Kuthamini Lugha za Biblia — Sehemu ya 2: Alfabeti ya Kiebrania, Kifungu cha 1 (Aleph hadi Yod)Language Appreciation — Unit 2: Hebrew Alphabet Part 1 (Aleph through Yod)

Tarehe 14 Septemba 1822, Mfaransa mmoja mwenye umri wa miaka thelathini na moja aitwaye Jean-François Champollion aliinama juu ya karatasi iliyojaa hieroglifu za Kimisri. Kwa zaidi ya miaka kumi alikuwa akijaribu kusoma maandishi hayo ya ajabu ya picha yaliyofunika kila hekalu na kaburi la Misri duniani. Kwa karne nyingi wasomi walidhani kwamba alama hizo zilikuwa za mapambo tu, za kimafumbo, zisizoweza kutafsiriwa. Champollion alikuwa na uhakika kwamba zilikuwa hati halisi iliyoandika maneno halisi. Alikuwa amejifundisha mwenyewe lugha kumi na mbili hivi, ikiwemo Kikopti, lugha iliyokuwa ikifa ya Wakristo wa Misri, ambayo aliamini ilikuwa mzao wa mwisho uliobaki wa lugha ya Misri ya kale. Mbele yake alikuwa na Jiwe la Rosetta — maandishi yale yale kwa Kigiriki, Kimisri cha Kidemotiki, na hieroglifu — naye alikuwa akichunguza katushi, fremu ya umbo la yai inayozunguka jina la kifalme.On September 14, 1822, a thirty-one-year-old Frenchman named Jean-François Champollion bent over a sheet of paper covered in Egyptian hieroglyphs. For more than ten years he had been trying to read the strange picture-writing that covered every Egyptian temple and tomb in the world. Scholars had assumed for centuries that the symbols were purely decorative, mystical, beyond translation. Champollion was convinced they were a real script that spelled real words. He had taught himself a dozen languages, including Coptic, the dying language of Egyptian Christians, which he believed was the last surviving descendant of the ancient Egyptian tongue. He had the Rosetta Stone in front of him — the same text in Greek, Demotic Egyptian, and hieroglyphs — and he was working through the cartouche, the oval frame around a royal name.

Asubuhi ile alama zile zilieleweka ghafla. Picha ya jua, ra, herufi m, herufi s, herufi s: RA-M-S-S. Ramses. Jina la Farao wa Misri, likiwa limeandikwa kwa picha ambazo pia zilikuwa herufi. Champollion hakumaliza sentensi yake. Alizinyakua karatasi, akatoka mbio katika nyumba yake katika mtaa wa rue Mazarine, akakimbia kuvuka Paris hadi Institut de France, akaingia ghafla ofisini mwa kaka yake, akazitupa karatasi mezani, akapaza sauti, "Je tiens l'affaire!" — "Nimeipata!" — kisha akazimia, naye akabaki hali hiyo kwa siku tano. Alipoamka aliandika Lettre à M. Dacier, barua iliyotangazia ulimwengu kufumbuliwa kwa hieroglifu. Ustaarabu wote wa Misri ya kale — miaka elfu tatu ya fasihi, historia, na dini — ulifunguka kwa wasomi tangu wakati huo. Yote kwa sababu mtu mmoja hatimaye alielewa kwamba picha na herufi na sauti zilikuwa kitu kimoja.That morning the symbols clicked. The picture of a sun, ra, the letter m, the letter s, the letter s: RA-M-S-S. Ramses. The name of an Egyptian pharaoh, spelled out in pictures that were also letters. Champollion did not finish his sentence. He grabbed the papers, ran out of his apartment on the rue Mazarine, ran across Paris to the Institut de France, burst into his brother's office, threw the papers on the desk, cried "Je tiens l'affaire!" — "I've got it!" — and collapsed in a faint that lasted five days. When he woke up he wrote the Lettre à M. Dacier, the letter that announced the decipherment of hieroglyphs to the world. The whole civilization of ancient Egypt — three thousand years of literature, history, and religion — opened up to scholars from that moment on. All because one man finally understood that pictures and letters and sounds were the same thing.

"Je tiens l'affaire! — Nimeipata!" — Jean-François Champollion, 14 Septemba 1822"Je tiens l'affaire! — I've got it!" — Jean-François Champollion, September 14, 1822

Wakati ule ndio somo la sehemu hii. Hatutafumbua hieroglifu. Tutafanya jambo la ajabu zaidi: tutajifunza alfabeti ambayo Mungu Mwenyewe aliichagua kuandikia Agano la Kale. Konsonanti ishirini na mbili. Umri wa miaka elfu tatu. Husomwa kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto. Imejengwa kwa picha ambazo pia ni herufi ambazo pia ni sauti. Katika sehemu hii tutakutana na kumi za kwanza: Aleph, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, He, Vav, Zayin, Chet, Tet, Yod. Kufikia mwisho wa sehemu hii, utasoma neno lako la kwanza la Kiebrania, lililoandikwa kwa mkono wako mwenyewe katika daftari lako mwenyewe, nawe utaona kile Champollion alichoona: kwamba alama zile za ajabu ukurasani si za ajabu hata kidogo. Ni milango.That moment is what this unit is about. We are not going to decipher hieroglyphs. We are going to do something more wonderful: we are going to learn the alphabet God Himself chose to write the Old Testament. Twenty-two consonants. Three thousand years old. Read right to left. Built of pictures that are also letters that are also sounds. In this unit we will meet the first ten: Aleph, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, He, Vav, Zayin, Chet, Tet, Yod. By the end of this unit, you will read your first Hebrew word, written by your own hand in your own notebook, and you will see what Champollion saw: that the strange marks on the page are not strange at all. They are doors.

