BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Section A

Alphabet And Vocabulary

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

HBRW
Th lphbt s hrd t mstr;
Rdng bck t frnt's dsstr.
Nlss h's rd the clssfds,
whr trth, bbrvtd hds,
th wld-b rdr f the Bbl,
prsntd wth th txt, s lbl
t trn nd rn wth shrks nd hwls-
th Hbrw Scrptrs hv n vwls!
AN ALEPH-BET SONG
G C G Am G D G G C G Am G D G

Aleph Bet Gimel Dalet, Hey Vav (Hey Vav), Zay'n Chet Tet, Yod Kaf Lamed, Mem Nun (Mem Nun)
a b g d h w h w z j f y k l m n m n

G C G C G Am
G D G Am
G D G

Samech Ay'n Pe, Tsade Qoph Resh, Shin Tav (Shin Tav) Shin Tav (Shin Tav).
s [ p x q r v t v t v t v t

Aleph Bet
Gimmel Dalet,
Hey Vav (Hey Vav),
Zay'n Chet Tet,
Yod Kaf Lamed,
Mem Nun (Mem Nun)
Samech Ay'n Pey,
Tsade, Qoph, Resh,
Shin Tav (Shin Tav)
Shin Tav (Shin Tav).

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Alphabet Chart:
Letter Name Pronunciation Print Block Script
1 Aleph Silent letter a a
B as in Baal, B . ·b
2 Bet
V as in Vine b b
3 Gimel G as in Gehenna g g
4 Dalet D as in Delilah d d
5 Hey H as in Hallelujah h h
6 Vav V as in Vanity w w
7 Zayin Z as in Zion z z
8 Chet CH as in BaCH j t
9 Tet T as in Talent f f
10 Yod Y as in Yiddish y ] y
K as in Kish K˚ . ·k K
11 Kaf CH as in BaCH k k
12 Lamed L as in Lord
l l
13 Mem M as in Mary mµ mM
14 Nun N as in Nazereth nˆ n N
15 Samech S as in Sun s s
16 Ayin Silent letter [ [
17 Pe P as in Passion Pπ . ·p
PH as in graPH p pP
18 Tsade TS as in TSar x≈ xX
19 Qoph K as in Koran q q
20 Resh R as in Rabbi r . r
21 Shin S as in Sin, SH as in SHade
cv . ·c
c·
22 Tav T as in Toil
t j
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Hebrew Full Vowels

Name Sign Sounded As

qamets (kamats) a; a as in yacht

tsere (tzere) ae e as in entree

tsere with yod yae ey as in they L

chiriq gadol yai i as in brief
O
(chirik maleh) N
shureq (shuruk) Wa u as in blue G
cholem ao o as in go NOTE: Sometimes wO is not a cholem
but a vav-cholem and should be read as
vō; cf.twOwx]mi in Neh 9.14 and twOx]mi
vav cholem wOa o as in row
in Pro 10.8. The vav-cholem in the latter
word is discerned by knowing the word,
and by the fact that every syllable must
begin with a consonant (the syllable twO
cannot begin with an ō sound).
qamets chatuf a; o as in dog/
(kamats katan) o as in more
S
patach a' a as in yacht
H
segol (seghol) a, e as in bed O
chiriq (chirik chaser) ai i as in bin R
au T
qibbuts (qubbuts) u as in blue

NOTE: The vowel signs consist of the marks in regular black tone. The grayed-out a is
only provided to show the position of the vowel marks.
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Hebrew Reduced Vowels

Name Sign Pronunciation
The reduced vowels (also called
sheva (shva, shwa) a] half-vowels, which include the
sheva along with the compound
hateph patach a} shevas or hateph vowels) are all
sounded as a very short [e], ex-
hateph segol a‘ cept for sheva when it is silent.
hateph qamets a’ Modern Israelis pronounce the
three hateph vowels as ah, eh,
and oh respectively.
NOTE: The vowel signs consist of the marks in regular black tone. The grayed-out a is only provided to show the position of the vowel marks.

