BBL 104: Core Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary & Nominals

High-Frequency Hebrew Words, Nouns, Construct Chains, Prepositions, and Adjectives

Course Description

Welcome to BBL 104: Core Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary & Nominals! Students acquire the highest-frequency vocabulary of the Hebrew Old Testament (words occurring 200+ times) while mastering Hebrew nouns (gender, number, absolute vs. construct state), the definite article, conjunction Waw, inseparable prepositions, adjectives, pronouns, and basic nominal clauses.

Interactive Companion Language Apps

• Hebrew Alphabet & Vowels Trainer — Interactive consonant, niqqud, and syllable practice
• Greek Alphabet & Grammar Trainer — Interactive alphabet, diphthong, and pronunciation practice
• Hebrew Vocabulary Flash Cards — High-frequency Old Testament Hebrew lexical drills
• Greek Vocabulary Flash Cards — High-frequency New Testament Greek lexical drills
• Manuscript Variant Analysis Platform — Compare MT, LXX, DSS, and Greek NT witnesses

Course Structure

This course is composed of an Interactive Syllabus and five comprehensive chapters. Each chapter includes a detailed Chapter Summary, five in-depth lessons with Lesson Check-in Quizzes, and a 10-question Chapter Test. The course culminates in a 30-question Final Course Exam (62 total learning steps).

Course Outline

Chapter 1: High-Frequency Theological Vocabulary of the Hebrew Bible

• Lesson 1: Names and Titles of God: Elohim, YHWH (Adonai), El Shaddai, YHWH Tsevaot
• Lesson 2: Covenant and Law Vocabulary: Berit, Torah, Hesed, Mishpat, Tsedeq/Tsedaqah
• Lesson 3: Creation and Humanity Vocabulary: Shamayim, Erets, Adam, Nefesh, Ruach, Lev
• Lesson 4: Worship and Sanctuary Vocabulary: Qodesh, Kohen, Mizbeach, Korban, Shalom
• Lesson 5: Kinship and Kingdom Vocabulary: Av, Em, Ben, Bat, Melekh, Eved, Am, Goy

Chapter 2: Hebrew Nouns: Gender, Number, and the Construct Chain

• Lesson 1: Masculine and Feminine Singular Nouns in Biblical Hebrew
• Lesson 2: Masculine Plural (-im), Feminine Plural (-ot), and Irregular Plural Nouns
• Lesson 3: The Dual Ending (-ayim) for Paired Objects, Body Parts, and Time
• Lesson 4: Absolute State vs. Construct State (Smikhut): Expressing ‘Of’ Relationships
• Lesson 5: Vowel Changes and Definiteness Rules in Hebrew Construct Chains

Chapter 3: The Definite Article, Conjunction Waw, and Prepositions

• Lesson 1: The Hebrew Definite Article (Ha- + Dagesh Forte) and Compensatory Lengthening before Gutturals
• Lesson 2: The Inseparable Prepositions (Be-, Le-, Ke-) and Their Attachment to Nouns
• Lesson 3: Independent Prepositions (Min, El, Al, Ad, Im, Bein) and the Definite Direct Object Marker (Et)
• Lesson 4: The Conjunction Waw (We-, U-, Wa-) and Its Vocalization Rules
• Lesson 5: Directional He (He Locale) and the Interrogative He

Chapter 4: Hebrew Adjectives, Pronouns, and Pronominal Suffixes

• Lesson 1: Independent Personal Pronouns (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Singular and Plural)
• Lesson 2: Demonstrative Pronouns (‘This’, ‘That’, ‘These’, ‘Those’) and Relative Pronoun (Asher)
• Lesson 3: Hebrew Adjectives: Attributive, Predicative, and Substantival Usage
• Lesson 4: Comparative and Superlative Expressions in Biblical Hebrew
• Lesson 5: Pronominal Suffixes Attached to Singular/Plural Nouns and Prepositions (‘My’, ‘Your’, ‘His’)

Chapter 5: Verbless Clauses and Introduction to Qal Verbs

• Lesson 1: Translating Verbless (Nominal) Clauses in Hebrew Prose and Poetry
• Lesson 2: Particles of Existence and Non-Existence (Yesh and Ayin) and Negation (Lo and Al)
• Lesson 3: Hebrew Numbers and Counting (Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers)
• Lesson 4: Introduction to the Hebrew Verbal Root and the Qal Perfect (Qatal) Paradigm
• Lesson 5: Guided Translation Lab: Reading Selected Clauses from Genesis 1 and Ruth 1

Assessments & Grading

• Lesson Check-in Quizzes: 25 short check-in quizzes following each core lesson to reinforce retention.
• Chapter Tests: Five 10-question Chapter Tests reviewing each chapter’s linguistic and exegetical concepts (80% passing score).
• Final Course Exam: A 30-question comprehensive Final Exam covering all five chapters (80% passing score).