Biblical Hebrew – A Handbook for Cursive Reading – Émile Nicole

After learning the basics of biblical Hebrew, the time comes to move from theoretical learning to the actual reading of the biblical text. This is precisely the goal of this Manual for Cursive Reading by Émile Nicole: to accompany the student in the gradual discovery of Old Testament texts in their original language.

The work offers a reading of twelve chapters chosen from the Old Testament, selected according to an increasing level of difficulty. This progression allows the reader to become familiar with different biblical literary genres while gradually developing fluency in reading Hebrew.

Organized into thirty lessons, the manual supports the student's personal study directly through the texts. Notes highlight certain difficulties, guide research, and facilitate the understanding of the passages studied. Short boxes also allow for reviewing or clarifying certain points of Hebrew syntax.

This book does not, therefore, constitute a complete introduction to biblical Hebrew: it assumes that basic morphology and elementary vocabulary have already been acquired. Rather, it represents an essential step in training, the stage where the student learns to put their linguistic knowledge to use in an attentive reading of the Scriptures.

A manual particularly suited for theology students, teachers, and all those who wish to progress in the study of the Old Testament starting from the Hebrew text, with a progressive and directly applicable method.