Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a
The word Ivrit ("Hebrew") written in the modern Hebrew script (top) and in the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet (bottom)
Portion of the Isaiah Scroll, a second-century BCE manuscript of the Biblical Book of Isaiah and one of the best-preserved of the Dead Sea Scrolls
The Shebna Inscription, from the tomb of a royal steward found in Siloam, dates to the 7th century BCE.
A silver matchbox holder with inscription in Hebrew
The revival of the Hebrew language took place in Europe and the Southern Levant toward the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, through which the language's usage changed from the purely
Hebrew language
…as a first language until after 200 CE and as the liturgical language of Judaism (since the Second Temple period) and Samaritanism. The language was revived as a spoken language in the 19th century, and is the only successful large-scale example of linguistic revival. It is the only Canaanite language still spoken today. It is…
Front page of HaZvi newspaper with a sub-headline reading "Newspaper for news, literature and science". HaZvi revolutionized Hebrew newspaper publishing in Jerusalem by introducing secular issues and techniques of modern journalism.
Arabic–Hebrew–Latin dictionary, 1524
Mishneh Torah, written in Hebrew by Maimonides.