HSC Classical Hebrew Continuers (NSW) case studies
HSC Classical Hebrew Continuers (NSW) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The HSC Classical Hebrew Continuers course is a New South Wales Stage 6 subject for senior secondary students who want to read and interpret Classical Hebrew texts in their original language. It suits learners who have already built a foundation in Hebrew grammar and vocabulary and who are ready to work with authentic passages, both prescribed texts studied in class and unseen material encountered for the first time in the examination. The HSC Classical Hebrew Continuers (NSW) case studies are 5 cases and about 2,412 words.
1The Ambiguous Waw in a Narrative Sequence
A student translating a narrative passage encounters the clause וַיְהִי כְּשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת־הַדָּבָר וַיָּשָׁב אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ. The student renders it: 'And it came to pass when he heard the matter, and he returned to his house.' A classmate objects that the second waw should not be translated as 'and' because it continues the temporal clause rather than starting a new main clause.
556 words, about 3 min2Deciding Whether a Verb Is Qal or Niphal in an Unvocalised Text
A student is given an unvocalised line: נראה הדבר בעיני העם. Without vowel points, the first word could be read as נִרְאָה (niphal perfect, 'was seen'), נִרְאֶה (niphal imperfect or participle, 'seems/is seen'), or נוֹרָא (niphal participle of ירא, 'fearsome').
484 words, about 2 min3Translation Choice: Literal Versus Idiomatic in a Poetic Line
A student must translate a poetic couplet containing the phrase כִּי־עָז בָּא וְלִבּוֹ כַּאֲבָנִים. The student writes: 'For strong he came and his heart like stones.' A classmate offers: 'For he came on strong, and his heart was like stone.' The teacher points out that עָז is a noun or adjective of strength, that the prefixed כִּי here is likely asseverative rather than causal, that the singular אֶבֶן would be more natural than the plural, and that Hebrew poetry tolerates compressed verbless clauses.
474 words, about 2 min4Reading a Law Passage: Apodictic Versus Casuistic Form
A class study compares two legal formulations. Text A reads: לֹא תִּגְנֹב ('You shall not steal').
459 words, about 2 min5Contextual Judgement: Dating a Passage from Internal Evidence
A student reads a prose passage containing several features: a high proportion of late biblical vocabulary, a construct chain with a Persian loanword, and a clause structure the student has been taught to associate with Late Biblical Hebrew. The student concludes the passage was composed after the exile and cites this as settled fact.
439 words, about 2 min