Other Phenomena
Daghesh Lene (Dagesh Kal)
The daghesh lene is a dot placed in the bosom of the six letters, B G D K P T,
which signifies a retention of the hard pronunciation of the consonants. It changes
“fricatives” into “stops.” These letters are often called “beged kefet” letters ( tp,K]
dg<B]). Dagesh lene is never preceded immediately by a vowel sound (it may
be preceded by a silent sheva as in rB;d“mi).

Daghesh Forte (Dagesh Chazak)

The daghesh forte is a dot which may be placed in the bosom of any letter, except
five guttural consonants, a [ h j r. It serves to double the letter. The daghesh
forte may be distinguished from a daghesh lene in that the daghesh forte
is always preceded immediately by a vowel, whereas daghesh lene is never
preceded immediately by a vowel sound.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Metheg, Mappik &

Maqqeph
• A metheg (or meteg or methegh = “bridle”), also referred to as ma’arik (“length-
ener”) and ga‘ya (“raising”), is a secondary accent indicating a (very brief)
pause. It appears as a small perpendicular stroke under the syllable, to the left
of the vowel to be accented, as in µd;a;h…â (in BHS it sometimes appears to the
right of the vowel). The metheg should not be confused with the sillûq, which
looks the same, but only appears under the last word of the verse.
The metheg is used with the qamets in any position to ensure that it will not
be interpreted as a qamets hatuph. In these cases the metheg closes the syllable
(keeping the syllable open and the vowel long), and indicates that the following
sheva is vocal (as in hl;fq] …â).
The metheg appears with
• all vowels that precede a consonant with a hateph vowel,
• with short vowels appearing anomalously in open syllables before
the primary accent,
• with all long vowels that precede a pretonic vocal sheva,
• with qamets and sere in open pretonic or propretonic syllables where
a hateph vowel normally appears,
• with long vowels in a closed syllable that precedes a maqqeph,
• and with a short vowel in what appears to be a closed syllable to
indicate that the normal doubling of the following consonant has
been dropped: µyliG]r'm]hâ' instead of µyliG]r'M]h.'

• A mappik is a dot sometimes placed in the letter H (hey) when it is final, to in-
dicate that the hey is to be treated as a consonant (guttural) and not as a silent
vowel letter. E.g., Hb'G.:

• A maqqeph is a small horizontal line used to join words which are connected
in thought or utterance. E.g., bwOfAyki.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

BeGeD KeFeT Letters

Stops Fricatives

B B as in Boy b V as in Vine

G G as in Girl g Gh as in Ugh

D D as in Door d Th as in There

K K as in Kitty k Ch as in Bach

P P as in Pop p Ph as in Phone

T T as in Tall t Th as in Think
NOTE: The blue letters above are the ones which still have a fricative variation in
the pronunciation of modern Hebrew. The others have all become stops whether
they have a dagesh or not.

Shin's Twin Letter Sin

vc
Shin is pronounced SH when it is dotted on the upper right. It
becomes a Sin and is pronounced as S when it is dotted on the
upper left.
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Aleph
Drawing steps:

A s the first letter of the alpha-

bet, the aleph became the
symbol for the number one, and,
with the dieresis (¨), the number
1,000. (It is also the symbol for a
famous Greek Bible manuscript,
the Codex Sinaiticus.)
As the initial letter of the al-
phabet and as the letter having
derived from the pictogram for an
ox, the letter itself sometimes con-
notes first, oneness, unity, unique-
ness or strength. Thus, it appears
in such words as:

Position Printed Form Sound lae God

a Silent.
Serves as place-
holder for attached
vowel.
God
µyhiløa‘
µd;a; Adam
ˆwOda; Lord
dj;a, One
Lore
Though rarely heard now in
spoken Hebrew, the aleph once
indicated a glottal stop. If you’ve
ever heard a child say kitten
Aleph is the old word for ox, and the aleph without the T’s, you’ve heard a
in paleo-Hebrew was a pictogram of an glottal stop where the T sounds
ox head with horns. Rotate the ancient should occur.: ki’en.
pictogram to get our Greek α and Roman
A both of which descended from it.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Bet
(Also Beit, Beth)

