Old Hebrew language

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

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Old Hebrew is an ancient Semitic language that was spoken in ancient times in Palestine. It is closely related to Phoenician and Moabite. The Hebrew language's history is typically divided into four periods: Biblical Hebrew (until about 3rd century BCE), Mishnaic Hebrew (around 200 CE), Medieval Hebrew (6th to 13th century CE), and Modern Hebrew.1

Old Hebrew script existed in inscription form in the early centuries of the 1st millennium BCE. The exile of the Israelites (586–538 BCE) significantly impacted the Hebrew language, as Aramaic became dominant upon their return. Hebrew continued as a scholarly language, and the traditional square Hebrew script, known as merubbaʿ, developed in the centuries preceding the Common Era, with examples found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.2

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Old Hebrew
Old Hebrew existed in inscription form in the early centuries of the 1st millennium bce. The pen-written forms of the Old Hebrew alphabet are best preserved in the 13th-century-ce documents of the Samaritan sects.
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Old Hebrew existed in inscription form in the early centuries of the 1st millennium bce. The pen-written forms of the Old Hebrew alphabet are best preserved in the 13th-century-ce documents of the Samaritan sects.
Read More