Category Archives: H

Hebrew Aleph Bet Song and Vowel Song

Cheryl and I have just started learning Hebrew this year at SMBC. To keep things fun we’ve been using a variety of methods. We learned the Hebrew consonants using this song we found online (here’s us singing it):

Then we came to the pointed vowels (they’re similar to pinyin in Chinese, but in dot/dash form). We couldn’t find a memory song that went through all the Hebrew vowels in our Elementary Biblical Hebrew textbook (Athas and Young)… so I played around with the words from Carole Grover’s song and we came up with this:

Sing to the tune of “Arise My Soul Arise.”

LYRICS

A pair of eyes: tsere

A bar below: patakh

A T-shape is qamets

Or called qamets khatuf

Three dots that make a smile: segol

But if three dots swoop down: qibbuts

We’re halfway through the vowel song

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A dot beneath: khireq

That dot on top: kholem

Inside a waw: shuruq

Two dots below: shewa

One dot and yod makes khireq-yod

Three dots and yod makes segol-yod

Those are the Hebrew vowels in song

Hope it’s useful to other budding Hebrew learners, young and old!

E2 and sisterhood

I’m writing this on E’s 2nd birthday. It’s starting to sink in that we have a two year old in our house – it feels like we have been parents forever, even though I know that’s not true!

E is part of a growing group of super-intelligent beings known as girls. She is joined this year by younger sister H (currently 3 and a half months old), who is fast catching up in size. And not pictured but just as part of the sisterhood is E’s cousin, who has just turned one and started walking.

These girls have shared lots of things so far: clothes, toys, baby capsules, and more. Our prayer is that one day they might share a bond stronger than family bloodlines, the blood of Jesus Christ.