Drawing steps:

B
Bottom horizontal stroke
protrudes to the right

A s the second letter of the

alphabet Bet became the
symbol for the number two, and,
with the dieresis (¨), the number
2,000.
As the symbol for “house,”
the Bet connotes shelter, interior
space. In fact, b standing alone is
the preposition in. It also appears
in such words as:

Position Sound
hb;B; Pupil of eye

2
Cistern

b
rwOB
B as in boy,
V as in vine. raeB] Well
ˆf,B , Womb
Interestingly, combining Aleph
A BeGeD KeFeT with Bet gives us “the man
Lore letter. SEE p. 7! To (µd;a); of the house (tyIB)’ ”:
indicate the B (stop)
ba; Father
sound rather than the
V (fricative) sound Adding the preposition to (l) to
requires adding a dot a doubled Bet points to the in-
(B) inside the Bet. nermost part:

Bet (tyIB)' is the word for house, tent,

Mind, heart
bb;le
place, as in Bethlehem = house of
bread. In paleo-Hebrew, bet looks like
a tent and the living space in front of it.
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Gimel
(Also Gimmel)

Drawing steps:

T he Gimel became the symbol

for the number three, and, with
the dieresis (¨), the number 3,000.
The letter Gimel is a guttural
and is associated with the throat,
and by extension with pipes, chan-
nels, conduits, and agency. Thus,
µybiGE Trenches, ditches
ˆG" Watered garden
laeGO Agent of redemption
Position Printed Form Sound

3 g G as in garden

The letter gimel is a

BeGeD KeFeT letter,
though it no longer has a
Lore fricative pronunciation in
spoken Hebrew. See p. 7!

Gimel means camel (lm;G): . In paleo-

Hebrew, the letter gimmel looks like
the neck/throat of a camel. (It also
reminds me of the camel’s hump!)

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Dalet
Drawing steps:

Top horizontal stroke

protrudes to the right to
distinguish Dalet from
Resh.

T he Dalet became the symbol

for the number four, and, with
the dieresis (¨), the number 4,000.
As a letter signifying a door,
Dalet appears in words having to do
with home, family, and procreation.
Thus,
µD; Blood
dwOD Loved one, uncle
qb'D; Keep close
Position Printed Form Sound

4
rWD Dwell

d D as in Door rb'D; Speak

ˆD; Judge

Lore

The letter dalet is a

BeGeD KeFeT letter,
Dalet means door ( tl,de). In paleo- though it no longer has a
Hebrew, dalet looks like a tent door. fricative pronunciation in
It is a triangle from which evolved the spoken Hebrew. See p. 7!
Greek delta and our D.
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Hey
Drawing steps:

h
The left leg of the Hey
does not connect to the
horizontal top stroke. This
distinguishes the Hey from
the Chet.

I n post-biblical times, hey came to

stand for the numeral 5.
There are competing theories
as to the significance of the Paleo-
Hebrew pictogram for the letter
Hey. On the theory that it evolved
from the Egyptian hieroglyphic and
subsequent Hieratic symbol for hall,
habitation, it would make sense that
Position Printed Form Sound

5
Hey would appear in words having

h H as in House to do with buildings, like,

lk;yhe Temple (house for all?).
To have any confidence that hey
still evokes ideas from its ancient
pictograph, however, will require
Lore further research.

Hieroglyphic H, Hieratic H, Paleo-Hebrew Hey,

sign for hall, habitation sign for hall, habitation from which evolved
the Greek epsilon
and our letter E.
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Vav
(Used to be called
Waw or Wow.)

Drawing steps:
w
I n post-biblical times, vav came to
stand for the numeral 6.
As the letter that represents a hook,
peg or nail, vav appears in Hebrew
most often as the conjunction and (‫)ו‬.
This one-letter word not only joins
substantives like “male and female”
(hb;qen“W rk;z,: Gen 1.27), but also (redun-
dantly to the American mind) narra-
tives: “And (w") God created man in His
own image…” (Gen 1.27).

