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Foreign Languages · Biblical Aramaic

Biblical Aramaic Foundations: First Readings in Daniel and Ezra

Beginner Biblical Aramaic: reading and writing

Level
Beginner
Lessons
24 lessons in 4 modules
Estimated study
About 16 hours
Format
Online, self-paced
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About this course

Learn to read the Aramaic chapters of the Hebrew Bible: Daniel 2:4b to 7:28, Ezra 4:8 to 6:18 and 7:12 to 26, Jeremiah 10:11 and two words in Genesis 31:47. Four modules alternate writing and listen-and-repeat lessons: a short square-script review, the emphatic state, the particle di, absolute and emphatic plurals, first Pe'al verbs and participles, and lines from Daniel, Ezra and Jeremiah with word-by-word glosses. Audio is a computer voice using a Hebrew-style reading pronunciation, an approximation. No speech recognizer supports Aramaic, so speaking practice is ungraded listen and repeat.

Course outline

Review the 22 letters quickly, learn where Biblical Aramaic appears and hear its first words.

  1. The same square script: א to כ40 minFree preview
  2. Where Biblical Aramaic is found40 min
  3. ל to ת: the alphabet complete40 min
  4. Hear the emphatic state40 min
  5. Final forms and the vowel points in brief40 min
  6. Pronouns and sentences without is40 min

Write the vowel points, the emphatic ending -a and the particle di, and repeat lines from Daniel and Jeremiah.

  1. Points after the letter: tracing the vowels40 min
  2. Hear דִּי in a line40 min
  3. The emphatic ending on paper40 min
  4. Jeremiah 10:11 aloud40 min
  5. The particle דִּי40 min
  6. Daniel 2:20: a blessing40 min

Copy Jeremiah 10:11 and Daniel 2:20, hear absolute and emphatic plurals, and meet Pe'al verbs and participles.

  1. Copy Jeremiah 10:11, part 140 min
  2. Absolute, emphatic and plural by ear40 min
  3. Copy Jeremiah 10:11, part 240 min
  4. Pe'al verbs in a story40 min
  5. Copy Daniel 2:2040 min
  6. Participles: answering and saying40 min

Write plurals and first Pe'al verbs, and repeat Daniel 5:25, Daniel 7:13 and Ezra 7:12.

  1. Absolute and emphatic plurals40 min
  2. Daniel 5:25: the writing on the wall40 min
  3. First Pe'al verbs on paper40 min
  4. Daniel 7:13: one like a son of man40 min
  5. Independent writing: Daniel 5:2540 min
  6. Royal words: Ezra 7:12 and Daniel 3:3340 min
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