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Biblical Hebrew Blog

In-depth articles on the Hebrew alphabet, Torah passages, and the ancient language of the scriptures.

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Torah · Genesis 1 Series · Verse 3 Feb 2025 · 7 min read

Genesis 1:3 in Hebrew: Let There Be Light — Yehi Or

יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי-אוֹר

The first words God speaks in the entire Bible. Six Hebrew words — and out of total darkness, light exists. A word-by-word breakdown of the jussive, the vav-consecutive, and why the echo of yehi or / va-yehi or is one of the Torah's greatest literary moments.

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Torah · Genesis 1 Series · Verse 2 Feb 2025 · 8 min read

Genesis 1:2 in Hebrew: Tohu Vavohu, the Deep, and the Spirit of God

וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ

What is tohu va-vohu? What is the tehom? And what does ruach Elohim really mean — Spirit, wind, or breath? A word-by-word breakdown of Genesis 1:2 and the primordial chaos before creation began.

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Torah · Genesis 1 Series · Verse 1 Feb 2025 · 7 min read

Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew: A Word-by-Word Analysis

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים

The most famous sentence in history — "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." But what does the original Hebrew actually say? We break down every word, root, and grammatical form of the Torah's opening verse.

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Torah · Identity Jan 2025 · 5 min read

Who the Torah Was Written For

בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The Torah was not written for scholars. It was written for a people. If you are reading this text and sensing that these words speak directly to you — that the history, the blessings, the covenant, and the curses are not someone else's story but your own — this is for you.

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History · Torah Jan 2025 · 7 min read

The King James Bible: History & Why It Matters

הַמֶּלֶךְ יַעֲקֹב

In 1604, King James I commissioned 47 scholars to produce one authoritative English Bible. The result shaped how the diaspora encountered Hebrew scripture for over 400 years. Here's how it was made — and why it matters for reading the original Hebrew.

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Language · Intro Jan 2025 · 6 min read

What Is Biblical Hebrew?

עִבְרִית בִּיבְלִית

The language of Abraham, Moses, and the children of Israel — spoken from roughly 1200–400 BCE. An introduction to the aleph-bet, the three-letter root system, the Holy Tongue, and the Masoretic Text that underlies every modern printed Hebrew Bible.

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Language · Grammar Jan 2025 · 8 min read

The Vav-Consecutive: How Hebrew Tells a Story

וָו הַהִפּוּךְ

Every "And..." at the start of a Torah verse is not repetition — it is the vav-consecutive (וָו הַהִפּוּךְ), the engine of Hebrew narrative. Learn why Hebrew is a verb-driven language and how a single prefix chains the entire Torah into one unbroken story.

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Language · Grammar Jan 2025 · 6 min read

Pro-Drop in Biblical Hebrew: Why Names Disappear

הַשְׁמָטַת הַגּוּף

Why does the KJV say "Moses said" and "the LORD said" dozens of times per chapter when the Hebrew only names them once? Because Hebrew is a pro-drop language — and its verbs carry the subject so that the name never needs repeating.

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Language · Torah Jan 2025 · 7 min read

Names, Titles & Proper Nouns in the Torah

יְהוָה

Why does modern translation software fail on the Torah? Because Babel, Shinar, and Pharaoh look like regular Hebrew words. Learn about the Tetragrammaton, ancient place names with hidden meaning, and why בָּבֶל is never "the bell."

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Language · Alphabet Jan 2025 · 6 min read

Nikud — The Hebrew Vowel Points Explained

נִקּוּד

The Hebrew letters are all consonants. The tiny dots and dashes — nikud — tell you how to pronounce them. Learn who added them (the Masoretes of Tiberias), why the Torah scroll has none at all, and how to read the key vowel marks.

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Study Tips · Guide Jan 2025 · 4 min read

How to Use the Torah Reader

כֵּיצַד לִקְרֹא

Click to reveal translations, hover for word tooltips, select text for the translation bubble, and listen to Hebrew audio. A complete guide to every feature of the Hebroni Torah Reader — built for readers returning to the text for the first time.

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Language · Alphabet Jan 2025 · 9 min read

The Complete Hebrew Alphabet: All 22 Letters, Names & Sounds

אָלֶף בֵּית

Every letter of the Hebrew alphabet — its name, sound, meaning, numerical value, and a Torah word example. The definitive beginner's guide to reading Biblical Hebrew.

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Torah · Commandments Jan 2025 · 8 min read

The 613 Commandments: A Complete Guide to the Mitzvot

תַּרְיַ"ג מִצְווֹת

What are the 613 commandments God gave to Israel? Where do they come from, how are they counted, and what do they mean? A comprehensive guide to the mitzvot — 248 positive and 365 negative — with Hebrew names and Torah sources.

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