Position Pronunciation

6 w V as in Vine

Lore

The word vav (ww: ) means hook, pin,

peg or nail. The modern Aramaic letter
used in the Hebrew alphabet is just a
simplified version of the paleo-Hebrew
pictogram of a nail.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Zayin
Drawing steps:

z
I n post-biblical times, zayin came to
stand for the numeral 7.
The Hebrews made use of zayin's
ZZZ sound to form onomatopoe-
ic words for things that buzzed or
swished. Therefore, a high percentage
of Hebrew words beginning with zayin
have to do with motion or moving
things. A few examples:
bbz Move to and fro
bWbz Fly (insect)
bWz Flow, Gush
Printed Form Pronunciation zyzI Moving things (beasts)

7 z
['Wz Tremble, Quake
Z as in Zebra
tl,j,&zO Crawling thing, Serpent
glz Glide (as an arrow)
ll'z: Shake
Lore [r'z: Sow, Scatter seed
[r'z<‡ Seed, Offspring

The pictograph for zayin is believed to have represented

a weapon, perhaps of the kind indicated by the word azen
(ˆz´´a); which means spade, paddle or weapon. In the paleo-
Hebrew form we see the prototype of our letter Z. It is
interesting to note that the ancients weren’t overly con-
cerned about the orientation of their drawn letters. Even
MNEMONICS: Zayin is the seventh in modern Yemen, Jewish children were adept at reading
consonant, and looks a bit like a 7. A 7 Hebrew upside down because many would gather in a
looks like a Z without its bottom stroke. circle to simultaneously read a single rare Torah scroll.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Chet
Drawing steps:

j
No gap here, to distin-
guish Chet from Hey.

I n post-biblical times, chet came

to stand for the numeral 8.
Deriving from a pictogram
of a fence, chet is readily used in
words about dividing, connecting,
joining, protecting, and hiding. A
few examples:
rb'j; Unite, be joined
gj' Festival gathering
rg'j; Hinder, restrain
Position Printed Form Pronunciation rd'j; Surround, enclose

8 j Guttural CH gWj Make circle

as in Bach hm;wOj Wall
µf'j; Hold in, restrain
≈x'j; Divide
Lore rxej; Enclosure, court

The paleo-Hebrew chet was derived from

the paleo-Hebrew hey by adding a vertical
stroke (see bottom of page 12). We can
see in this paleo-Hebrew form of chet the
beginnings of our letter H. The original
pictogram for chet apparently represented
a fence, more clearly seen in the orienta-
Proto-Sinaitic Paleo-Hebrew tion of the earlier proto-Sinaitic form.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Tet
Drawing steps:

f
I n post-biblical times, tet came to
stand for the numeral 9.
The paleo-Hebrew tet is thought
to have been derived from the Egyp-
tian hieroglyphic for city or town.
Tet does not appear in the Hebrew
word for city, though. It does appear
in a number of words that have to do
with covering or things that cover
(like an encampment covers the
ground and becomes a city?). Here
are some examples:
Position Printed Form Pronunciation lb'f; Dip (cover in water)

9 f T as in Tall
lWbf] Turban (head cover)
[b'f; Sink down
j"Wf Over-spread, coat
fyfi Mud, mire, clay
Lore hr:yfi Encampment
jh'f; Be besmeared
lf; Dew
ˆm'f; Hide, conceal

The relationship between tet and tav is seen in

paleo-Hebrew: Tet is a tav enclosed. (The pa-
Hieroglyphic Paleo-Hebrew tet
for city or town leo-Hebrew tet reminds me of a ball of potter's
clay (fyf) with a mark, i.e., a tav inscribed on
it.) You can also see how the paleo-Hebrew
tet evolved into the Greek theta.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Yod
Drawing steps:

y
I n post-biblical times, Yod came to
stand for the numeral 10, such that
ay = 11, by = 12, etc.
As connected to the idea of hand,
dy:, it does not surprise us to see yod
in words relating to manual actions.
Here are some examples:
lb'y: Carry away, be led
bg"y: Till (the ground)
["gEy: Toil
hd;y: Throw, cast
Position Printed Form Pronunciation bh'y: Give

