Ruth: A Guide to Reading Biblical Hebrew

by Adam J. Howell

Publisher:

Lexham Academic

, 2022

Strengthen your Hebrew

Too often, a former Hebrew student is a lapsed Hebrew student. The paradigms, the syntactical forms, and even the alphabet can be hard to recall. The way to make Hebrew stick, like any language, is to continue to put it to use.

In Ruth: A Guide to Reading Biblical Hebrew, Adam J. Howell helps intermediate readers of Hebrew work through the text of Ruth with exegetical and syntactical aids. With Howell as a guide, students will be able to mine the riches of the Hebrew text to appreciate the literary and theological significance of the book of Ruth.

Praise for Ruth: A Guide to Reading Biblical Hebrew

Adam Howell has produced an informative, highly useful, and visually attractive guide to the Hebrew text of Ruth. The book of Ruth is a great choice for students looking to improve their Hebrew reading skills after they have finished their first year of the language, and this text will be an invaluable resource. It will remind them of what they already learned, give them new insights into the language, and encourage them to persevere.

–Duane A. Garrett, professor of Old Testament, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Adam Howell has produced an excellent resource for students of biblical Hebrew. Through a clause-by-clause analysis of the Hebrew text of Ruth, Howell reinforces the fundamentals while guiding readers beyond the basics; all of this with a goal of hearing the voice of God in the text of Scripture. This book will be a help to many!

–Andrew M. King, assistant professor of biblical studies, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary & Spurgeon College

Howell’s Ruth: A Guide to Reading Biblical Hebrew is a helpful companion volume for those studying the Hebrew text of Ruth. Rather than focusing on linguistics or complex syntax (though he neglects neither), Howell most frequently addresses morphology and Masoretic accentuation—the very aspects of text work with which students most struggle as they transition from grammar to biblical analysis. Howell’s pedagogical instincts shine through in his down-to-earth explanations and playful descriptions of complicated structures. Students will find the book informative, approachable, and—dare I say—fun.

–Michelle Knight, assistant professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

In this “phrase-by-phrase, clause-by-clause discussion of Hebrew syntax,” which also gives the Masoretic accent system it’s due, Howell gives students a delightful guide to reading the Hebrew text of the delightful book of Ruth. Howell provides good grist for the mill for intermediate analysis and classroom discussion.

–Mark Futato, Robert L. Maclellan Professor of Old Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary

Top Highlights

“The infinitive complements the verb to complete the action” (Page 75)

“Hebrew narrative, usually structured around the imperfect + vav-consecutive” (Page 5)

“The ב preposition is often called an instrumental ב, indicating means.¹⁰” (Page 39)

Product Details

• Title: Ruth: A Guide to Reading Biblical Hebrew
• Author: Adam J. Howell
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Publication Date: 2021
• Page Count: 256
• Format: Logos Digital, Paperback
• Trim Size: 6x8.5
• ISBN: 9781683595571

About Adam J. Howell

Adam Howell, is Assistant Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Boyce College, the undergraduate school at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Howell earned a B.S. in Microbiology and Chemistry at East Tennessee State University and his M.Div. (Biblical and Theological Studies) and Ph.D. (Old Testament Languages) from Southern Seminary. Howell's teaching responsibilities include Hebrew, Old Testaments Survey, Old Testament elective courses, and Ancient Near Eastern History.

In addition to a regular teaching schedule, Howell is a co-author of Hebrew for Life: Strategies for Learning, Retaining, and Reviving Biblical Hebrew (Baker). He is also the author of a forthcoming Hebrew handbook on Ruth (Lexham Press) as well as illustrated Hebrew readers for the books of Ruth and 1 Kings (GlossaHouse). He has published articles and book reviews in both the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament and Luther Rice Journal of Christian Studies, and Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies. Howell serves as the Associate Editor of Old Testament Studies and the Old Testament Book Review Editor for the Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies.

Howell is a contributor to Daily Dose of Hebrew (http://dailydoseofhebrew.com), a website offering 2-minute videos walking through Hebrew texts in order to motivate and encourage Hebrew students and pastors to continue in their Hebrew studies.