Hebrew - Language Of The Land of Canaan

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We have seen that Hebrew is one of a number of Semitic languages. With the exception of Arabic and Aramaic (both of which are still spoken today), all other Semitic languages have faded into the mists of time. Hebrew, however, was destined for greater things. It survived the incident at the Tower of Babel relatively unscathed, and quickly became the spoken language of the Hebrew people and the official language of the Land of Canaan. When writing became known to man, Hebrew became a written language, and God’s dealings with mankind and the Jewish people were preserved for all eternity in the pages of the Tanakh.

Here are a few examples of what Hebrew has been referred to over the centuries:

      “The language of Canaan” (Isaiah 19:18)

               “The Jews’ language [Judean]” (Isaiah 36:11; 2 Kings 18:26,28)

                “Hebrew”, under the Roman Empire.

  “Hebrew Language”, Mishnah, Gittin 9:8

That covers about 1500 years of history! Throughout all of that time, Hebrew was recognised by everyone as being a distinct language associated with the Land of Israel. By comparison, it is a struggle for a native English speaker to understand English from only 500 years ago, and written English any earlier than that is almost unintelligible. Yet today, by comparison, the 3000 year old Hebrew writing of the Moabite Stone (around David's time) is perfectly understandable. The Torah, written by Moses about 1450 B.C.E., can be read by Israeli children today just as easily as the children of Israel in former millennia.

A consideration of the above passage in Isaiah 36 is interesting. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, is preparing to attack the cities of Judah. He has sent Rabshakeh to conquer Jerusalem in the reign of king Hezekiah. In verse 11, Eliakim, Shebna and Joah ask Rabshakeh not to speak to them in Hebrew, but rather in Aramaic, since then the Jerusalemites on the city wall will not understand what they are saying. This shows clearly that around the time of the Babylonian exile, Hebrew was a distinct language in the region, and the local inhabitants generally did not understand Aramaic, a close sister language of Hebrew which forms part of the books of Daniel and Ezra in the Tanakh. (The phrase “the Syrian language” in the KJV translation of Isaiah 36:11 is Aramaic in Hebrew.)

Aramaic and Hebrew, however, were destined to become close companions as time went on.

The word Hebrew is derived from Eber (Genesis 11:14), the ancestor of the people who would later become known by the name Hebrews. Hebrew means Crosser Over, referring to people like Abraham in Genesis 14:13 who crossed over the river Euphrates from Ur of the Chaldees in order to inherit the Land of Israel.

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