10 y
vm'y: Touch
Y as in Yum!
rs'y: Discipline, chasten
rx'y: Form, fashion
hr;y: Throw, shoot
Lore

The paleo-Hebrew Yod developed

from a pictogram representing
a hand ( dy: ). The letter name
yod evolved into the Greek letter
name, iota. The letter name iota
became our noun jot signifying a
tiny bit or tiny mark.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Kaf
Kaf is the first letter with both
a medial and a final form.

Drawing steps:

K >
Drawing steps:

Top horizontal stroke protrudes to

the right, helping to distinguish the
final kaf from a resh.

T he letter kaf has an elongated

final form (that normally car-
ries a raised silent sheva) when it
appears at the end of a word. The
Position Printed Form Pronunciation lengthened vertical stroke (and

11 k
raised sheva) distinguishes the
K as in Kaaren, final kaf from a dalet.
CH as in Bach In post-biblical times, Kaf
came to stand for the numeral 20.
See a faint allusion to the palm
A BeGeD KeFeT of a hand in words like:
Lore letter. SEE p. 7! To
indicate the K (stop) rK; Basket-saddle
sound rather than the rYOKi Pot, basin
CH (fricative) sound
requires adding a dot rwOpK] Bowl
(K) inside the kaf. bt'K; Write
The paleo-Hebrew kaf developed from a pictogram representing the
palm of a hand ( pK'). The later Aramaic block letter above (used in
Hebrew printed texts today) seems to have a closer graphic connection
than the paleo-Hebrew pictogram (at left) to the Egyptian hieroglyphic
signs for K (a bowl) and for palm:

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Lamed
Drawing steps:

l
I n post-biblical times, Lamed
came to stand for the numeral 30.
The paleo-Hebrew lamed is
thought to be a pictogram of an ox-
goad (dm'lm] )' , or a shepherd’s crook,
but may have developed from the
Hieratic (simplified Egyptian hi-
eroglyphic) for lion. Whether lamed
carries any particular allusions into
words that employ it is not readily
apparent.
The letter lamed is used for the
Position Printed Form Pronunciation
Hebrew preposition that means to

12 l
or for. It is called an inseparable
L as in Look preposition because it is always
attached to the beginning of other
words. Thus,
Ël,m , King
Lore Ël,M,àl' For the king

Hieratic Paleo-Hebrew lamed

for lion

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Mem
Drawing steps:

m
Mem has a
squared-off final
form when it ap-
pears at the end
of a word. Top
horizontal stroke
protrudes to the left
and each corner is
square

Drawing steps:
µ
Position Printed Form Pronunciation

13 m
In post-biblical times, mem came
M as in Mother to stand for the numeral 40.
As derived from the pictogram
for water, it does not surprise us to
find mem in words having to do
with liquid and flowing. Here are
Lore some examples:
sa'm; Flow, run
The paleo-Hebrew Wdm;& Cloth garment
Mem is a pictogram rf'm; Rain (verb)
showing waves of wa-
ter ( µyI m ' ) . The wave µyIm'& Waters
pattern provides the fl'm; Slip away, escape
basis for our English
M, and survives in the ≈l'm; Be slippery
ripples at the top of the hs;m; Melt, liquefy
modern Mem.
≈x'm; Drain out
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Nun
Drawing steps:

n Nun has an elon-

gated final form
This horizontal stroke
when it appears at
distinguishes nun from the end of a word.
vav. Drawing steps:

I n post-biblical times, Nun came to

stand for the numeral 50.
Because the ancient significance of
the letter nun is uncertain, any attempts
to trace the carrying of its meaning into
Position Printed Form Pronunciation words using nun are highly specula-

