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A Brief History of Hebrew Language

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Lashon HaKodesh - A Brief History of Hebrew Disclaimer: This page provides a rudimentary overview of the history of the Hebrew script and is by no means intended to replace careful study of paleolinguists and other specialists in the field of ancient writing systems . For scholarly research , please see the Links page. About the Name "Hebrew" Hebrew  (Ivrit:   ) is the name given to one of the world's oldest languages. The name derives from  Eber   ('ever)  ( ), the son of Shem;  'ever  means "region across or beyond" and derives from a root that means to pass over. Shem  is called  , "the father of all of the sons of Eber" (Gen 10:21); and therefore Hebrew descendants are called Semites. In the Scriptures, Hebrew is used as an adjective ( ) to describe Jews who are "from the other side" (i.e., of the  Euphrates River ). Modern Hebrew is called  Ivrit. In Genesis 31:47, Laban and Ja