Language of Man
Human language, considered the greatest human invention, is at the heart of human consciousness and intelligence. It evolves over time, but more importantly it conglomerates into larger “child languages” as the world becomes more and more connected (or dissolved, depending on how you look at it). English itself is a conglomeration of many parent languages. This process creates “language death” as conglomerate child languages supplant old human parent ones. It is estimated that there have existed at least 31,000 human languages where now only 6000 exist today. Definition of words evolve and take on different meanings and shapes throughout this process. Word meanings can change drastically even in the span of one generation.
The RealBible Project is an ongoing research and translation project with the sole purpose of uncovering the lost “side” of the Hebrew language, as a language that is “living and active.”
Project Research Sources
The following resources are considered some of the most exhaustive for word research, though they have their limits:
- Gesenius: Hebrew & Chaldee (i.e. Aramaic) Lexicon (1846)
- Gesenius Hebrew Grammar, 1813
- Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (1906). Based upon the work of Gesenius.
- A Hebrew & Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament by Fürst, Julius (1867), student of Gesenius.
- The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (HALOT) by Köhler, Ludwig, 1880-1956
- James Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890)
- Dictionary of Targumim, Talmud and Midrashic Literature by Marcus Jastrow (1926)
- Tyndale House, Hebrew Roots https://www.2letterlookup.com/
Others Used:
- Septuagint (LXX) Interlinear Greek OT (https://studybible.info/interlinear/)
- Perseus Greek Digital Library (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/)
- University of Chicago’s Logeion Greek Dictionaries (https://logeion.uchicago.edu/)
“Why don’t you use modern resources?”
Because these are for-profit resources, for those with money. The RBT Project has no money. Literally, none. It is done without a home, without a car, without an office. The RBT takes shape in bars, coffee shops, and many random places around the world. Selling access to educational resources has a funny way of “shutting people out” of learning. Such a shame! We would gladly make use of them, but we figure that if it has to be sold and money has to be made, it probably isn’t worthwhile.
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About Matt
The project is led by Matthew Pennock. His journey with Biblical Hebrew began in 2000 when he felt a strong draw to the language. Keenly aware of its hidden power, he embarked on a comprehensive study, culminating in a full self-taught course in Hebrew grammar by 2002. From 2000 to 2016, he dedicated himself to missionary work and church leadership, traveling to and ministering in over 50 countries.
His thirst for knowledge extended to various other languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Kiswahili, Spanish, German, Polish, and Biblical Greek. He also pursued theological education at a Biblical seminary. However, the prohibitive costs and his dissatisfaction with the inconsistencies prompted him to leave the world of biblical academia. After countless churches shunned him as unconventional or otherwise rejected him, he stepped away from the scene to focus on writing, and a deep dive/dig into Hebrew and Greek studies.
Subsequently, Matthew recognized the astonishing limitations and biases in translation methodologies. He resolved to delve exclusively into the study of Hebrew and Greek. By 2018, he was re-translating significant portions of text. This passion led to the inception of the RealBible (RBT) Translation Project aiming at mastery of the ancient language, and understanding everything “shut up” and “forgotten” from time immemorial, all while setting aside tradition.
Some of his favorite music includes, Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Guns and Roses, Led Zeppelin, classic rock, and blues. He knows how to take apart an engine piece by piece and put it back together again. He enjoys building motorcycles and vintage trucks, and spends a lot of time running outdoors and rock climbing.
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