14
tive. Therefore, I provide below some

n N as in Noon important nun words that have no

particular connection to one another:
µaun“ Declaration
aybin: Prophet
Lore lb;n: Foolish, fool
The paleo-Hebrew picto- bg<n<‡ South-country
graph for nun has been
thought to represent a fish, ˆWn Propagate, increase
because nun means “fish” lp'n: Fall, lie down
in Aramaic. Some, how-
ever, have interpreted the ac;n: Lift, carry, take
pictogram as representing a ˆt'n: Give, put, set
serpent, vj;n.:

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Samech
Drawing steps:

Top stroke
protrudes on
the left

s
In post-biblical times, Samech came
to stand for the numeral 60.
Uncertainty about the meaning
of the original hieroglyphics and
pictograms for samech make it highly
speculative to trace any allusions of
the letter in the words that employ
Position Pronunciation it. Here are some random samech

15
words:

s S as in Sun sWs Horse

rj's; Travel about
d['s; Support (verb)
Lore ˆp's; Cover (verb)
rt's; Hide, conceal
The paleo-Hebrew
samech may rep-
resent a support of
some kind (a spine
with ribs, perhaps?).
The verb Ëm's; means
to support, sustain.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Ayin
Drawing steps:

[
I n post-biblical times, ayin came to
stand for the numeral 70. Many ayin
words have to do with flowing water,
something passing through (as light or
water), or with circularity or roundness:
rb'[; Pass over, through
ˆd,[e& Eden
b[; Rain cloud
Position Printed Form Pronunciation hg:[u Disc

16 [ A glottal stop; dW[ Return, do again

for westerners a rw"[; Make blind
silent letter
qz"[; Dig about, surround
rf'[; Surround
Lore ˆy[i Look at
ry[i City, town
dn"[; Bind around
lp'[; Swell
lp,[o& Mound, hill

The paleo-Hebrew Ayin repre-

sents an eye (ˆyI[)' . The word ˆyI['
not only means eye, but also an
“eye” in the ground from which
water flows, i.e. a spring.

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Pe
Also peh or pey.

Drawing steps:

Drawing steps:

π
Position Pronunciation

17
Pe has an elongated final form when it

p P as in Pop,
F as in Food
appears at the end of a word.

I n post-biblical times, pe came to

stand for the numeral 80.
Many pe words make faint allu-
The letter pe is a sions to the mouth, its appearance or
Lore its workings:
BeGeD KeFeT
letter. SEE p. 7! j"WP Breathe, blow
tj'P'& Pit
The paleo-Hebrew gl'P; Split, divide
pictorgram for pe
represents a mouth r['P; Open wide
( hP,). The modern hx;P; Part, open (verbs)
Pey has a tongue
in it! jq'P; Open eyes (verb)
rr'P; Divide, separate
jt'P; Open (verb)
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Tsade
(Also, Tsadi, Tsadik)

Drawing steps:

x
Drawing steps:

Position Printed Form Pronunciation

18
The letter tsade has an elongated

x TS as in Tsar.
final form when it appears at the end
of a word.

I n post-biblical times, tsade came

to stand for the numeral 90. Many
tsade words have to do with hunting,
Lore fishing and warfare.
The Phoenician and paleo-Hebrew tsades
are thought to represent a fishhook. ab;x; Wage war
Army, host
twOab;x]
hd;x; Lie in wait
hd;x; Lay waste
dWx Hunt (verb)
rWx Bind, besiege
Phoenician Paleo-Hebrew jl'x; Rush
lx;l]xi Spear, harpoon
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Qoph
(Also Koph, Kof)

Drawing steps:

q
I n post-biblical times, qoph came to
stand for the numeral 100.
There are a number of qoph words
that remind me of the antics of an an
ape ( πwOq), but to say that such words
carry over allusions from the ancient
pictogram would be speculative. Here
is a sample of qoph words.
vWq Lay bait, lure
Position Printed Form
lf'q; Slay

19
ryqi Wall (noun)

q K as in Kook
hl;q; Roast
lq' Light, swift (adjs.)
sl'q; Mock, scoff
Lore hn:q; Get acquire
≈n<qe& Snare, net (nouns)
hx;q; Cut off
rx'q; Reap, harvest
The paleo-Hebrew picto- ar;q; Call, proclaim
gram for qoph is throught
to represent an ape ( πwOq). ˆr,q,& Horn
ˆr'q; Send out rays, shine
sr'q; Stoop, crouch

