Do It Yourself Hebrew and Greek

Rating:
Summary: Practical and Helpful Introduction to N.T. Greek Study Tools
Review: "Do It Yourself Hebrew and Greek" is just what the name implies. This is a "do it yourself" course on original Biblical languages. In the book, Goodrick has done a quality job of explaining basic Greek grammar in summary form. The book includes many common sense rules and guidelines for the interpretation of Scripture. You'll find the majority of the book is devoted to teaching the student how to use language tools (concordances, commentaries, analyticals, lexicons, and interlinears) and how to conduct word studies. The text includes twenty lessons, self-graded worksheets, and answer keys that are quite helpful. There are many warnings along the way regarding the limitations to this "low road" method of studying the original languages. Goodrick has provided a practical and helpful guide for those desiring to better understand the Bible's message in its original tongue without the necessity of making the enormous investment necessary to become proficient in the languages.

Rating:
Summary: Practical and Helpful Introduction to N.T. Greek Study Tools
Review: "Do It Yourself Hebrew and Greek" is just what the name implies. This is a "do it yourself" course on original Biblical languages. In the book, Goodrick has done a quality job of explaining basic Greek grammar in summary form. The book includes many common sense rules and guidelines for the interpretation of Scripture. You'll find the majority of the book is devoted to teaching the student how to use language tools (concordances, commentaries, analyticals, lexicons, and interlinears) and how to conduct word studies. The text includes twenty lessons, self-graded worksheets, and answer keys that are quite helpful. There are many warnings along the way regarding the limitations to this "low road" method of studying the original languages. Goodrick has provided a practical and helpful guide for those desiring to better understand the Bible's message in its original tongue without the necessity of making the enormous investment necessary to become proficient in the languages.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for a specific niche market
Review: If you are considering purchasing this book then you should really take the subtitle seriously - "A Guide to Biblical Language Tools". This is not a book about learning Hebrew and Greek so that you can read either of them in a Hebrew or Greek Bible. This is a book about understanding the Hebrew and Greek language so that you can better use and understand biblical language tools. For each language it goes over the alphabet, parts and types of speech, pronunciation, and similar items. Then, using your understanding of the word forms and the like, you can turn to a concordance, biblical Greek dictionary, lexicon or similar reference and understand the importance of how a particular ending on a verb changes it and changes the meaning of a whole sentence. If you are intimidated by the daunting task of learning another language like Greek or Hebrew then this is the book that will free you to at least learn about the language and its structure so you can use other tools more effectively for Bible study. "Do It Yourself Hebrew and Greek" is a recommended book for any Bible students who just can't quite bring themselves to learn another language.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent starting point - well explained
Review: If you are considering purchasing this book then you should really take the subtitle seriously - "A Guide to Biblical Language Tools". This is not a book about learning Hebrew and Greek so that you can read either of them in a Hebrew or Greek Bible. This is a book about understanding the Hebrew and Greek language so that you can better use and understand biblical language tools. For each language it goes over the alphabet, parts and types of speech, pronunciation, and similar items. Then, using your understanding of the word forms and the like, you can turn to a concordance, biblical Greek dictionary, lexicon or similar reference and understand the importance of how a particular ending on a verb changes it and changes the meaning of a whole sentence. If you are intimidated by the daunting task of learning another language like Greek or Hebrew then this is the book that will free you to at least learn about the language and its structure so you can use other tools more effectively for Bible study. "Do It Yourself Hebrew and Greek" is a recommended book for any Bible students who just can't quite bring themselves to learn another language.

Rating:
Summary: Clear, concise, quaint.
Review: The author packs a lot of grammatical information into a very small space. While this is good, the reader will require some practice and repetition on his part. Good intro to further study. Also has a rather "quaint" attitude. I read this with a background in amateur linguistics and philology, rather than Biblical studies, and found the author a bit biased in his tone.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent starting point - well explained
Review: This is a great first step in learning the Biblical languages. While it is geared towards those who only desire it to understand how to move around in the language tools, it explains the basics of noun forms and verb inflections extremely well. One who finishes the Greek section will have a good foundation to take on a first year Greek grammar without getting lost in the details. In addition, you will be able to use the language tools in order to work through actual passages of the Greek New Testament while you absorb the rules of grammar. There is no substitute for actually reading the language. If you intend to learn Greek on your own, read Goodrick's work first - it will pay off.