Lorinda H. M. Hoover Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 I'd appreciate recommendations on the best choice for a Hebrew reference grammar in Accordance. I took Hebrew in seminary (20 years ago!) and have continued to use it sporadically in the parish. I'm back to translating my preaching texts, which are from the OT/Hebrew Bible this fall, and finding that I'm rusty on some points of Hebrew grammar. Had to pull books off the shelf today, which felt old fashioned and also isn't always possible. My Hebrew books are at home, and my office is 28 miles away. I don't need a learning grammar, but one I can refer to to refresh my understanding. It looks like that narrows my choices to Gesenius (which I have in print but haven't used all that much, as I've found the English rather dense/hard to comprehend) or Joüon-Muraoka, which I'm not familiar with. I live in a rural area, far from any theological or college library, so finding a hard copy to look at isn't really an option. I learned Hebrew using an obscure textbook produced originally for use in India, followed by Seow, if that makes a difference. Seow is terrible as a reference grammar, as the index is unbelievably incomplete. (e.g., no entry for the cohortative) In addition to Gesenius, I have Weingreen in print, which was what I ended up using today. Lorinda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Waltke and O'Connor is good. I'm preaching through Genesis right now, and two sermons in, I'm finding that (at least for Genesis 1) a search by Scripture reference (which might be how you'd use it, too?) yields good results. Only downside to the Accordance edition is that the verse reference (because it's on a new line?) is what shows up when I navigate marks (as expected), with the verse text itself a bit above and out of sight, so that I have to scroll up to see the whole thing at once, for each hit result. But as far as reference grammars in Accordance go, I'd suggest that one is tops. And affordable, too--well worth getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorinda H. M. Hoover Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 Thanks for the suggestion, Abram. I missed it when I was looking at Hebrew Grammars on the Accordance store site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelmadasu Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 I don't think Accordance has these two Hebrew reference books, but I would also suggest Williams Hebrew Syntax, and A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax by Bill T. Arnold and John H. Choi. They both are on Kindle. I hope we will have these on Accordance some day 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Agreed. Lorinda, if you have time to read through a grammar, the third edition of Williams (updated by Beckman) is absolutely perfect for what I think you are looking for. (Not great as a Kindle edition, though.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia Falling Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 I've read this thread with interest. We're just beginning Hebrew, and 'Hebrew Light' at that. But we're hoping to do a full Hebrew grammar – it may be offered next fall. Abram – I have been extremely dissatisfied with the formatting in many, many Kindle books. Apple does a better job, but if a title is available there, I'd pay more for it. I would love to replace all my Kindle stuff with iBooks and scrap the Kindle App altogether. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Holmstedt Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 As with most reference works, the answer depends on the background and the need. If you want an update to Gesenius-Kautzsch-Cowley's discussion on phonology or morphology, Joüon-Muraoka is solid (and mostly readable). If you are interested in syntax, Waltke-O'Connor is really the only choice. The other books on the market (and mentioned above in some of the comments) are not only less sophisticated but also less directly connected to research. At least Muraoka and O'Connor were actively involved in working on and publishing about Hebrew/Semitic grammar. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Ah, yes, I do vaguely recall a review of the Williams/Beckman book that read, in part, "Perhaps the greatest strength of this edition lies in the footnotes and bibliography." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorinda H. M. Hoover Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 If you want an update to Gesenius-Kautzsch-Cowley's discussion on phonology or morphology, Joüon-Muraoka is solid (and mostly readable). If you are interested in syntax, Waltke-O'Connor is really the only choice. Which probably means that both need to be on my wishlist. Given that I have both Gesenius and Weingreen in print, it's looks like Waltke-O'Connor is the place to start. Now to find room in my budget... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Holmstedt Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Ah, yes, I do vaguely recall a review of the Williams/Beckman book that read, in part, "Perhaps the greatest strength of this edition lies in the footnotes and bibliography." I have a dim memory of that review. Writing it, that is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Hopefully John Beckman's memory of the review is dim, as well! Occupational hazard, I suppose.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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