Kwa nini somo la alfabeti ya Kiebrania linaanza na Champollion?Why does a Hebrew alphabet lesson begin with Champollion?

Kwa sababu Champollion anathibitisha lengo la kozi hii yote. Hakuhitaji kuwa mzawa anayezungumza Kimisri cha kale. Hakuhitaji kuishi mwaka 1500 K.K. Alikuwa na mawe machache, kamusi chache, lugha chache za jamaa, na subira nyingi. Hakuwa Farao. Alikuwa kitu bora zaidi: alikuwa msomaji. Karne mbili baadaye wewe hutakuwa Musa wala Isaya wala Yeremia. Utakuwa msomaji. Vifaa vimeboreshwa — una vitu ambavyo Champollion hakuviota hata katika ndoto — lakini njia ni ile ile. Unaanza na herufi. Unajifunza zinavyoonekana, zinavyotamkwa, na zilikotoka. Unajenga taratibu. Hufikii ufasaha. Unafikia uwezo wa kuingia. Na uwezo huo wa kuingia ndio unaobadilisha kila kitu.Because Champollion proves the point of this whole course. He did not need to be a native speaker of ancient Egyptian. He did not need to live in 1500 BC. He had a few stones, a few dictionaries, a few cousin languages, and a lot of patience. He did not become Pharaoh. He became something better: he became a reader. Two centuries later you will not become Moses or Isaiah or Jeremiah. You will become a reader. The tools have improved — you have things Champollion did not dream of — but the path is the same. You start with the letters. You learn what they look like, what they sound like, where they came from. You build slowly. You do not get to fluent. You get to access. And access is what changes everything.

Alfabeti yenyewe ni neno la KiebraniaThe alphabet itself is a Hebrew word

Neno la Kiingereza alphabet (kwa Kiswahili, alfabeti) linatokana na herufi mbili za kwanza za Kigiriki: alpha na beta. Na herufi hizo mbili za Kigiriki zinatokana na herufi mbili za kwanza za Kiebrania: aleph na bet. Wagiriki walijifunza kuandika kutoka kwa Wafoinike, waliozungumza lugha inayokaribia kufanana kabisa na Kiebrania, na herufi za Kifoinike zilikuwa herufi za Kiebrania. Unaposema neno "alfabeti" kwa Kiingereza au Kihispania au Kifaransa au Kijerumani, unanukuu herufi mbili za kwanza za Agano la Kale la Kiebrania. Kila alfabeti ya Kimagharibi duniani — Kiingereza, Kihispania, Kifaransa, Kiitaliano, Kijerumani, Kigiriki, Kirusi, Kikopti — inatokana na hii moja. Kiebrania ni hati mama ya ulimwengu wote wa Kimagharibi unaojua kusoma na kuandika. Unapoketi kujifunza, unarudi nyumbani.The English word alphabet comes from the first two Greek letters: alpha and beta. And those two Greek letters come from the first two Hebrew letters: aleph and bet. The Greeks learned to write from the Phoenicians, who spoke a language nearly identical to Hebrew, and the Phoenician letters were Hebrew letters. When you say the word "alphabet" in English or Spanish or French or German, you are quoting the first two letters of the Hebrew Old Testament. Every Western alphabet on earth — English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Greek, Russian, Coptic — descends from this one. Hebrew is the parent script of the whole literate Western world. When you sit down to learn it, you are coming home.

Takriban mwaka 1700 K.K., katika jangwa la Sinai na nchi ya Kanaani, watu wanaozungumza lugha za Kisemiti walianza kufanya jambo ambalo hakuna mtu aliyewahi kufanya kabla: walichora picha ili ziwakilishe sauti. Mwandishi wa Kimisri angechora picha ya ng'ombe dume ili kumaanisha "ng'ombe dume." Mfanyakazi anayezungumza lugha ya Kisemiti katika mgodi wa feruzi huko Sinai angechora picha ile ile — lakini alimaanisha sauti ambayo neno la "ng'ombe dume" lilianza nayo. Katika lugha yake neno la ng'ombe dume lilikuwa aleph, likianza na sauti laini ya "ah." Kwa hiyo mchoro wa kichwa cha ng'ombe dume uliwakilisha "ah." Ukawa herufi tunayoiita Aleph leo.Around 1700 BC, in the Sinai desert and the land of Canaan, Semitic-speaking peoples started doing something no one had done before: they drew pictures to stand for sounds. An Egyptian scribe would draw a picture of an ox to mean "ox." A Semitic-speaking worker in a Sinai turquoise mine would draw the same picture — but he meant the sound the word for "ox" started with. In his language the word for ox was aleph, beginning with a soft "ah" sound. So the ox-head drawing stood for "ah." It became the letter we call Aleph today.

