolve into a simpler script (fig. 4) similar to theoriginal pictographic alphabet.Figure 4 Ancient Hebrew inscription on potsherd c. 900 BCE22Also known as "Shemitic", Semitic" "proto-siniatic", protocanaanite" and "paleo-hebrew".10

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetThe Hebrews splintered into sub-groups such as thePhoenicians, Canaanites, Akkadians, Moabites (fig. 5),Ammonites (fig. 6), Arameans (fig. 8), and others, allknown as Shemites. Due to the close proximity andinteraction of these Shemitic cultures, their alphabet scriptevolved similarly.Figure 5 Moabite inscription on stone c. 900 BCEFigure 6 Ammonite inscription on stone c. 900 BCEAt other times, alphabet scripts evolved very differently.The most unique is the Ugaritic, consisting of 30 letterswhere the original pictographic script evolved into acuneiform23 script24 (fig. 7) sometimes called Hebrewcuneiform.23Cuneiform, meaning, "wedge-shape", is written with a stylus that ispressed into a clay tablet to form the letters.24Because the Ugarit language is so similar to Hebrew, the Ugaritcuneiform is called Hebrew cuneiform.11

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetFigure 7 Ugarit cuneiform inscription on clay tablet c. 1400 BCEThe Aramean script (Aramaic), used extensively in theBabylonian region, originated in the Hebrew script around1000 BCE (fig. 8) and began to evolve independently ofother Shemitic groups. By 400 BCE it no longerresembled the original pictographic script (fig. 9).Figure 8 Aramaic inscription on stone incense altar c. 500 BCEFigure 9 Aramaic inscription on stone plaque c. 20 CE.When the Hebrew people were taken into Babyloniancaptivity, they adopted the Aramaic script abandoning theAncient Hebrew script. From this point to the present, theHebrew language has been written in the Aramaic script(fig. 10).12

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetFigure 10 Hebrew writings from the Dead Sea Scrolls c. 200BCEThe Modern Hebrew script has remained very similar tothe Hebrew of the first century BCE (fig. 11).Figure 11 Modern Hebrew script from the Hebrew Bible.While the majority of the Hebrew texts of the first centuryBCE and into the first century CE were written in theAramaic script, the Ancient Hebrew pictographic scriptwas not lost and was still used on occasion. The coins ofthis era used the Ancient pictographic Hebrew script aswell as some scrolls such as those found in the Dead Seacaves (fig. 12).Figure 12 Pictographic Hebrew writings from the Dead SeaScrolls c. 100 BCE13

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetThe Samaritans lived in the land of Samaria, a region ofIsrael, at the time of Israel's captivity; they were not takeninto Babylon with Israel. As a result of their isolation theyare the only culture to retain a script (fig. 13) similar tothe Ancient Hebrew script and is still used to this day.Figure 13 Samaritan scriptsAround 1000 BCE, the Greeks adopted the AncientHebrew script (fig. 14). This Ancient Greek alphabetbegan to evolve over the centuries to become the Greekscript (fig. 15) used today. While all the Shemitic scriptsshown above were usually written from right to left, theywere written from left to right at times 25. The directions ofthe letters reveal the direction of writing. For example,figure 14 was written from right to left. Note the directionof the "E" (first letter from the right) and the "K" (fifthletter from the right). Compare these with the same lettersin figure 15, which is written from left to write. Note the"K" (first letter from the left) and the "E" (fourth letterfrom the left). Around 500 BCE the Greeks finalized aleft to right form of writing while the Shemites finalized aright to left form of writing.25Ancient inscriptions were often written on stone using a hammerand chisel. Since the hammer was held in the right hand and thechisel in the left hand, a right to left writing was natural. When inkbegan to be used, it was preferable to right from left to right so thatthe hand would not smear the ink.14

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetFigure 14 Greek inscription found on bowl c. 800 BCEFigure 15 Greek writing on New Testament papyrus c. 200 CETo the south of the Shemitic peoples, the Egyptians werewriting with an alphabet almost identical to the AncientHebrew script. In addition to the alphabet, the Egyptiansused a complex system of pictographs called hieroglyphs(fig. 16) where each pictograph represented one, two orthree syllables.Figure 16 Egyptian Hieroglyphs from the Book of the Dead c.1350 BCETo the east of the Shemites were the Sumerians whosesystem of writing was very similar to the Egyptian withseveral hundred pictographs (fig. 17). Over time, these15

Ancient Hebrew Language and Alphabetpictographs evolved into a cuneiform script (fig. 18)similar to the Ugaritic.Figure 17 Sumerian Pictograph on clay tablet c. 3000 BCEFigure 18 Sumerian Cuneiform on clay tablet c. 2500 BCEDue to the common origin of all the scripts above,similarities of the script of different cultures can beobserved. One example is the letter "lamed" that can beseen in several of the inscriptions above, as well as notingits similarity to our "L".16

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetAncient amaritanGreekDSS HebrewModern HebrewSince the Egyptian, Sumerian, Greek, Aramaic, Arabic,Hebrew and other Shemitic cultures have their origins inthe Ancient Hebrew script, tracing their history andevolution is beneficial to reconstructing the originalAncient Hebrew script. Appendix "C" includes a set oftwo charts for each of the 22 Hebrew letters. One chartincludes all the known scripts of 14 languages. The otheris a flowchart showing the evolution of the letter throughthe centuriesWhy study the Ancient Hebrew language and culture?The Hebrew people, whose culture and lifestyle were verydifferent than our own, wrote the Bible between 1,500and 500 BCE.When we read the Bible as a 21st Century American, ourculture and lifestyle often influence our interpretation ofthe words and phrases of the Bible. A word such as "rain"has the meaning; "the coming down of water from theclouds in the sky", but the interpretation of the word rainwill be influenced by the context of the culture. This istrue even in our own culture where the word "rain" can beinterpreted differently. If the local weather station17