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Resh
Drawing steps:

r
I n post-biblical times, resh came to
stand for the numeral 200.
As employing the letter that al-
ludes to a head, many resh words
speak of functions associated with the
human head, or of preeminence:
ha;r; See
vaOr Head, top, chief
hv;arI Beginning-time
hv;aOr Top
Position Printed Form Pronunciation
ˆwOvarI Former, first

20
tyviarE Beginning

r R as in Rug
hd;r: Rule, dominate
bh'ro& Pride
hw:r: Drink one’s fill
Lore j"Wr Breath, wind, spirit
µWr Be high, exalted
ˆWr Overcome
πj'r: Hover, brood
The paleo-Hebrew
pictogram for resh bk'r: Mount and ride
represented a head µmor; Be exalted
( vaOr).
h[;r: Shepherd (verb)
[r' Bad, evil (adj.)
[['r: Be bad, evil (verbs)
ap;r: Heal
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Sin/Shin
Drawing steps:

A s employing the letter that once al-

luded to teeth or sharpness, some
sin/shin words still allude to oral or other
functions of the mouth, or to the [destruc-
Position Printed Forms
tive] power of the teeth.

21 c, v
S as in Sin, hp;c; Lip, speech, edge
SH as in SHade
rc' Prince
hr:c; Princess
The paleo-Hebrew picto- hr:c]mi Rule, dominion
Lore gram for shin clearly rep-
fr"c; Incise, scratch, write
resents sharp teeth. The
Hebrew word for tooth is πr"c; Burn (verb), seraph
ˆve. It comes from the word la'v; Ask, inquire
ˆnæv;, to sharpen.
Rotate the ancient pic- yD"v' Almighty
togram clockwise 90° to get
the Greek uppercase sigma,
bWv Return, repent
and the precursor of our [w"v; Cry out
Latin S.
The letter shin eventu-
ryvi Sing
ally became used for the µwOlv; Completeness, peace
number 300.
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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Tav
(Also Tov, Tau, Taw)

Drawing steps:
The horizontal stroke pro-
trudes to the left

t
Don't forget this little foot
to distinguish tav from
chet.

I n post-biblical times, tav came to

stand for the numeral 400.
As employing the letter that once
signified a mark, some tav words still
allude to marking (whether a person or
a landscape), and to having boundaries
or the lack of boundaries:
Position Printed Form Pronunciation
ha;T; Mark, point out

22 t T as in Torah WhTo& Formlessness

hw:a}T' Boundary
hw:T; Wound (verb)
The word tav ( wT); means mark lTe Mound (noun)
Lore or signature as in Job 31.35. µT; Complete, perfect
Scholars were intrigued to find
these cross shapes in the margins h[;T; Wander, err
of the Dead Sea Scrolls, mark-
ing passages that had to do with
the Messiah. Apparently scribes
used the tav as a symbol of salva-
The letter tav is a BeGeD
tion, since in Ezekiel 9.3-6, God KeFeT letter, though it
commands the slaughter of all in no longer has a fricative
Jerusalem who do not have God’s pronunciation in spoken
mark ( wT); . Hebrew. See p. 7!

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 BLF 1: The Hebrew Alphabet

Horned Or Shining?
When Moses descended from Mt.
Sinai with the tablets of the law,
did his face shine (Ex 34.29-30,
NASB), or was he horned (cor-
nuta) as in the Latin Vulgate? The
answer depends upon the vowels
one chooses to go with the word
ˆrq. The word ˆr"q;means “to
send out rays,” but ˆr,q, means
“horn.” Jerome apparently chose
the latter (and more common)
meaning of the Hebrew word,
and translated it “horned” in what
became the Vulgate version of the
Bible that Michelangelo used.

Michelangelo’s Moses
Photos by Roderick Graciano,
June 7, 2013, Rome, Italy

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