Huu ndio ulikuwa kuzaliwa kwa alfabeti. Badala ya kuhitaji alama-picha mia sita (kama ilivyokuwa kwa Kimisri) au maumbo ya kabari elfu mbili (kama ilivyokuwa kwa Kibabeli), ulihitaji picha ishirini na mbili tu, kila moja ikiwakilisha sauti moja. Mtu yeyote angeweza kujifunza kusoma kwa wiki chache badala ya maisha yote. Alfabeti ilifanya kusoma na kuandika kuwe mali ya watu wote. Na alfabeti ilikuwa ya Kisemiti. Ilikuwa hati waliyoitumia Waebrania.This was the birth of the alphabet. Instead of needing six hundred picture-symbols (as Egyptian had) or two thousand wedge-shapes (as Babylonian had), you needed only twenty-two pictures, each representing one sound. Anyone could learn to read in a few weeks instead of a lifetime. The alphabet democratized literacy. And the alphabet was Semitic. It was the script the Hebrews used.

Picha bado zimejificha ndani ya herufi. Ukishaziona, huwezi kuacha kuziona. Hizi ndizo picha zilizo nyuma ya herufi kumi za kwanza za alfabeti ya Kiebrania:The pictures are still hiding in the letters. Once you see them, you cannot unsee them. Here are the pictures behind the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet:

Kwa nini jambo hili ni muhimu katika kusoma BibliaWhy this matters for Bible reading

Kiebrania ni lugha ya mzizi na udongo, kama tulivyosema katika Sehemu ya 1. Herufi zenyewe zinathibitisha hilo. Aleph ni ng'ombe dume, Bet ni nyumba, Gimel ni ngamia, Dalet ni mlango, He ni dirisha, Vav ni kigingi cha hema, Zayin ni silaha, Chet ni ukuta, Tet ni kikapu, Yod ni mkono. Hizi si alama za kidhahania. Ni picha za ulimwengu wa kila siku wa mchungaji-mkulima Mwisraeli wa kale. Mungu aliposema na watu wake kwa Kiebrania, alisema kwa lugha ya nyumba zao, milango yao, mashamba yao, na zana zao. Alfabeti yenyewe ilihubiri fundisho hili: Mungu wa mbinguni anajali mambo ya duniani.Hebrew is the language of root and earth, as we said in Unit 1. The letters themselves prove it. Aleph is an ox, Bet is a house, Gimel is a camel, Dalet is a door, He is a window, Vav is a tent peg, Zayin is a weapon, Chet is a wall, Tet is a basket, Yod is a hand. These are not abstract marks. They are pictures of the everyday world of an ancient Israelite shepherd-farmer. When God spoke to His people in Hebrew, He spoke in the language of their houses, their doors, their fields, and their tools. The very alphabet preached the doctrine: the God of heaven cares about the things of earth.

Jifunze jedwali hili. Soma jina la herufi kwa sauti. Tazama herufi ya Kiebrania upande wa kushoto. Zingatia sauti yake, picha iliyoianzisha, na herufi ya Kiingereza iliyotokana nayo. Kisha nenda kwenye daftari lako na uandike herufi ya Kiebrania mara tatu katika mstari mmoja. Fanya hivyo hata kama mwandiko wako ni mbaya sana. Hufundishwi kuwa mwandishi hodari wa hati za mapambo; unafundishwa kuwa msomaji. Mkono hufundisha jicho.Study this table. Read the letter name out loud. Look at the Hebrew character on the left. Notice the sound, the picture origin, and the English letter that descended from it. Then go to your notebook and write the Hebrew character three times on a single line. Do this even if your handwriting is terrible. You are not training a calligrapher; you are training a reader. The hand teaches the eye.

HerufiLetter	JinaName	SautiSound	PichaPicture	Mrithi wa KiingerezaEnglish heir
אא	AlephAleph	kimya / kituo cha koromeo (sauti laini ya "ah")silent / glottal stop (a soft "ah")	kichwa cha ng'ombe dumeox head	AA
בב	Bet (Beth)Bet (Beth)	"b" (au "v" ikiwa na nukta)"b" (or "v" with a dot)	nyumbahouse	BB
גג	GimelGimel	"g" kama katika "goti""g" as in "go"	ngamiacamel	C, GC, G
דד	DaletDalet	"d""d"	mlangodoor	DD
הה	He (Hey)He (Hey)	"h" (laini, pumzi)"h" (soft, breath)	dirisha au mtu aliyeinua mikonowindow or person with arms raised	EE

Maelezo kuhusu herufi hizi tanoNotes on these five letters

Aleph ni herufi ya kwanza na ndiyo herufi kimya. Inashika nafasi ya irabu ambayo msomaji huiweka mwenyewe. Mapokeo ya kimafumbo ya Kiyahudi hulitilia maanani sana jambo hili: alfabeti inaanza kwa ukimya kwa sababu kabla Mungu hajasema, hakuna uumbaji. Katika Kiebrania, neno la "baba" (av) linaanza na Aleph, na neno la Mungu (Elohim) linaanza na Aleph. Maneno muhimu zaidi katika Maandiko yanaanza na herufi kimya, herufi inayoinama.Aleph is the first letter and the silent one. It is a placeholder for a vowel that the reader supplies. Jewish mystical tradition makes much of this: the alphabet begins with silence because before God speaks, there is no creation. In Hebrew, the word for "father" (av) begins with Aleph, and the word for God (Elohim) begins with Aleph. The most important words in Scripture begin with the silent letter, the letter that bows.

