This course introduces one of the most fascinating languages of the Bible, Hebrew. It offers solid reading and grammar skills, along with historical and cultural perspectives. It will provide the students with a foundation for careful and informed reading, exegesis, and analysis of the biblical text. The course is designed as a thorough introduction to Biblical Hebrew with an emphasis on grammar and vocabulary, which will also help students identify and develop reading tools and exegetical methods for biblical and theological study.
Biblical Hebrew: Beginners - Part 1
Overview
This course combines online study with a weekly 1-hour live webinar led by your tutor. Find out more about how our short online courses are taught.
Programme details
This course begins on the 17 September 2025, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 24 September 2025, 7:00-8:00pm (UK time).
Please note that there will be no class held on 19 November. The class will resume the following week.
- The story, context, and development of the Hebrew language
- Alphabet: Let’s start reading Biblical Hebrew
- Consonants and vowels
- Nouns
- Definite article, conjunction Waw, and prepositions
- Adjectives
- Pronouns
- Pronominal suffixes
- Hebrew construct chain
- Introduction to Hebrew verbs
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course:
Miles V. Van Pelt and Gary D. Pratico (2019, 3rd edition). Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £360.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Prof Stefano Salemi
Dr Stefano Salemi is a scholar of biblical studies, languages, and theology. He possesses the rare expertise of someone with multiple doctorates from the UK and Italy in Theology and Biblical Studies. He has also held or continues to hold research and/or teaching posts at various universities, including Harvard, Yale, Oxford, King’s College London, AC University College, University of London, Australian University College of Divinity, Chichester University, Pretoria University, North-West University, Sheffield University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and has held a number of academic leadership roles at various institutions. He teaches and conducts research in the fields of biblical exegesis, hermeneutics, Hebrew and Greek languages and semantics, biblical and systematic-historical theology, pedagogy, reception history, the arts and theology, and intertextual studies. His publications include numerous articles and chapters for Brill, De Gruyter, Routledge, T&T Clarks, Mohr Siebeck, and many more, and four books on Christ’s death in John (2014, 2025), Hebrew Semantics and Ezekiel (2024) and on the Christology of the Cross (2025).
Course aims
This course aims to offer a solid beginner’s knowledge of the Hebrew language, enabling students to read through the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible with a reflective understanding of its content. This is done by supporting the acquisition of reading and grammar skills, along with historical and cultural perspectives, and exegetical and analytical methods for biblical and linguistic studies.
Teaching methods
This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Any standard web browser can be used to access these materials, but we recommend Google Chrome. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.
All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- Be able to formulate a broad understanding of the fundamentals of the Hebrew language
- Have acquired an appreciation of the specificity of the language of the Old Testament, and a clear evaluation of the cultural and religious background of the text
- Be able to handle the vocabulary and the main grammatical structures to translate passages from the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS)
Assessment methods
You will be set optional assignments to consolidate your learning and to allow you to progress at your own pace. Weekly tests/quizzes and homework will provide a means of gauging progress over the course.
Application
Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form
Level and demands
This course assumes no prior knowledge of Biblical Hebrew, but it is also suitable for those who wish to refresh their knowledge. To benefit from the course, regular preparation in advance of each class is strongly encouraged. In addition to the recommended reading suggested above, there will be additional learning resources for self-study and consolidation.