Thanks to a recommendation from my colleague, I’ve recently started to use a new Greek/Hebrew vocabulary app. I have been using Quizlet for quite some time and I greatly enjoy it. However, the Bible Vocab app brings certain functions that enhance Greek/Hebrew vocab study.
- The ability to choose vocab words for a particular biblical passage. Instead of learning vocab words according to occurence (words 25+, 50+, etc.), with Bible Vocab you can learn all the vocab words in a specific passage. For example, you can set your range for Genesis 1:1-3, or Judges 1-2, or even an entire book. This feature is ideal if you are wanting to focus on reading through a certain Old Testament book. It also takes the pressure off of developing a large database of words in order to venture off into an Old Testament book.
- The ability to determine the word list according to occurrence. After you have set the passage you can also determine the frequency of the words you want to study. For example, if you chose to study words from Genesis 1:1-9, you can study all of the words in the passage or the words that occur in the Hebrew Bible 10+ times, 50+ times, etc. The default setting is to include every word in the passage.
- The ability to flag words. Just as in Quizlet you can flag words that you need to review. When you exit the Vocab Slideshow (these are your vocab flashcards) you can choose to save your flagged words for further review.
- The ability to sharpen your parsing skills. In addition to the Vocab Slideshow you can choose the Parsing Slideshow. This slideshow includes all the words in your set range, but in addition to a word’s definition you will be given the various parts of the word (noun/verb, person, number, etc.). This feature is ideal to sharpen your parsing skills!
- Admittedly, there is room for improvement for this feature in regards to Hebrew vocabulary. Most parsing information is limited to identifying the word as a noun, verb, particle, etc. Information about person, noun, gender, derived stem, etc. is not given. For Greek vocabulary, however, the parsing information is much more extensive.
- The Spaced Repetition Mode. This feature sets the Bible Vocab app apart from Quizlet. You can learn more details about this feature in their tutorial. The gist of this feature is that it periodically reintroduces a word in your list, testing your memory. You can also view a word in its biblical context with this feature. In my opinion, this feature sets Bible Vocab apart and is well-worth the $7.99. I highly recommend taking a moment to view the tutorial.
- This feature offsets one of my main critiques about the app. If you are studying a large group of words and exit the app, Quizlet will start where you left off. If you are in the Vocab Slideshow in Bible Vocab, however, and you exit the app, the app will place you at the beginning when you reopen. It is possible that I am missing a setting or something, but after playing around with it I have not been able to fix it. In my opinion, however, the Spaced Repetition Mode more than addresses this minor issue.
Dr. Rob Plummer, of Daily Dose of Greek fame, endorses this app and that alone should carry some weight. My opinion does not carry the weight of Dr. Plummer’s, but for Hebrew studies I highly recommend this app!
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