Hebrew is an ancient language that originated in the Middle East thousands of years ago and remains the primary language of Israel today. It's written from right to left using a unique alphabet of 22 letters, quite different from English. The Hebrew Bible (which Christians call the Old Testament) was originally written mostly in Hebrew, making it one of the most studied ancient languages in the world.

For nearly 2,000 years, Hebrew was mainly used for religious study and prayer rather than everyday conversation. Then, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Jewish people moving to what would become Israel revived Hebrew as a spoken language. This revival was extraordinary: imagine if people decided to start speaking Latin for everything again, from ordering pizza to texting friends. Today, millions of Israelis speak modern Hebrew daily, though it has evolved from its ancient form.

The word Hebrew can also refer to the Jewish people of ancient times, particularly those from the biblical period. You might read about “the Hebrews” in history books about ancient civilizations. Related words include Hebraic, which means relating to the Hebrew language or culture.