The Hebrew Language

See also our comprehensive Glossary of Hebrew Terms and our one-hour teaching session on Unlocking The Bible Through The Hebrew Language.

The Bible - the combination of Tanakh (Old Testament) and the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) - are the source of all life, blessing and well-being for humanity and all G-d's creation. Without it, chaos would reign supreme.

We believe that the primary language of both sections of the Holy Scriptures was Semitic, specifically Hebrew. That Yeshua (Jesus) spoke and taught in Hebrew, and that just as today other words from neighbouring languages were drawn into the living linguistic form (e.g. Aramaic, Koine Greek, etc).

The Bible should have supreme authority over all other writings and holy texts, and yet, as the author Thomas Paine (1773-1809) once said,
"The Bible is a book that has been read more and examined less than any book that ever existed."

The Hebrew language (Ivrit - Hebrew, עברית) is named after those who spoke it, the "Ivrim", "Hebrews." This name comes from Ever (עבר), the son of Shem (Gen 10:21), meaning "a region beyond" from Avar (עבר), "to cross over". The rabbis say that Ivrit is "Leshon HaKodesh" (לשון הקודש), "The Holy Tongue", and that it was ...the original and only language given to Adam, until the time of the Tower of Babel. Hebrew is normally called "Yehudit" (יהודית) in the Bible because Judah (Yehuda) was the only surviving kingdom at the time.

This section of our site is dedicated to a better understanding of the Hebrew language and we hope you enjoy studying the Lashon HaKodesh (the Holy Tongue) as much as we do!