The California Institute for Ancient Studies introduces Dictionary Lexicon of the Hebrew Language Helping to read ancient texts

NEW - under periodic additions Short account of Hebrew grammar

The Hebrew Alphabet: Lexicon

Encyclopedia EA Letters

Seal Impressions The 10 Devarim

Aleph Aleph, from seal impressions

Bet Bet, from seal impressions

Gimmel Gimmel, from Siloam Inscription

Daled Daled, from ivory pomegranate Shebnah daled of ca. 700 BC.

He, Hay or He, from seal impressions

Waw, Vav Waw from seal impressions `Vav' from the seal of Shebna , ca. 700 BC.

Zayin Zayin?, from seal impression Zayin, from Siloam inscription

Chet Paleo chet

Tet

Yod, Yod Yod, from seal impressions

Chaf, Kat Final Kaf Kat, from seal impressions

Lamed Lamed, from seal impressions

Mem Final Mem or Mem, from seal impressions

Nun Final Nun Nun, from seal impressions

Samech Samech, from seal impressions

Ayin Ayin?, from seal impression Ayin, from Shebna lintel

Pe, Pay, Fay Final Pe Pe, from seal impressions

Tsade, Tsadee Final Tsade Tsade, Siloam Inscription

Qof, Qaf Qof, from ivory pomegranate

Resh Resh, from seal impressions

Sin, Shin Sin, from ivory pomegranate

Taw Letter `taw' from Siloam inscription

---

Compare the above alphabet also with an ancient looking student's `abcdeary' scratched on a potsherd and found at Izbet Sartah. Interestingly enough this writing is to be read from left to right. BAR, Vol. 28, May/Jun 2002, p. 44. Hebrew tomb inscription of individual, handwritten Hebrew letters not in sequence of the original text. aleph= bet= daled?= he= waw= zayin?= yod= kaf= lamed= mem= samech= Ayin= pe= resh= sin= tet/taw= Tsade

This is [the sepulchre of ...]yahu who is over the house. There is no silver and no gold here / but [his bones] and the bones of his slave wife with him. Cursed be the man who will open this.

---

Letters from the Tel Dan Inscription, BAR, 1994

aleph= bet= daled= he= waw= yod= lamed= mem= samech?= pe= qof= resh?= sin=

---

Letters from seal impressions, BAR, 1994

Hay= yod= kaf= lamed= mem= nun= samech= ayin= pe= resh=

---

Paleo letters from about 100 BC, BAR, 1997

Alep= he= kap= lamed= mem= sade= qop=

---

Hebrew letters from the Siloam Inscription, about 650 BC, BAR, 1997

Gimmel= zayin= chet= tsade=

Right: Seal ring of Hanan: 1. lhnn b, 2. n, hlqyhw, 3. hkhn; `(Belonging) to Hanan, son (of) Hilqiyahu, the priest'.

From the Siloam Inscription only letters appear which are not already documented elsewhere.

---

Hebrew letters from an unusual seal impression containing only the title `Governor of the city' in paleo-Hebrew script. The seal has two Assyrian style figures representing the king holding a bow and arrows in front of him and the governor with his hand raised, indicating submission. [BAR, Sep/Oct, 1987, p. 62]

Reading right to left: The word for governor is `sar' (officer, controler), made up of `shin' and `resh'. The Hebrew word for city here is `ha-ir' represented by the letters `hay', `ayin' (the circle) and `resh'. [For this title see: Judges 9:30; 1.Kings 22:26; 2.Chronicles 34:8; 2.Kings 23:8] Professor Avigad believed this seal belonged to the governor of Jerusalem during Assyrian times.

---

For more examples of ancient Hebrew alphabetic writing samples see Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 48, June 1985, p. 84f.; Includes letters traced from Lachish Ostraca, Arad Ostracon VI, Leviticus and Hasmonian coins. Also BAR, Vol. 19, Jul/Aug 1993, p. 49.

---

Hebrew to English

Aleph) awb, chief, father; em, mother; abiyr, mighty (God); adamah, land, earth, ground; adown, sovereign, lord, master (human or divine); agmown, marshy pool, caldron, (bull) rushes; Ahimaaz, Hebrew name for `Ahmose', 1.Sam. 14:50; oklah, food, diet; [Genesis 1:29] Elohim, [Exodus 22:8; "... he shall be brought unto the `elohim'", `elohim' is gods in the ordinary sense, but specifically used of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to `magistrates'; and sometimes as a superlative to angels, judges, mighty, great, exceeding. In the above vers `elohim' is translated as judges. echad, one, [`echad/one' is always used by associating more than one object, `the evening and the morning were one day', `gathering together of the waters into one sea', `man and wife shall be one flesh'. None of these examples use the other Hebrew word for `one', `yachid'.

amwan, loyal; aru, lion; 'asham, guilt, guilt offering; 'atsar, to store up, (lay up in) store, (make) treasure(r); 'owr, to be luminous, light of day; aluwph, chieftain, dukes; [Genesis 36:15] eleph, thousand, family, clan; [Judges 6:15 RV, Zechariah 9:7; 12:5,6 RSV] or perhaps `a military unit'. esh, fire.