Bet ni herufi ya pili na ndiyo herufi ya kwanza ya Biblia. Bereshit, "Hapo mwanzo," inaanza na Bet. Neno la "nyumba" kwa Kiebrania ni bayit, linaloanza na Bet, ambayo yenyewe ni picha ya nyumba. Majina "Bethlehemu" (nyumba ya mkate), "Betheli" (nyumba ya Mungu), na "Bethania" (nyumba ya tini) yote yanaanza na herufi hii. Kila unaposoma jina la mji katika Biblia linaloanza na Beth-, unasoma neno la Kiebrania la "nyumba."Bet is the second letter and the first letter of the Bible. Bereshit, "In the beginning," begins with Bet. The word for "house" in Hebrew is bayit, which begins with Bet, which is itself a picture of a house. The names "Bethlehem" (house of bread), "Bethel" (house of God), and "Bethany" (house of figs) all begin with this letter. Every time you read a town name in the Bible that starts with Beth-, you are reading the Hebrew word for "house."

Gimel hapo awali ilikuwa picha ya ngamia, na neno la Kiebrania la ngamia ni gamal, linaloanza na Gimel. Gimel pia ni chanzo cha gamma ya Kigiriki, ambayo kutoka kwake herufi zetu za Kiingereza C na G zote mbili zimetokana.Gimel originally pictured a camel, and the Hebrew word for camel is gamal, which begins with Gimel. Gimel is also the source of the Greek gamma, from which our English C and G both descend.

Dalet ilikuwa picha ya mlango wa hema — kipande cha pembe tatu kinachoning'inia. Neno la Kiebrania la mlango ni delet, linaloanza na Dalet. Yesu aliposema "Mimi ndimi mlango" (Yohana 10:9) kwa Kigiriki, alitumia neno la Kigiriki lililosafiri kupitia Kiaramu kutoka kwenye mzizi huu wa Kiebrania.Dalet pictured a tent door — a triangular flap. The Hebrew word for door is delet, beginning with Dalet. When Jesus said "I am the door" (John 10:9) in Greek, He used a Greek word that had traveled through Aramaic from this Hebrew root.

He ni pumzi laini, karibu kama mnong'ono. Neno la Kiebrania la "tazama!" (hinneh) na kibainishi "the" (ha-) yote yanaanza na He. La kushangaza zaidi, Mungu alipobadilisha jina la Abramu kuwa Ibrahimu na la Sarai kuwa Sara katika Mwanzo 17, aliingiza He moja katika kila jina — herufi ambayo yenyewe ni pumzi, ishara ya pumzi ya Mungu ambayo sasa ilikaa juu yao.He is a soft breath, almost a whisper. The Hebrew word for "behold!" (hinneh) and the article "the" (ha-) both begin with He. Most remarkably, when God renamed Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah in Genesis 17, He inserted a single He into each name — the letter that is itself a breath, a sign of the breath of God now resting on them.

Njia ile ile. Jifunze jedwali. Soma majina kwa sauti. Andika kila herufi mara tatu katika daftari lako.Same approach. Study the table. Read the names out loud. Write each character three times in your notebook.

HerufiLetter	JinaName	SautiSound	PichaPicture	Mrithi wa KiingerezaEnglish heir
וו	Vav (Waw)Vav (Waw)	"v" (au "w" katika matamshi ya zamani)"v" (or "w" in older pronunciation)	kigingi cha hema au ndoanotent peg or hook	F, U, V, W, YF, U, V, W, Y
זז	ZayinZayin	"z""z"	silaha (upanga au shoka)weapon (sword or axe)	ZZ
חח	Chet (Heth)Chet (Heth)	"ch" kama katika Bach (ya kooni)"ch" as in Bach (guttural)	ukuta au uawall or courtyard	HH
טט	TetTet	"t" (nzito)"t" (firm)	kikapu au nyoka aliyejizungushabasket or snake coiled	(hakuna mrithi wa moja kwa moja)(no direct heir)
יי	YodYod	"y" (konsonanti)"y" (consonantal)	mkono au mkono wa juuhand or arm	I, JI, J

Maelezo kuhusu herufi hizi tanoNotes on these five letters

Vav ni mojawapo ya herufi zinazotumika mara nyingi zaidi katika Biblia ya Kiebrania kwa sababu ina kazi mbili. Kama konsonanti hutoa sauti ya "v." Lakini pia hutumika kama kiambishi awali cha herufi moja chenye maana ya "na" — karibu kila sentensi ya masimulizi ya Kiebrania inaanza na kiambishi Vav, "na." Mtiririko usiokoma wa Agano la Kale wa "na... na... na..." unatokana na herufi hii moja.Vav is one of the most common letters in the Hebrew Bible because it does double duty. As a consonant it makes a "v" sound. But it is also used as a single-letter prefix meaning "and" — almost every sentence of Hebrew narrative begins with the prefix Vav, "and." The Old Testament's relentless "and... and... and..." flow comes from this single letter.

