The Cambridge Introduction to Biblical Hebrew (review)

Reviewing a teaching textbook is a bit like offering a movie critique; much depends on one's personal taste. Further, the test of every text is in the teaching, and every instructor will use the text with his/her own explanations and emphases, for better or for worse. Nevertheless, on a fairly objective basis, this resource has very much to commend itself, especially for those still committed to a basic deductive method that is richly supported by inductive problem solving and well structured drills and reading exercises. The interactive computer program serves as an excellent and valuable resource for presentation, practice, review, reading, and even self-instruction (with answer key), and it even has an audio feature with the vocabulary drills. The CD also includes printable "workbook exercises" and flashcards for those who prefer a paper approach.

On my own checklist of major organizational issues, most but not all of the marks were met. Fundamental spelling emphasizes syllabification, something that is often overlooked but is well worth the initial investment for understanding vowels.

Explanations are generally clear and helpful, with many visual aids (including color-coding and animation on the CD materials). Presentation moves from the regular to the irregular, though too many details are introduced as though they carry equal importance. Vocabulary lists are presented in reasonable doses of about twenty words per lesson and are well related to the lesson itself. Exercises engage biblical texts (which is not necessarily pedagogically optimal), and they deliberately review previous vocabulary. Words not yet learned are glossed.

The finite verb is introduced in the traditional sequence of perfect-imperfect, but not until chapter 10 and following. The preterite is discussed immediately with the imperfect (chapter 12), with a helpful overview of the issues of "waw-consecutive" (12.4), including some basic and very helpful examples of narrative nuances (12.5). The Qal is developed fully (including verbal object suffixes), with the patterns of weak forms explained along the way, before introducing the derived stems. The verb paradigms start with the first person (1-2-3) rather than the traditional 3-2-1 ordering. Instructors will differ on this issue, but in my experience the foundational form of the 3 sing. masc. (and thus 3-2-1) is more helpful for learning paradigms (including, by extension, those for pronouns). The forms of the derived stems are introduced via the infinitives and participles (chapter 16), then comes the imperfect (chapter 17, followed by all weak forms), with the perfect forms finally in chapter 21. This seems odd, though the explanation is that "learning the stem 'ID badges' and learning the infinitives are nearly the same thing" (pp. xxiv-xxv). Since the perfect 3 sing. masc. displays the basic pattern for which the derived stems are named, the traditional order would be preferable, in my view.

The textbook is intended for a two-semester course, covering all the basics (and then some!) at a pace of one chapter (of 22) per week, with a lot packed into each chapter. The remaining chapters (23-32) provide a rich resource that is ready made for a readings course, covering such helpful topics as the importance of pausal forms as a dramatic feature of reading texts, a fairly sophisticated overview of lexicography, a host of syntactical features that nuance the understanding of narrative, and a primer on poetry.

Helpful appendices include additional vocabulary lists (less common nouns, arranged by semantic fields), a glossary, a full set of verb paradigms (headed by the infinitive forms), and a rather superficial index, not much more helpful than the table of contents. The size is workable though large (8.5 x 11); the paperback version is affordable at $41.99 (with the CD), and the binding appears sturdy.

Every teacher inevitably adapts a textbook in various ways. Overall, Webster avoids idiosyncratic approaches and is well versed in Semitic and masoretic background. His jungle of abbreviations may obfuscate the clarity he seeks in "seven syllable principles...