Readers Hebrew Bible [Leather Bound]

Zondervan has finally come out with a Hebrew equivalent to the Reader's Greek New Testament. For those that liked its Greek predecessor, this is a wonderful addition that will help students of the Hebrew Bible read in the original languages. Words used less than 100 times in the Hebrew Bible are listed in footnotes at the bottom of the page (except for proper nouns). This will require an intermediate knowledge of Hebrew Grammar and vocabulary, but that that's the point. It's not an interlinear, it's a reader! There is also a short list of all words used more than 100 times in the appendix, in case you forgot some of your more common Hebrew vocabulary. The only immediate downside I can find is that the binding is a bit stiff and not of the quality that one might expect for a Bible. But that's a minor issue for such a huge undertaking!

I've got both the first and second editions of the Reader's GNT companion volume. Either is a great value for the money, but neither comes close to the quality and usefulness of the Reader's GNT published by UBS -- the real deal. So I was a bit hesitant to purchase Zondervan's Reader's Hebrew Bible.

My hesitation was overcome by the fact that I use my UBS RGNT on a daily basis for devotional use, but don't read the Hebrew text in the same way as frequently because of the need for a lexicon nearby. A reader's lexicon helps, but it's still a clunky way to read, and because Hebrew vocabulary is so much larger than NT Greek, there are few of us who will ever be able to simply read with no lexicon around. So seeing what a reader's GNT did for me, I ordered this.

I'm very pleased. It hast the same cheap binding and paper as the companion RGNT, but the fact that it's duo-tone (basically PVC plastic) does mean that despite being flimsy, it should hold up for a long time. They seem to have overcome the typeface problems present in both editions of the RGNT. This font is very easy to read. I have not found the proper names being in gray instead of black to be a problem -- they're not that light and the purpose is to make proper names used less than 100 times stand out so that the newbie doesn't waste time trying to parse them. That's the whole point: to gloss the words so the reader doesn't have to. The more you read, the more you learn, and the more often you read and learn the more Hebrew sticks in your mind.

The fact that this text is that of the Westminster edition of Leningradensis is great. They essentially cut and pasted from Bibleworks 4. There are minor variants between this and BHS/BHQ, but nothing significant and all differences are listed in the appendix. I also like the way they've dealt with Kethib-Qere readings -- something that should serve good training for the student just learning his way around the Hebrew Old Testament.

If Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft ever prints a readers edition of BHS or BHQ it will probably leave this in the dust just as the UBS RGNT leaves the Zondervan RGNT in the dust, but until then this is a great tool.

Summary: A Reader's Hebrew Bible is an indispensable tool for learning to read biblical Hebrew. Seminarians and ministers will love this attractive and handy reader for use in the classroom and in personal study. There is no better Hebrew tool on the market for growing the beginner's skill in reading and meditating upon God's Torah.

Why A Hebrew Reader?

Seminary is not designed to teach you all you need to know about biblical Hebrew. Rather, seminary equips you with the tools necessary to begin the long journey of reading right to left, thinking in parallelisms, observing inclusio's, and following word plays throughout the three quarters of the Holy Scriptures known as the Old Testament. Seminary, then, is simply the beginning of a lifetime of reading and meditating upon the Tanakh "day and night" (Psa. 1).

Once you have begun the arduous journey you are then confronted at every point with a stiff either/or: Either regularly use and grow your Hebrew, or lose it. Inductive study (i.e. reading) is the only possible path for maintaining and growing your Hebrew. Learning a language means using a language. There are no shortcuts.

How, then, can the seminarian or minister navigate this either/or fork in the road? You guessed it ... by reading the Hebrew Bible!

"But wait!" You cry. "I've just about lost all my Hebrew skill! It's been years since I was flipping flashcards and parsing qal paradigms!" Or, perhaps you are staring at your next semester's class schedule pondering whether to start this Hebrew journey in the first place. Fret not on either account; The Reader's Hebrew Bible was written just for you. In the words of the editors:

A Reader's Hebrew Bible (RHB) is designed to facilitate the regular reading of the Scriptures in Hebrew and Aramaic. . . . We especially hope that ministers and former seminarians whose ability in Hebrew and Aramaic has deteriorated will find that RHB helps them recover their skill" (xii-xiii).

Whether you are just beginning the Hebrew journey or are seeking to "recover your skill," the RHB is a sure and steady guide for the trek.
Why This Hebrew Reader?

Amidst the slew of Hebrew Bibles on the market, why should you purchase Zondervan's Reader's Hebrew Bible? Consider the following:
A Singular Goal

Zondervan's RHB has one goal: to help you learn Biblical Hebrew by reading Biblical Hebrew. In a word, this is the only reader's Hebrew Bible on the market.

Other more technical, academic Hebrew Bibles (like BHS) have scholarly aims and thus include scholarly materials (i.e. a detailed text-critical apparatus, complicated multi-lingual scholarly introductions, etc.). Such scholarly tools are wonderful and needed. However, if your goal is to read Biblical Hebrew, to meditate upon the text as you prepare sermons, etc., you need a tool designed for reading.

RHB facilitates reading skills by helping readers overcome the most common obstacles, such as wading through lexicons to learn new vocabulary and marking hard-to-recognize proper nouns.

The Medium Matches the Goal

The physical features of the RHB match its design to facilitate reading and meditating upon the text. For example:

* The large font size facilitates easy reading, especially for students newly learning the Hebrew alphabet. (When I was taking my Hebrew classes I found the cheaper versions of BHS to have a very difficult-to-read, small font sizes. So, I ended up purchasing a large, expensive large-print BHS.)
* The relatively small size of the book (a tad slimmer and lighter than an average hardback study Bible) and its attractive Italian Duo-Tone(tm) binding make the RHB suitable to carry with you both to class and to church. (Contrast the somewhat unwieldy, heavy, large-print BHS hardcover. See the photo gallery below for visual comparisons.)
* Further regarding the weight, RHB is light enough that it does not break your wrists while you are holding it. (Again, contrast the weighty large-print BHS hardcover).
* The book medium (vs. a laptop with Bibleworks or Logos software) is more conducive to meditation and extended periods of reading. (And books don't require batteries or produce eye strain.)

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