Ancient Hebrew Language and Alphabetforecasts a "rain" shower for tomorrow, different peoplewill interpret the word "rain" in different ways, with acircumstantial biasness. The bride and groom who areprepared for an outdoor wedding view this news with anegative connotation, while to the farmer in the middle ofa drought season, it has a positive connotation. To theAncient Hebrew nomads the word "rain" was usuallyequated with "life" since without it, their very existencewould not be possible.Another example of the importance of understanding thecultural setting can be seen in the word "dinner". To mygrandparents and their generation, "dinner" was the mainmeal of the day eaten at noon and a light "supper" waseaten in the evening. Where as today, dinner is the mainmeal eaten in the evening. There are countless examplesin our own English language of how word meaningschange over time according to the culture.Many times our cultural influence will give a differentdefinition to words that was not intended by the Biblicalauthors. For example the Bible speaks of keeping andbreaking the commands of God. The words "keep" and"break" are usually interpreted as "obedience" and"disobedience". But this is not the Ancient Hebraicmeaning of these words.The Hebrew word for word "keep" is rmX / shamar)which literally means "to guard, protect, and cherish"while the Hebrew word for "break" is rrp / parar andliterally means "to trample underfoot". The AncientHebrew understanding of these words is not aboutmechanical obedience and disobedience of his commands,18

Ancient Hebrew Language and Alphabetbut ones attitude towards them. Will you cherish hiscommands or throw them on the ground and walk onthem?A people's language is very related to their culture,without an understanding of the Hebrew culture wecannot fully understand their language. To cross thiscultural bridge, we need to understand the AncientHebrew culture, lifestyle and language.How do we study the Ancient Hebrew language andculture?Archeologists who uncover Ancient artifacts study theAncient cultures. Anthropologists interpret these artifactsto determine the Ancient culture's way of life. Throughoutthe world there remains primitive cultures whoselifestyles have remained the same for thousands of years,providing us with a close up view of how these Ancientcultures lived. One of these groups is the desert nomad ofthe Middle East who still live much the way Abraham didover 3,000 years ago. Linguists and etymologists studythe ancient languages, opening the door to their manner ofspeech and alphabets. Many Ancient cultures have leftancient texts recording their thoughts and lifestyle. Themost notable text of the Ancient Hebrews is of course theBible.When we combine and study the material provided bythese fields of study, we open the door to the culture andlifestyle of Ancient cultures. By studying these resourceswe can better understand their words, which they haverecorded in the Bible. The purpose of this book is to teach19

Ancient Hebrew Language and Alphabetthe relationship between the Hebrew language and theHebrew culture, which will give us a deeper, moreaccurate, understanding of Biblical words.20

Ancient Hebrew Language and AlphabetTwo - Hebrew ThoughtIn the world, past and present, there are two major typesof cultures; East (Hebrew), such as today’s orientalcultures of the Far East, and West (Greek), such asEurope and America. Both of these cultures view theirsurroundings, lives, and purpose in ways that would seemforeign to the other. The Ancient Hebrews were Easternthinkers, more closely related to today’s Orientals thanAmericans or even Modern day Hebrews in Israel, whichhas adopted a western culture.What happened to this Ancient Hebrew thought andculture? Around 800 BCE, the Greek culture arose in thenorth. This new culture began to view the world verymuch differently than the Hebrews. Around 200 BCE theGreeks began to move south causing a coming together ofthe Greek and Hebrew culture. This was a verytumultuous time as the two vastly different culturescollided.Over the following 400 years the battle raged until finallythe Greek culture won and virtually eliminated all tracesof the Ancient Hebrew culture. The Greek culture then inturn, influenced all following cultures including theRoman and European cultures. Our own American culture21

Ancient Hebrew Language and Alphabetand even the Modern Hebrew culture in Israel today arestrongly influenced by the Greek culture.As 21st Century Americans with a strong Greek thoughtinfluence, we read the Hebrew Bible as if a 21st CenturyAmerican had written it. In order to understand theAncient Hebrew culture in which the Bible was written in,we must examine some of the differences betweenHebrew and Greek thought. There are many differencesbetween Hebrew and Greek thought, but here we willconfine our focus on those differences that impact theinterpretation of words.Abstract vs. concrete thoughtGreek thought views the world through the mind (abstractthought). Ancient Hebrew thought views the worldthrough the senses (concrete thought).Concrete thought is the expression of concepts and ideasin ways that can be seen, touched, smelled, tasted and/orheard. All five of the senses are used when speaking,hearing, writing and reading the Hebrew language. Anexample of this can be found in Psalms 1:3; “He is like atree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit inseason, and whose leaf does not wither”. In this passagethe author expresses his thoughts in concrete terms suchas; tree, streams of water, fruit and leaf.Abstract thought is the expression of concepts and ideasin ways that cannot be seen, touched, smelled, tasted orheard. Abstract thought is a foreign concept to theAncient Hebrew mind. Examples of Abstract thought can22

Ancient Hebrew Language and Alphabetbe found in Psalms 103:8; “The LORD is compassionateand gracious, Slow to anger, abounding in love”. Thewords compassion, grace, anger and love are all abstractwords, ideas that cannot be experienced by the senses.Why do we find these abstract words in a passage ofconcrete thinking Hebrews? Actually, these are abstractEnglish words used to translate the original Hebrewconcrete words. The translators often translate this waybecause the original Hebre

Ancient Hebrew Language and Alphabet iii To my wife Denise, who has taught me more about Hebrew th