Archive -> July 16, 2005

Hebrew, cultivated jargon

About 500 BCE, “Hebrew” was revived through literature, mainly poetry, which began in the country of Palestine. The authors tried to make Hebrew better by making up new words, and changing the grammar. Because of this poetry, the use of “Hebrew” soon spread to all Yebuwsiy (Jebusites, Jewish) settlements. From AD 900-1400 Jews (of Kena'an [Canaan]) of Northwest Europe wrote only in “Hebrew.” Then it became Yiddish, which is Hebrew mixed with European tongues – French, German, Polish, Russian. With the rise of Yebuwsiy nationalism (modern Zionists) in AD 1880 modern Hebrew developed and became a spoken tongue. In AD 1913 it was enforced in Palestine to be the sole dialect of their schools. In AD 1948 it became the official tongue of the State of Israel.

Excerpted from What Is God’s Language? by Dr. Malachi Z. York