The original language of the Hebrew Bible, preserved in the square script with Tiberian vocalization, and still the language of Jewish prayer.
The language of the Tanakh, in which nearly all of the Hebrew Bible was composed. Its consonantal text was stabilized in antiquity and its vocalization fixed by the Masoretes of Tiberias in the early medieval period, the form read in synagogues and studied in seminaries today.
Key Texts
Prayers & Creeds in Its Traditions
- Act of Contrition Catholic — A prayer of sorrow for sin, prayed in the Sacrament of Penance and in personal examination of conscience.
- Amidah Jewish — The standing prayer at the center of every Jewish prayer service, recited silently while standing.
- Anima Christi Catholic — A medieval prayer asking Christ's body, blood, and passion to sanctify, save, and protect the one who prays.
- Birkat HaMazon Jewish — The Grace After Meals, a set of blessings of thanksgiving recited after eating a meal with bread.
- Glory Be (Gloria Patri) Catholic — A short doxology praising the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, used across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant worship.
- Hail Mary Catholic — A prayer to the Virgin Mary built from the angel's greeting in Luke 1, asking for her intercession.
- Jesus Prayer Orthodox — A short, repeated invocation of Jesus asking for mercy, central to the Orthodox hesychast tradition.
- Kaddish Jewish — An Aramaic prayer sanctifying God's name, best known in its form recited by mourners.
- Prayers of the Rosary Catholic — The set of prayers prayed on the beads of the Rosary, including the Fatima Prayer and the Hail Holy Queen.
- Shema Jewish — Judaism's central affirmation of the one God, drawn from Deuteronomy 6:4 and recited morning and evening.
- Te Deum Catholic — An ancient Latin hymn of praise to God, sung on occasions of solemn thanksgiving in Catholic and Anglican worship.
- The Angelus Catholic — A thrice-daily prayer of versicles and Hail Marys commemorating the Annunciation and the Incarnation.
- Trisagion Prayers Orthodox — The opening prayers of Orthodox services and prayer rules, built around the thrice-holy hymn 'Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.'
Glossary Terms from Biblical Hebrew
- emet (אֱמֶת) — Firmness; faithfulness; truth.
- hesed (חֶסֶד) — Steadfast love; covenant loyalty; mercy.
- mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ) — Anointed one.
- mitzvot (מִצְוֹת) — Commandments.
- ruach (רוּחַ) — Breath; wind; spirit.
- torah (תּוֹרָה) — Instruction; direction; law.
Translation Traditions
- The Septuagint (LXX) — The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible made in Alexandria — the Old Testament of the early church and of Orthodoxy.
- The Targums — The Aramaic paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible that accompanied synagogue reading and preserve ancient interpretation.
Learning and Reference Resources
- Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (see the dictionaries catalog) Free / open access
- STEP Bible — Hebrew texts and tools Free / open access
Related Across the Site
- emet Glossary Term — Firmness; faithfulness; truth.
- hesed Glossary Term — Steadfast love; covenant loyalty; mercy.
- mashiach Glossary Term — Anointed one.
- ruach Glossary Term — Breath; wind; spirit.
- Catholic Culture Library — An online library, dictionary, and document search representing more than 2,000 years of Catholic scholarship and teaching.
- St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology Library — An open-access, multi-author theological reference with advanced articles on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
- Judaism World View — Judaism is the covenant faith of the people of Israel: one God chose them, gave them his Torah, and calls them to holiness and justice in this world.
- The Catholic World View World View — Catholic Christianity confesses one triune God and receives his revelation through Scripture and Tradition, guarded by the Church Christ founded and its apostolic teaching office.
Provenance
Classification follows Ethnologue and standard Semitic linguistics; identifiers verified at build time.