The Biblical Hebrew Verb: A Linguistic Introduction - Paperback

by John A. Cook (Author)

The Biblical Hebrew Verb addresses the most basic task of biblical Hebrew studies: understanding and interpreting how verbs are used in the ancient text. John Cook, an expert in Biblical Hebrew, describes the Hebrew verbal system in a way that helps students understand its grammar and provides linguistic tools for interpreting and translating the Hebrew Bible.

Cook has spent a quarter of a century working on the Biblical Hebrew verbal system. Building on and simplifying the author's much-discussed technical work, this book offers an accessible linguistic treatment of the Biblical Hebrew verb in all its facets. Cook illustrates his analysis with over two hundred fifty example passages and gives references to additional similar passages. The examples range from individual clauses and verses to longer portions in order to show how verbs interact with each other in larger stretches of text. A glossary of linguistic terms further facilitates understanding of the book's linguistic analysis.

The Biblical Hebrew Verb will be useful as a supplementary textbook in both grammar and exegesis courses.

Back Jacket

"Skillfully bridges the gap between basic learning and scholarly analysis"

In this volume, John Cook describes the Hebrew verbal system in a way that helps readers understand its grammar and provides linguistic tools for interpreting and translating the Hebrew Bible.

"Both the seasoned expert in the Hebrew Bible and those with less experience will learn a great deal here. This volume will be a valuable tool in my own future research and teaching."
--Eric D. Reymond, Yale Divinity School

"A comprehensive linguistic analysis of all verb forms attested in the Hebrew Bible. Highly recommended for serious students and scholars of Biblical Hebrew."
--H?l?ne M. Dallaire, Denver Seminary

"Cook skillfully bridges the gap between basic learning and scholarly analysis. His insights into the Biblical Hebrew verb system are invaluable, offering an essential resource for both students and scholars seeking a deeper understanding of the language."
--Elitzur A. Bar-Asher Siegal, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

"Students looking for direction in demystifying verbal syntax and semantics will find a valuable resource in this volume. The Biblical Hebrew Verb will prove to be a go-to presentation for years to come."
--H. H. Hardy II, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

"For advanced students and specialists who want a deeper understanding of Hebrew verbal syntax and semantics, The Biblical Hebrew Verb will be a most welcome resource."
--Andrew Burlingame, Wheaton College

"Cook has written an introduction to the Biblical Hebrew verbal system intended for an intermediate level between textbooks and scholarly treatises. Without simplifying too much, several views of the verbal forms are presented, and the reader is guided to linguistically sound and reasonable explanations of the many obscure uses in the system."
--Bo Isaksson, Uppsala University

Author Biography

John A. Cook (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages and director of Hebrew instruction at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is also a research fellow at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in North America at the University of Wisconsin (Madison and Milwaukee campuses), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Wheaton College, and Grace College and internationally in the Philippines, Singapore, Russia, and India.