# Rabbinical and Biblical Hebrew vs. Modern



## JLanguage

Basically my question is the following: 
1.What were the different forms of Hebrew that existed before Modern Hebrew? 
2.What are their origins? (Or perhpas more accurately, how did they develop?)
3.What are their particular linguistic features?

You can answer in Hebrew or English.
I think I might have more posting my query on the Nana or Tapuz forums, but I don't think I can translate it accurately enough,

Todah M-Rosh and Thanks in Advance,
-Jonathan.

Also: It would be good, if you could refer to me to good resources on this subject, preferably in English, because I'm sure the constraints of this forum won't allow you detail to the subject in depth.


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## utopia

ok, I can't post here the address of this site in a consecutive way so I'll do it little by little:

adath-shalom. 

 ca / history of hebrew .htm


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## utopia

look for it in google.


Don't forget a few things:

1) Hebrew was used as a liturgical langauge during centuries.

2) Modern Hebrew consists of earlier layers of the language.

3) Modern Hebrew is more of an invented language, that had to narrow the gap it had with modern spoken languages.


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## JLanguage

utopia said:
			
		

> look for it in google.
> 
> 
> Don't forget a few things:
> 
> 1) Hebrew was used as a liturgical langauge during centuries.
> 
> 2) Modern Hebrew consists of earlier layers of the language.
> 
> 3) Modern Hebrew is more of an invented language, that had to narrow the gap it had with modern spoken languages.


 
Thanks for the website.


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## Ali Smith

In addition to Biblical, post-Biblical, and Mishnaic Hebrew, we also have the Hebrew used in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which I think is known as Qumran Hebrew. I don’t know of any other types of Hebrew (except for modern Hebrew, of course).


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## Drink

Post-Biblical is just an umbrella term for anything that came after Biblical Hebrew.

You're missing Medieval Hebrew, and Modern Rabbinic Hebrew.


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## JAN SHAR

You should also know that Rabbinic (also known as Mishnaic) Hebrew has lots of Greek and Aramaic loanwords, while Biblical Hebrew has no Greek and very few Aramaic loanwords.


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## Drink

Later Biblical Hebrew actually has quite a lot of Aramaic loanwords.


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## JAN SHAR

I’ve noticed that Biblical Hebrew is very different from modern, but Rabbinic (also called Mishnaic) is almost the same as modern.


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## Drink

I think what you're noticing is a superficial resemblance. Really there is quite a bit different between Modern Hebrew and Mishnaic Hebrew, and quite a bit that Mishnaic and Biblical Hebrew have in common, that aren't immediately apparent if you take a superficial look. (And then there are the numerous ways in which Modern Hebrew followed the Biblical norm as opposed to the Mishnaic norm.)


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