Zayin hapo awali ilikuwa picha ya silaha. Neno la Kiebrania la "kumbuka" (zakar) linaanza na Zayin. Vivyo hivyo neno la "mwanamume" (pia zakar, yule anayebeba silaha). Hapa mantiki ya mizizi ya Kiebrania inafanya kazi: mwanamume ni yule anayebeba silaha; kukumbuka ni kubeba yaliyopita pamoja nawe kama silaha.Zayin originally pictured a weapon. The Hebrew word for "remember" (zakar) begins with Zayin. So does the word for "male" (also zakar, the one who carries the weapon). Hebrew root logic at work: a man is one who carries a weapon; to remember is to carry the past with you like a weapon.

Chet ni sauti ya kwanza iliyo ngumu kweli kwa wazungumzaji wa Kiingereza na Kihispania. Ni "ch" ya kooni inayotamkwa nyuma ya koo, sauti ile ile kama katika "loch" ya Kiskoti au "Bach" ya Kijerumani. Si "ch" kama katika "chakula"; ni nzito zaidi. Maneno ya Kiebrania ya "uzima" (chai), "hekima" (chokmah), na "neema" (chesed) yote yanaanza na Chet. Ifanyie mazoezi. Utaihitaji.Chet is the first sound that is genuinely hard for English and Spanish speakers. It is a guttural "ch" made at the back of the throat, the same sound as the Scottish "loch" or the German "Bach." It is not "ch" as in "church"; it is rougher. The Hebrew words for "life" (chai), "wisdom" (chokmah), and "grace" (chesed) all begin with Chet. Practice it. You will need it.

Tet ni "t" nzito isiyo na herufi inayolingana nayo katika mfumo wetu wa uandishi wa Kiingereza. Neno la Kiebrania la "njema" (tov) linaanza na Tet. Kwa hiyo Mwanzo 1 inaposema mara saba "Mungu akaona ya kuwa ni chema," kila "chema" kinaanza na Tet ile ile inayofungua jedwali letu.Tet is a firm "t" with no English equivalent in our writing system. The Hebrew word for "good" (tov) begins with Tet. So when Genesis 1 says "and God saw that it was good" seven times, each "good" begins with the same Tet that opens our table.

Yod ni herufi ndogo kuliko zote katika alfabeti — kwa kweli ni alama ndogo sana, isiyozidi nusu ya urefu wa herufi nyingine. Ndiyo chanzo cha herufi zetu za Kiingereza I, J, na (kwa njia nyingine) Y. Na huu ndio mstari unaoipa sehemu hii andiko lake la msingi: Yesu katika Mathayo 5:18 alisema, "yodi moja wala nukta moja ya torati haitaondoka, hata yote yatimie." Neno linalotafsiriwa "jot" katika King James, "yodi" katika Biblia ya Kiswahili (SUV), na "iota" katika baadhi ya tafsiri za kisasa ni hasa neno la Kigiriki iota, ambalo ni jina la Kigiriki la Yod, herufi ya Kiebrania. Yesu alikuwa akiahidi kwamba hata herufi ndogo kuliko zote ya Biblia ya Kiebrania isingeondoka bila kutimizwa.Yod is the smallest letter in the alphabet — literally a tiny mark, no taller than half the other letters. It is the source of our English letters I, J, and (through different routes) Y. And here is the verse that gives this unit its anchor scripture: Jesus in Matthew 5:18 said, "not one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." The word translated "jot" in the King James and "iota" in some modern translations is exactly the Greek word iota, which is the Greek name for Yod, the Hebrew letter. Jesus was promising that not even the smallest letter of the Hebrew Bible would pass away unfulfilled.

Yesu aliposema "yodi moja" (Kiingereza: "not one jot"), alimaanisha: hata Yod moja haitaondoka — ile herufi ndogo uliyojifunza kuitambua sasa hivi.When Jesus said "not one jot," He meant not one Yod — the tiny letter you have just learned to recognize.

Kila utakaposoma Mathayo 5:18, sasa utaona kile Yesu alichoona. Alikuwa akitazama Maandiko ya Kiebrania, akichagua herufi ndogo kabisa iwezekanayo ukurasani, na kusema: hata hii itatimizwa. Yod ni ndogo kiasi cha kupuuzwa. Si ndogo mno kwa Mungu. Hilo ndilo fundisho lililojificha ndani ya herufi hii.Every time you read Matthew 5:18, you will now see what Jesus saw. He was looking at the Hebrew Scriptures, picking out the smallest possible letter on the page, and saying: even this one will be fulfilled. The Yod is small enough to overlook. It is not too small for God. That is the doctrine hidden inside this letter.

Sasa unajua herufi kumi za Kiebrania. Hizo zinatosha kusoma maneno kadhaa halisi ya Kiebrania. Hebu tuanze na lile ambalo Yesu alilitamka kutoka msalabani.You now know ten Hebrew letters. That is enough to read several real Hebrew words. Let us start with the one Jesus spoke from the cross.

