We personally found this book eye opening and highly recommend it. The authors insights into many Hebrew words will give you a deeper understanding of the Bible.

The response to this title has been extremely positive! This book has been very popular for family devotions and small group studies. Many are using it to teach adult classes as well.

In response to demand, the publisher will release the Companion Bible Study for Listening to the Language of the Bible in May 2005. The study shows readers additional passages and asks thought-provoking questions about what the Bible is saying through its culture for our time. Check en-gedi.org for more information.

Listening to the Language of the Bible is an introduction to rich Hebrew words and Jewish cultural concepts that greatly deepen Bible study. It is a guide for discovering the beauty of the Scriptures in their Hebraic setting. From seemingly odd phrases, it shares important insights that do not translate well from culture to culture.

The book examines many topics from the perspective of the ancient Hebraic writers, including prayer, family and the promised Messiah. It also looks at the powerful sayings of Jesus in light of the Jewish culture of his time.

The book contains more than 60 brief, illustrated devotional articles that unpack the meaning of a biblical word or phrase for our lives. It works well both for personal devotions or small group discussion. With many pages of references and indexes, it will be useful as a continuing reference for Bible study.

Lois Tverberg, Ph.D.& Bruce Okkema are the directors of the En-Gedi Resource Center, an educational ministry that teaches Christians about the Bible in its Jewish cultural context. They author articles, host seminars, and lead classes in area churches. Their aim is not just to give their audiences new information, but to deepen Christians' faith and commitment by a clearer understanding of Jesus and the Scriptures. They maintain an extensive website of articles, links and other resources.

Shema
Listen and Obey

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'" Mark 12:29–30

Our modern Western culture tends to focus on mental activity. "It’s the thought that counts," we say. But biblical cultures were very action-oriented, and this is reflected even in the language. Many verbs that we consider mental activities (hearing, knowing, remembering, etc.) are broadened to include their physical outcomes as well. Understanding this is often a great help for Bible study.

An excellent example is the word shema,(pronounced "shmah"), that has a primary meaning of "hear" or "listen." Listening, in our culture, is considered a mental activity, and hearing just means that our ears pick up sounds. But in the Bible, the word shema is widely used to describe hearing and also its outcomes: understanding, taking heed, being obedient, doing what is asked. Any mother who has shouted at her children, "Were you listening?" when they ignored her request to clean up their rooms, understands that listening should result in action.

In fact, almost every place we see the word "obey" in English in the Bible, it has been translated from the word shema. To "hear" is to "obey"! Try reading "obey" when you see the word "hear" or "listen" in the Scriptures, and note how often the meaning is enriched.

The word shema is also the name of the prayer that Jesus said and other observant Jews have said every morning and evening up until this very day. It is the first word of the first line, "Hear (Shema), O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:4–5, JPS). By saying this, a Jewish person was saying to himself, "Take heed! Listen and obey! Love God with all of your life!" It was a daily recommitment to following God and doing his will. Jesus also quoted this verse as the greatest commandment (Mark 12:29–30), and he began with the word that says we should shema.

Knowing the greater meaning of shema helps us understand why Jesus says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" He is calling us to put his words into action, not just listen. He wants us to be doers of the word, and not hearers only (James 1:22). Western thinking stresses the exercise of the intellect and tends to minimize the doing of the Word – some even viewing this as "dead works." But Hebrew thinking emphasizes that we have not truly taken what we have heard into our hearts until it transforms our lives as well.

Halvor Ronning, M.A. Yale University; Director, Home for Bible Translators, Jerusalem, Israel
Outstanding in its ability to communicate biblical concepts. Each article penetrates deeply with its short, pithy, hard-hitting insights. Highly recommended.

Halvor Ronning, M.A. Yale University; Director, Home for Bible Translators, Jerusalem, Israel
Highly recommended for those wanting not only deeper intellectual understanding, but wanting to grow into more joyful and deeper discipleship.

Robin Sampson, Author, A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays; President, Heart of Wisdom Homeschool Publishing
Wow, I'm so excited about this book! Excellent guide for discovering the richness of the Scriptures in their Hebraic setting.

Marvin Wilson, Author, Our Father Abraham: The Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith; Professor and Chairman of Biblical and Theological Studies, Gordon College, Wenham, MA
The Hebraic insights brought together are valuable for Christian living... solid material on the Hebraic roots of our faith.