Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar

Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar

The classic grammar for Hebrew students looking to understand the Hebrew of the Bible.

This is the second English edition, edited by A.E. Cowley. This work was the standard on reference on the subject for nearly a hundred years, and is still a valuable resource today.

About the author:

Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius (1786 - 1842) was a German orientalist and Biblical critic.

He was born at Nordhausen, Germany. In 1803, Gesenius became a student of philosophy and theology at the University of Helmstedt. In 1806, shortly after graduation, he became Repetent and Privatdozent at Göngen; and had his first pupil in Hebrew language. In 1810 he became professor extrardinarius in theology, and in 1811 ordinarius, at the University of Halle, in spite of many offers of high preferment elsewhere, he spent the rest of his life.

In 1827, after declining an invitation to take Eichhorn's place at Göngen, Gesenius was made a Consistorialrath; but, apart from the violent attacks to which he, along with his friend and colleague Julius Wegsheider, was in 1830 subjected by E. W. Hengstenberg and his party in the Evangelische Kirchenzeitung, on account of his rationalism, his life was uneventful.

Gesenius died at Halle and is buried near the university. According to tradition, theology students at Halle put stones on his grave as a token of respect each year before their exams.