Bayth) badaq, As a noun: fissure, as in to go into the fissure, to treat the fissure; Root meaning is: break off, divide; 2.Ki. 12:1, 6; 2.Chr. 34:10; balah, to fail, wear out, decay, consume, waste; bazaz, plunder, catch, gather; bedyah, servant of Jehova; In-beginning, b're-sith, In the beginning [Genesis 1:1]; Bit Abadim (or Bet Avadim), house of bondage; bore, cistern; buwe, to trample (under foot);

Gimmel) ga'ah, to mount up, to rise, be majestic, grow up, triumph; gaavah, arrogance, majesty, excellency, proudly, swelling; gullah, redemption, by impl. relationship: kindred, redeem, right;

Daled) d'bach, sacrifice; dabah, fear, sorrow; dabar, a word; the form `devarim' means '10 lines of writing, commandments' [Exodus 34:28]; darash, inquire, pay attention to, seek; [Isaiah 55:6; 1.Sam. 28:7] d'hab, gold; diysh, to trample, break, tear, thresh, tread down;

Hay) habhab, gift, offering; haddabar, a vizier, counselor; alas, used as a rare interjection on gravestones hadar, magnificence, splendor, beauty, glorious, glory, majesty, goodly; Hoshea, king of Israel; chamad, covet; Exodus 20:17;

Waw) vazar, to bear guilt, crime; valad, a boy, child;

Zayin) zakar/zakhor, remember; Genesis 8:1; Exodus 20:8; zebed, gift, dowry; z'bul, a residence, dwell in, dwelling, habitation; zabach, slaughter an animal, to sacrifice;

Chet) chabab, to hide (as in the bossom), cherish (with affection), love; chabal, to ruin, destroy, hurt; challamish, flint (Dt. 8:15; Ps. 114:8; Isa. 50:7). chattaah, sins, sin; Gen.4:3-8;18:16-20; 19:20; 36:6-9;42:21-22; By the grace of God, `chata'ahs' are sins we ought to never commit. chattawth, sins, sin offerings; cheshed, love, steadfast love, loving kindness, mercy; Exodus 15:13; Psalm 5:7; Hosea 6:6; choq, masculine: decreed, statute, portion; Exodus 15:25,26; Dt. 4:5,6,8; Josh. 24:25; Eze. 20:18,25; Refers most often to sacrificial system. chaggah, feminine: decreed, statute, portion; Genesis 26:5; Ex. 27:21; Lev. 16:29,31,34; Ps. 119:16; Jer. 44:10,23; Refers most often to moral law.

Tet) tabach, to slaughter (animals), kill, slay; towb, good in the widest sense, beautiful, cheerful, loving;

Yod) yabab, cry out, bawl; y'buwl, produce, a crop or wealth, fruit, increase; yath, + whom (sign of the object of a verb); yhwh, Yahweh; Israel, Israel; yom, day; yachid, one; Yachid/one' is used in the sense differently from `echad/one'. For example: `Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac... (qach na eth binka eth-yechidka)' [Gen. 22], `And they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (wesaphdu alaw kemisped al-hayyachid, wehamer alaw kehamer al-habbekor)' [Zechariah 12:10];

Kaf) ka'ab, feel pain, grieve; kabed, honour; Exodus 20:12; kapharoth, atonement; Exodus 20:12; k'eb, suffering, anguish, grief, pain, sorrow; kohanim, priests; kaphar, sin;

Lamed) la, law; lo, no (as in a denial); l'bonah, frankincense; leb, heart, care for, lust, considered, friend, wisdom; labiybah, or rather; lbyt, belonging to the house (of); l'mow, at, to, for, upon (preposition);

Mem) maakeleth, knife (for food), Gen. 22:6,10; Judg. 19:29; Prov. 30:14. me(y)ah, hundred, multiplier, hundredfold.; Gen. 11:10; plus many more. mashach, meshiyach, the anointed one, root word for `Messiah'; ma'abuwc, (pronounce: `mahabooce') granary, storehouse; m'ah, hundred; melek, king; migdol, tower of salvation (2.Sam. 22:51); migdal, a great tower (Gen. 11:4); michyahu, shortened form for `Who is like Yahweh?' (BAR, J/F, p. 56);

Nun) na'ah, to be at home, house, pasture, pleasant place; na'am, whisper, utter an oracle, say; na'ar, by implication it means `servant(s)' Is. 37:6; can also mean `tumble about'; nechtak, it means `to cut quickly', `to decree', `are determined', Daniel 9:24;

Samech) saphar, to score a mark, inscribe, scribe; sus, horse(s);

Ayin) abad, to work, serve, till, enslave, bond service, labour; ebed, a servant, bondman; servant(s) of the king 2.Ki. 19:5; abuwr, passed, kept over, stored grain, old grain; asah, made, to be made; edut, testimony; As in "May this day become a testimony" when referring to the ark of the testimony (Ex. 25:22; 26:33-34; 2.Ki. 11:12; serve, till, enslave, bond service, labour;

