Introduction

In order to demonstrate the need for an Ancient Hebrew lexicon let us examine the word הלל, how it is written and what it means. According to the many Hebrew dictionaries and lexicons available today, this is a Hebrew word that is pronounced halel and means "praise". You may recognize this word in the phrase halleluiah, usually translated as "Praise Yah".

The written word

The word הלל, as it appears here, in dictionaries and in Hebrew Bibles, is written with the Modern Hebrew script. But where did the Modern Hebrew script come from? Hebrew was originally with a pictographic script, but when Israel was taken into captivity in Babylon, they adopted the Aramaic script of the region and began using it to write Hebrew, including the Biblical texts, in place of the pictographic Hebrew script.

The word meaning

The Ancient Hebrew language is a concrete oriented language. This means that the meaning of Hebrew words are rooted in something that can be sensed by the five senses. Examples of concrete words are tree, which can be seen, sweet, which can be tasted, and noise, which can be heard. Abstract words have no foundation in the concrete and are a product of ancient Greek philosophy. Examples of abstract words are believe, faith, holy and praise.

Where is the Hebrew?

If the word הלל is written with Aramaic script and the definition "praise" is from a Greek abstract definition, where is the Hebrew in this word? The purpose of the "Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible" is to restore the original Hebrew, script and meaning, to the Hebrew language of the Bible.

The original Hebrew

The word הלל would have been written as in the Early Hebrew script (over 3200 years ago) or as in the Middle Hebrew script (between 3200 and 2500 years ago). The original pictographic letters of the parent root is a man with his arms raised "looking" at something spectacular and a shepherd staff that is used to move the flock "toward" a place. When these are combined the idea of "looking toward" something is represented. The original meaning of is the North Star, a bright light in the night sky that is "looked toward" to guide one on the journey.

Conclusion

If we are going to read the Bible correctly it must be through the perspective of the Ancient Hebrews who wrote it, not from a Modern Aramaic or Greek perspective. The word in its original concrete meaning is a bright light that guides the journey and we "praise" Yah by looking at him to guide us on our journey through life.