An Assessment of Horsnell's Hebrew Grammar

Abstract

Professor Horsnell intends to fill a gap existing in grammars of biblical Hebrew between elementary and introductory texts on the one hand and large, exhaustive, sometimes multi-volumed works on the other (p. iii). The key words of the title are review and reference. One aim is to provide students working beyond the first year of introductory Hebrew with a text book which will assist them in a systematic review of the phonology, mor phology, and syntax of the language. At the same time, Horsnell believes he has provided a reference grammar which he positions between teaching grammars on the one hand (e.g., B. P. Kittel, V. Hoffer, and R. A. Wright, Biblical Hebrew: A Text and Workbook, T. O. Lambdin, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, C. L. Seow, A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew, and E. Ben Zvi, M. Hancock, and R. Beinert, Readings in Biblical Hebrew: An Inter mediate Textbook) and advanced grammars on the other (e.g., J. Blau, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, A. E. Cowley, ed., Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar as Edited and Enlarged by the Late E. Kautsch, P. Jo?on, Grammaire de Vh?breu biblique, and B. K. Waltke and M. P. O'Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax). Other grammars in the same class as reference grammars are, according to Horsnell, J. C. L. Gibson, Davidson s Introductory Hebrew Grammar: Syntax and R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax: An Outline. In March of 1999, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar by Christo H. J. van der Merwe, Jackie A. Naud? and Jan H. Kroeze (Sheffield Academic Press) appeared?a work comparable to that of Horsnell's intended audience and therefore helpful in evaluating the present one. Some description of Horsnell's work is necessary in order to evaluate how feasible and successful are the achievement of his aims in a single volume. His arrangement of topics is as follows. First in Part 1 are intro ductory matters covered in seven chapters: Alphabet, Vowels, Other Matters Regarding the Script (Dagesh, Raphe, Mappiq, Maqqef, Silent Shewa, Quiescent Letters, Stress and Meteg), Guttural Consonants,