Pay) p'duth, distinction, deliverance, redeem, redemption; pachdah, alarm, fear; paroketh, hanging, covering, curtain, veil; pene, face, before, presence; pesha, rebellion, revolt, it is a deliberate, intentional, premeditated sin, it is not a transgression, trespas, it is not loosing one's temper. Daniel 8:12; Plishtiy, Philistines;

Tsade) tse'etsa, produce, children, offspring; tsani, sheep; tsaba, to mass (an army), assemble, fight, perform, war, muster;

Qaf) q'burah, sepulchre, burial, burying place, grave; qabal, opposite, in front of, before; qol, to call aloud, a voice or sound, crackling cry, lowing noise, sing, sound, spark, thunder; qds, qodesh, kodashim, holy, holiness; Leviticus 22:2-16; Numbers 6:20; Zecheriah 14:21. To see a `holy bowl' go to BAR, Vol. 18, Nov/Dec 1992, p. 49-50. qk, stands probably for `Qodeš Kôhanîm.' "sacred to the priests."; Not in the Bible. See BAR, Vol. XII, Mar/Apr 1987, p. 33. Found on a shallow bowl used to hold offerings at Arad. qets, `end'; Daniel 8:19 should read, "... this vision is going to go until the time of the end" - when God sets up His kingdom.

Resh) ra'ah, to see, appear, behold, consider, discern, gaze, perceive, regard, show, view; Ramses, `son of the sun'; [Genesis 47:11; Exodus 12:37; Numbers 33:3, 5] rea, neighbor; Exodus 20:16;

Shin) sha'ac, to plunder, spoil; shaphat, to judge as a magistrate; [Genesis 16:5; Judges 4:4; Jeremiah 5:28; Like in `Jehoshaphat'. Akkadian equivalent is `Dan' as in `Daniel'.] shem, name; shema, hear; Deuteronomy 6:4; shnat shtayim, year two; sh'ol, grave, hell, pit;

Taw) tamid, always, continually (adverb), continuance (noun), ever; [Exodus 29:42; Daniel 8:11] ta'ab, to desire, long for; t'ow, and; ta'owm, or;

Some Hebrew Phrases

the sons of the living God, 3 words, [Hoshea 2:1]; the sons of my God, 2 words; [C.D. Ginsburg, `The Babylonian Codex of Hosea and Joel' in TSBA, Vol. V, 1877, p. 129-176] am haratsim, "men of the earth", unlearned rustics, the uneducated; John 7:15; See also in a book titled, `The Old Paths'; - ad ki-yabo Shiloh welo yiqhath ammim, "till Shiloh comes and to him shall the gathering of the people be"; Genesis 49:10; Shiloh, another name for Messiah, shall come; See also the words of the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:33: "He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever."; Wekillah mikapper eth-haqqodesh, "And when he has made an end of atoning for the sanctuary." Lev. 16:20. The words "reconcile" and "atonement" are translated from the same word, (kaphar).

`lehashib welibnoth', "to restore and to rebuild (Jerusalem)", "fully to restore and to build again", Daniel 9:25. `qodesh haq-qodashim', "the most holy" as applied to things and not persons; Exodus 26:33. `maled chedosh', "a new king"; Exodus 1:8. `?', "papyrus"-(Septu.); `?', "clay and/or asphalt"; The Gemara says the basket was smeared with clay on the inside and asphalt/tar on the outside; Rabbi Salomo said the whole box was smeared with both.; Exodus 2:3. `pesha', rebellion, revolting; Daniel 8:12 should read, "an host was given against the continuance in rebellion." `Miqsat Ma'ase Ha-Torah,' Translated: (1) "some precepts of Torah', (2) `some legal rulings of Torah,' (3) `pertinent works of the law.' - - Compare Romans 9:32; Galatians 2:16; 3:2,10. BAR, 9/94 [] `L'beyt Yahweh qodesh kohanim,' Translated: "Belonging to the Temple of Yahweh, holy to the Priests." Inscription on the ivory pomegranate bud. (BAR, Vol. 31, No. 5, Sep 2005, p. 54.)

A Few Examples of Egyptianisms

`', "in the face of pharaoh"; or `', "from the face of pharaoh"; Genesis 47: 2, 7, 41, 46, meaning "before pharaoh". Compare with the Egyptian "only in the face of his Majesty" `m hr hm-f' or `hft hr hm-f'. [Yahuda] `', "before Joseph's face = before him"; or `', "from his face = from him"; Genesis 43:15, 34; `', "by the life of pharaoh"; Genesis 42:15; the only occurance of this oath clause.

`l adowni(h)m', "their lords, the king (`melek') of the `two lands'"; Genesis 40:1, or `', "... the man, the lords of the land said harsh things unto us", instead of "the lord". Notice how exactly Joseph's brothers distinguish between him, the employee, and his master, the viceroy, in that they speak of him as `my lord' in the singular and `thy lords' in the plural when speaking of the viceroy. In that they are using Egyptian court etiquette. Genesis 42: 30, 33; 44: 7-9 (Hebrew Bible).