The Hebrew language, an ancient Semitic tongue, has a rich and transformative history. It traces its origins to the early second millennium BCE, with its earliest forms found in inscriptions and biblical texts. The language was originally adopted by the Israelites and was spoken in ancient Palestine. The language is closely related to Moabite and Phoenician. As the language of the Israelites, Hebrew became central to religious and cultural identity, primarily through the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh). Over centuries, however, its usage diminished as various empires, including the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman, influenced the region. By the 4th century CE, Hebrew was largely relegated to liturgical, literary, and scholarly functions, with Aramaic and later Arabic becoming the dominant spoken languages in the Jewish communities. There are roughly four linguistic Hebrew periods: Biblical/Classical, Mishnaic/Rabbinic, Medieval Hebrew, and Modern.

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The revival of Hebrew as a spoken language is a remarkable part of modern history. In the late 19th century, driven by the Zionist movement, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and others spearheaded the effort to resurrect Hebrew as a living, spoken language for Jews worldwide. The transformation was swift, and by the early 20th century, Hebrew was increasingly used in everyday life, schools, and government in Palestine. The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 cemented Hebrew's status as the official language, and it remains a cornerstone of Israeli identity and culture. There are approximately 5 million speakers of Modern Hebrew. The language reads right to left.

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To learn more about this language, Click Here, and Here, Here, and Here. 

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To hear the 1st paragraph of the 1st book, Click Here.