Neno la Kiaramu-Kiebrania Abba linaandikwa kwa herufi tatu: Aleph, Bet, Aleph. Kumbuka, Kiebrania husomwa kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto. Kwa hiyo Aleph iliyo upande wa kulia ni herufi ya kwanza, Bet iliyo katikati ni herufi ya pili, na Aleph iliyo upande wa kushoto ni herufi ya mwisho:The Aramaic-Hebrew word Abba is written with three letters: Aleph, Bet, Aleph. Remember, Hebrew reads right to left. So the Aleph on the right is the first letter, the Bet in the middle is the second letter, and the Aleph on the left is the last letter:

Lisome kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto: Aleph — Bet — Aleph. Litamke herufi kwa herufi: A-B-A. Pamoja na irabu ya Kiebrania "ah" ambayo Aleph kimya huibeba: Abba. Neno la ukaribu wa ndani la Kiaramu-Kiebrania la "baba" ambalo watoto wadogo walilitumia. Neno ambalo Yesu alilitumia katika Gethsemane alipoomba, "Abba, Baba, yote yawezekana kwako; uniondolee kikombe hiki" (Marko 14:36). Neno ambalo Paulo anasema Roho analilia ndani ya mwamini: "mlipokea roho ya kufanywa wana, ambayo kwa hiyo twalia, Abba, yaani, Baba" (Warumi 8:15).Read it from right to left: Aleph — Bet — Aleph. Sound it out: A-B-A. With the Hebrew "ah" vowel that the silent Aleph carries: Abba. The intimate Aramaic-Hebrew word for "father" that little children used. The word Jesus used in Gethsemane when He prayed, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You; take this cup away from Me" (Mark 14:36). The word Paul says the Spirit cries out within the believer: "You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15).

Umesoma sasa hivi neno ambalo Yesu alilitamka. Simama na utafakari kilichotokea. Ulitazama mikwaruzo mitatu ukurasani nayo ikawa sauti, na sauti hiyo ikawa neno, na neno hilo likawa maombi ya Mwana wa Mungu katika usiku wenye giza zaidi wa maisha yake hapa duniani. Hivyo ndivyo kusoma alfabeti ya Kiebrania kunavyofanya. Hakukufanyi kuwa msomi. Kunafungua mlango.You have just read a word that Jesus spoke. Stop and notice what happened. You looked at three squiggles on a page and they became a sound, and that sound became a word, and that word became the prayer of the Son of God in the darkest night of His earthly life. That is what reading the Hebrew alphabet does. It does not turn you into a scholar. It opens a door.

Jaribu moja zaidi: Bayit (nyumba)Try one more: Bayit (house)

Neno la Kiebrania la "nyumba," bayit, linaandikwa: Bet, Yod, Tav. Bado hatujajifunza Tav, lakini tumejifunza Bet na Yod. Bayit:The Hebrew word for "house," bayit, is written: Bet, Yod, Tav. We have not yet learned Tav, but we have learned Bet and Yod. Bayit:

Kutoka kulia kwenda kushoto: Bet — Yod — Tav. Herufi mbili za kwanza tayari unaweza kuzisoma. Neno la Kiebrania la "nyumba" linaanza na herufi ya Kiebrania ambayo yenyewe ni picha ya nyumba. Kila jina la "Beth-" katika Biblia — Bethlehemu, Betheli, Bethsaida, Bethania — linatumia herufi hizi hizi mbili za kwanza: Bet-Yod, "nyumba ya." Namba ya Strong ya neno hili ni H1004. Fungua Blue Letter Bible au YouVersion au konkodansi ya karatasi, tafuta H1004, nawe utapata kila mahali katika Agano la Kale ambapo neno bayit linatokea.Right to left: Bet — Yod — Tav. The first two letters you can already read. The Hebrew word for "house" begins with the Hebrew letter that is itself a picture of a house. Every "Beth-" name in the Bible — Bethlehem, Bethel, Bethsaida, Bethany — uses this same first two letters: Bet-Yod, "house of." Strong's number for this word is H1004. Open Blue Letter Bible or YouVersion or a paper concordance, look up H1004, and you will find every place in the Old Testament where the word bayit appears.

Unaweza kufanya hiviYou are doing it

Huu ndio wakati katika kozi ambapo yale uliyojifunza yanaanza kufanya kazi. Bado hujawa mjuzi wa kusoma Kiebrania. Umepita tu kidogo hatua ya shule ya chekechea. Lakini umevuka mstari ambao waamini wengi hawauvuki kamwe. Unaweza kutazama neno la Kiebrania na kulisoma. Sehemu tisa zinazofuata zitaupanua mlango huo, lakini mlango tayari uko wazi.This is the moment in the course where what you have learned starts to do work. You are not Hebrew-literate yet. You are barely past kindergarten. But you have crossed a line that most believers never cross. You can look at a Hebrew word and read it. The next nine units are going to widen that door, but the door is already open.

