Miles Van Pelt on Learning Biblical Hebrew Online

We recently sat down with Miles Van Pelt to discuss learning biblical Hebrew online.

Here is what he said:

One of the things that is difficult about studying the Old Testament is it represents a culture that is far away in terms of its time and in terms of its practices.

77.3% of our Bible appears in Hebrew. So if we want to know what the Bible says, and if we want to know how to accurately communicate what the Bible says, then we will learn the language in which the vast majority of the Bible was written.

Hebrew has this way of connecting us back to that culture, connecting us back to their idiom, connecting us back to their way of thinking.

One of the great things about our day and age is that if you are in a place where you can’t get to a school, or you can’t find the necessary instruction that you need to help you learn something you really want, then courses like this can provide the perfect opportunity and the perfect venue for learning Hebrew. . . .

Learning any second language is a difficult task. To do it on your own is perhaps the most difficult venue to achieve the results that you want. Having a variety of resources that connect all the dots for you in a meaningful way will help you not only achieve success, but will also help speed up that success.

One of the things that Hebrew does is it makes you passionate about the subject matter in a way that you couldn’t be otherwise—because your knowledge runs deeper, and you are connected to the text in a different way.

I frequently tell students it is one thing to be engaged to your potential spouse. It is another thing to be married to that spouse.

And having Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic at your fingertips is more like the marriage relationship when it comes to biblical interpretation.

There is a level of intimacy that surpasses the language, or studying it in English in our native language. We want to get back to their native language. . . .

So if you want to read the Bible in its original language you need to take the Hebrew course. And once you’re done with this course you are prepared to begin that journey of reading Hebrew.

How to study the original languages

The best way to begin your study of the biblical languages is by signing up for the Biblical Languages Certificate Program.

In this program, you’ll learn the basics of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic—everything you need to begin working with the text of the Bible in the original languages. This program is designed for beginning students. No prior knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic is required.

Key Benefits

• Get immediate access to all five online courses in the program: Basics of Biblical Greek 1 & 2, Basics of Biblical Hebrew 1 & 2, and Basics of Biblical Aramaic
• 76 hours of video lectures from William D. Mounce, Gary D. Pratico, and Miles Van Pelt
• Work through the courses at your own pace—take up to 24 months
• Earn a Certificate of Completion

Learn More