Starting out with biblical languages

Christians have always believed that God's word is heard through the Bible, not only heard in the original languages, but when it is translated. Yet we inevitably miss some of the richness of the original text when we read Scripture in translation. It has been compared to watching a film in black and white rather than in colour. So while all Christians do not need to learn the original languages of the Bible, Hebrew and Greek,1 it is incredibly helpful to do so if you want to go deeper into the text. 

Learning languages as an adult is hard, so find a way to learn with others if you possibly can. You will probably enjoy it more and learn faster, as well as having more incentive to keep going because you will receive encouragement when you’re struggling. It could be as simple as meeting a friend each week to spend time learning together. Join a Hebrew or Greek reading group, or an online community of learners (perhaps one connected with a particular course or a Facebook group). 

On this page we list some of the resources that are available to help you start learning Hebrew and Greek. Some of the online resources are free and others are subscription or paid-for services. We will update this page from time to time as we come across new resources. First, though, it is worth mentioning some online resources to help you dig into the meaning of the original words without learning Hebrew or Greek. 

Ways of studying the Bible without learning biblical languages

It’s probably worth saying at the start that you can go deeper in your Bible study without all the effort it takes to learn an ancient language. The key is that you need to find other ways of compensating for the Bible translation you use. We need to allow for the fact that every translation is also unavoidably an interpretation, and find ways of getting past that. Comparing several translations is an obvious and easy way to do so. If you compare a few versions with different translation approaches, you will quickly see differences between them – not because any of the translations are necessarily bad, but because the original words carry a range of possible meanings. Those differences are worth exploring, perhaps using commentaries. 

Another approach is to use an online tool like STEP Bible. 

STEP Bible

STEP Bible (Scripture Tools for Every Person) started in 2011 as a project of Tyndale House, and became an independent charity in 2020. It provides extremely helpful tools for studying the Bible, including not only numerous English translations, but also many ancient language versions. You can hover over a word in an English translation to see the underlying original word, and when you click on a word, the text highlights other occurrences of it in the chapter. The best thing is a panel on the right which opens to show the underlying Hebrew or Greek word, the number of times it appears (you can click to see all the occurrences), the possible meanings, and related words. You can also display the English and the Hebrew or Greek together so that you can see the word order. STEPBible is by far the best tool there is for digging into the original words without learning Hebrew or Greek first. 

There is an excellent guide to using STEP Bible, with video tutorials and comprehensive instructions. 

Lumina / NET Bible

The NET Bible (New English Translation) from Bible.org is an open-source translation that has over 60000 translators’ and study notes. These enable you to see what decisions have been made about alternative translations, and explain difficult phrases. These notes are extremely helpful. 

The Net Bible online (also called Lumina) first shows you the NET text on the left with the translation notes on the right, but you can also display original language versions side by side with the English. As with STEP Bible, you can click on a word to highlight all the occurrences in both the English and Hebrew or Greek, and a small box displays possible meanings. You also get a popup allowing you to quickly see parallel renderings in the English translations available in the Lumina suite, and to do a word search. There are very good video tutorials available. 

BibleGateway

BibleGateway has the most comprehensive range of translations, not only in English but many other languages. Hebrew and Greek are also available, which you can show side-by-side with modern translations, but to be able to interact with a word you need a paid subscription. This also gives you access to commentaries, dictionaries, maps and more. 

Resources for learning Hebrew

Free online resources

• Aleph with Beth: Huge number of simple but engaging YouTube videos with a very well thought-out approach to learning. Everything is in Hebrew right from the start, which makes it equally useful to people from all language groups and of any age. Starting with a few words, the lessons build slowly to cover complex grammar in the same way that children learn languages. Follow on Twitter.
• Dr Bill Barrick lectures recorded at The Masters Seminary. Comprehensive coverage of grammar taught in a traditional lecture format.
• BiblicalHebrew.com: takes an immersion approach like Aleph with Beth using video lessons, reading practice, cartoons, and exercises (also lessons in Aramaic, Akkadian and Ugaritic). There are not very many lessons yet (it launched in October 2022). Follow on Twitter.
• Daily Dose of Hebrew: short daily videos explaining the grammar and meaning of an Old Testament verse. Follow on Twitter.
• HebrewDayByDay: short daily YouTube videos and various grammar resources on the website. Follow on Twitter.

Books

• Baker, David L. Getting to Grips with Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Textbook (Langham Global Library, 2020)
• Dobson, John H. ‌Learn Biblical Hebrew (Piquant Editions, 2012) 
• Kutz, Karl, and Rebekah Josberger. Learning Biblical Hebrew: Reading for Comprehension: An Introductory Grammar (Lexham Press, 2018) 
• Kutz, Karl, and Rebekah Josberger. Learning Biblical Hebrew Workbook: A Graded Reader with Exercises (Lexham Press, 2018)
• Pratico, Gary D., and Miles V. Van Pelt. ‌Basics of Biblical Hebrew, 3rd edition (Zondervan, 2019) 
• Pratico, Gary D., and Miles V. Van Pelt. ‌Basics of Biblical Hebrew Workbook, 3rd edition (Zondervan, 2019)
• Pratico, Gary D., and Miles V. Van Pelt. Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, 2nd. edition (Zondervan, 2019)
• Ross, Allen P. ‌Introducing Biblical Hebrew (Baker Academic, 2001) 
• Weingreen, Jacob. ‌A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew, 2nd. edition (Clarendon Press, 1959) 

Subscription and paid-for online resources and courses

• Biblical Language Center: online courses and live video classes, based on the way children learn rather than memorisation of vocabulary and grammar. 
• Biblingo: interactive courses with custom learning plans and live online courses. 
• GlossaHouse: many textbooks for immersive language learning in Hebrew and Greek as well as audio files and flashcards. 
• Zondervan Academic online courses: very well-presented teaching videos linked to Zondervan Academic biblical language books, including Pratico and Van Pelt’s Basics of Biblical Hebrew. 

Resources for learning Greek

Free online resources

• Alpha with Angela is a sister channel to Aleph with Beth and takes exactly the same slowly building immersive approach. It launched in 2021, so there are not yet as many videos as for Aleph with Beth.
• KoineGreek.com is also based on the ways in which we learn languages as children, rather than memorisation. It teaches Koine Greek (the day-to-day Greek in which the New Testament is written), but is not solely focused on the New Testament. 
• Daily Dose of Greek: short daily videos explaining the grammar and meaning of a New Testament verse. Follow on Twitter.

Books

• Decker, Rodney J. Koine Greek Reader: Selections from the New Testament, Septuagint, and Early Christian Writers (Kregel Academic, 2007) 
• Dobson, John H. Learn New Testament Greek revised edition (Piquant Editions, 2012) 
• Duff, Jeremy. The Elements of New Testament Greek, 3rd edition (Cambridge University Press, 2005) 
• Mounce, William D. Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, 4th edition (Zondervan, 2019) 

• Mounce, William D. Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook, 4th edition (Zondervan, 2019) 

Subscription and paid-for online resources and courses

• Biblical Language Center: online courses and live video classes, based on the way children learn rather than memorisation of vocabulary and grammar. 
• Biblingo: interactive courses with custom learning plans and live online courses. 
• GlossaHouse has a huge number of textbooks for immersive language learning in Hebrew and Greek as well as audio files and flashcards. 
• Omilien: online courses in Koine Greek using a communicative approach. 
• Zondervan Academic online courses: very well-presented teaching videos linked to Zondervan Academic biblical language books, including Mounce’s Basics of Biblical Greek.