Huenda umeona jambo la ajabu katika jedwali letu. Hakuna herufi ya "A," hakuna herufi ya "E," hakuna herufi ya "I," hakuna herufi ya "O," hakuna herufi ya "U." Kiebrania hakina herufi za irabu. Kila moja ya herufi ishirini na mbili za alfabeti ni konsonanti.You may have noticed something strange in our table. There is no letter for "A," no letter for "E," no letter for "I," no letter for "O," no letter for "U." Hebrew has no vowel letters. Every one of the twenty-two letters in the alphabet is a consonant.

Waebrania wa kale walisomaje? Waliweka irabu vichwani mwao, kama unavyofanya na ujumbe mfupi wa simu na namba za magari. "Wht r u doing tnght" ("Unafanya nini usiku huu" kwa Kiingereza kilichofupishwa) — unaweza kusoma hivyo vizuri, ingawa hakuna herufi za irabu. Wazungumzaji wazawa wa Kiebrania walifanya vivyo hivyo na maandishi yao. Waliona konsonanti K-T-V na kujua kutokana na muktadha kama ni katav (aliandika), kotev (mwandishi), kotevet (yeye [mwanamke] anaandika), au katuv (imeandikwa). Muktadha ndio uliotoa irabu.How did the ancient Hebrews read? They supplied the vowels in their head, the way you do with text messages and license plates. "Wht r u doing tnght" — you can read that fine, even though no vowel letters are present. Native Hebrew speakers did the same thing with their text. They saw the consonants K-T-V and knew from context whether it was katav (he wrote), kotev (writer), kotevet (she writes), or katuv (it is written). Context supplied the vowels.

Takriban mwaka 700 B.K., waandishi wa Kiyahudi walioitwa Wamasoreti walibuni mfumo wa nukta na vistari vilivyowekwa juu na chini ya konsonanti ili kuonyesha irabu, kwa sababu Kiebrania hakikuwa tena lugha ya mazungumzo ya kila siku na ujuzi wa irabu ulikuwa ukipotea. Tutaanzisha alama hizi za irabu katika Sehemu ya 3 tutakaposoma mstari wa kwanza wa Mwanzo. Kwa sasa, zingatia tu: alfabeti yenyewe ni konsonanti peke yake. Irabu ni nyongeza ya wahariri.Around AD 700, Jewish scribes called the Masoretes invented a system of dots and dashes placed above and below the consonants to indicate vowels, because Hebrew was no longer the everyday spoken language and the vowel knowledge was being lost. We will introduce these vowel pointings in Unit 3 when we read the first verse of Genesis. For now, just notice: the alphabet itself is consonants only. The vowels are an editorial addition.

Kwa nini jambo hili ni muhimu katika uchunguzi wa manenoWhy this matters for word studies

Unapotafuta neno la Kiebrania katika Strong au katika Blue Letter Bible, utaona kwamba konsonanti ndizo zinazofafanua neno. Konsonanti zile zile tatu huunda maneno mengi yanayohusiana (mfumo wa Kiebrania wa mizizi ya herufi tatu, tulioutaja katika Sehemu ya 1). Irabu hubadilika kulingana na sarufi; konsonanti hazibadiliki. Msomi anaposema "mzizi wa Kiebrania," anamaanisha konsonanti tatu. Irabu unazoziweka zinakuambia kama neno ni kitenzi, nomino, kitenzi-jina (endelezi), au kivumishi — lakini mzizi, moyo wa neno, ni konsonanti.When you look up a Hebrew word in Strong's or in Blue Letter Bible, you will see the consonants are what define the word. The same three consonants make many related words (Hebrew's three-letter root system, which we mentioned in Unit 1). Vowels change with grammar; consonants do not. When a scholar speaks of a "Hebrew root," he means three consonants. The vowels you supply tell you whether the word is a verb, a noun, a participle, or an adjective — but the root, the heart of the word, is consonant.

Fungua Biblia yako kwenye Mathayo 5:18. Isome polepole: "Kwa maana, amin, nawaambia, Mpaka mbingu na nchi zitakapoondoka, yodi moja wala nukta moja ya torati haitaondoka, hata yote yatimie."Open your Bible to Matthew 5:18. Read it slowly: "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

Mpaka leo huenda mstari huo ulikuwa na maana ndogo kwako. Mpaka leo neno "yodi" (Kiingereza: "jot") lilikuwa dokezo lisilo wazi la kitu kidogo. Sasa unajua hasa kile Yesu alichokuwa akikitazama. Alikuwa akitazama gombo la Kiebrania ambalo herufi yake ndogo kuliko zote ilikuwa Yod — ile nusu-herufi ndogo uliyojifunza katika jedwali hapo juu. Alichagua kitu kidogo kabisa iwezekanavyo ukurasani na kusema: hata hiki hakitaondoka bila kutimizwa.Until today that verse may have meant little to you. Until today the word "jot" was a vague reference to something small. Now you know exactly what Jesus was looking at. He was looking at a Hebrew scroll on which the smallest character was the Yod — the tiny half-letter that you learned in the table above. He picked the smallest possible thing on the page and said: even this will not pass away unfulfilled.

"Mpaka mbingu na nchi zitakapoondoka, Yod moja wala nukta moja ya torati haitaondoka, hata yote yatimie.""Till heaven and earth pass away, one Yod or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

"Nukta" (Kiingereza: "tittle") aliyoitaja Yesu ni kistari kidogo cha pambo — mstari mdogo unaotofautisha herufi moja ya Kiebrania na nyingine inayofanana nayo kwa sura. Kwa mfano, Bet na Kaf zinakaribia kufanana kabisa isipokuwa kistari kidogo cha kona. Kistari hicho cha kona ndiyo nukta. Yesu anasema kwamba si herufi ndogo kuliko zote tu, bali hata sehemu ndogo kuliko zote ya herufi ndogo kuliko zote, ya Biblia ya Kiebrania itatimizwa. Ndivyo Mwana wa Mungu alivyoyachukulia maandishi ya Kiebrania kwa uzito. Ndivyo nawe unavyopaswa kuyachukulia kwa uzito. Hilo ndilo fundisho la uvuvio likitoka kinywani mwa Kristo Mwenyewe, na andiko la ushahidi ni herufi uliyoijifunza sasa hivi.The "tittle" Jesus mentioned is the tiny serif — the little decorative stroke that distinguishes one Hebrew letter from another visually similar one. A Bet and a Kaf, for instance, are almost identical except for a tiny corner stroke. That corner stroke is the tittle. Jesus is saying that not only the smallest letter, but even the smallest part of the smallest letter, of the Hebrew Bible will be fulfilled. That is how seriously the Son of God took the Hebrew text. That is how seriously you should take it. That is the doctrine of inspiration coming out of the mouth of Christ Himself, and the proof text is a letter you just learned.

UlichokamilishaWhat you have accomplished

Ulianza sehemu hii bila kutofautisha herufi moja ya Kiebrania na nyingine. Sasa unajua herufi kumi kati ya ishirini na mbili za alfabeti ya Kiebrania kwa jina, kwa sauti, na kwa picha iliyozianzisha. Umesoma maneno mawili halisi ya Kiebrania: Abba, neno ambalo Yesu aliomba nalo katika Gethsemane, na bayit, neno la Kiebrania la nyumba. Umeona kile Yesu alichomaanisha aliposema "yodi moja." Unajua kwamba namba ya Strong ya bayit ni H1004 na ungeweza kuitafuta usiku wa leo ukitaka. Maneno elfu moja na mia mbili yaliyopita hukuwa na lolote kati ya haya. Sasa unayo yote.You started this unit not knowing one Hebrew letter from another. You now know ten of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet by name, by sound, and by picture origin. You have read two real Hebrew words: Abba, the word Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, and bayit, the Hebrew word for house. You have seen what Jesus meant when He said "not one jot." You know the Strong's number for bayit is H1004 and you could look it up tonight if you wanted to. Twelve hundred words ago you had none of this. Now you have all of it.

Zoezi la Daftari (karatasi na kalamu)Notebook Activity (paper and pen)

Fungua ukurasa mpya katika daftari lako. Juu andika "Sehemu ya 2: Aleph hadi Yod." Kisha tengeneza jedwali lenye safu tano: Herufi, Jina, Sauti, Picha, Neno la kukumbuka. Jaza herufi zote kumi za sehemu hii. Katika safu ya "neno la kukumbuka," andika neno moja la Kiebrania au la kibiblia linaloanza na herufi hiyo. Mapendekezo kadhaa tayari yamo katika maelezo ya sehemu hii: Aleph — av (baba); Bet — bayit (nyumba); Gimel — gamal (ngamia); Dalet — delet (mlango); He — hinneh (tazama); Vav — kiambishi awali "na"; Zayin — zakar (kumbuka); Chet — chai (uzima); Tet — tov (njema); Yod — yad (mkono). Jedwali likikamilika, geuza ukurasa na uandike kila herufi ya Kiebrania mara tano zaidi mfululizo, polepole. Kufikia mwisho wa ukurasa huu wa mazoezi, mkono wako utajua kile ambacho jicho lako limejifunza.Turn to a fresh page in your notebook. At the top write "Unit 2: Aleph through Yod." Then make a table with five columns: Letter, Name, Sound, Picture, Memory word. Fill in all ten letters from this unit. In the "memory word" column, write one Hebrew or biblical word that begins with that letter. Some suggestions are already in this unit's prose: Aleph — av (father); Bet — bayit (house); Gimel — gamal (camel); Dalet — delet (door); He — hinneh (behold); Vav — the prefix "and"; Zayin — zakar (remember); Chet — chai (life); Tet — tov (good); Yod — yad (hand). When the table is complete, turn the page and write each Hebrew letter five more times in a row, slowly. By the end of this practice page, your hand will know what your eye has learned.

Utakapofaulu mtihani huu, tutakutana katika nusu ya pili ya alfabeti ya Kiebrania katika Sehemu ya 3 — Kaf hadi Tav — herufi kumi na mbili zinazokamilisha safari, pamoja na alama za irabu, pamoja na wakati utakaposoma mstari wa kwanza wa Mwanzo kwa Kiebrania kwa macho yako mwenyewe.When you pass this exam, we will meet at the second half of the Hebrew alphabet in Unit 3 — Kaf through Tav — the twelve letters that finish the journey, plus the vowel pointings, plus the moment you read the first verse of Genesis in Hebrew with your own eyes.