Granville Sharp was the very definition of a Renaissance Man: self-taught in Law, Hebrew, Greek, and Music - and highly accomplished in all of them. Greek students know him as the author of the "Granville Sharp Rule," history buffs know him as a British abolitionist; but his contributions to the study of Hebrew have been relegated to the footnotes... until now. In this classic work, Sharp dissects all of the available Hebrew grammars for any inkling of data on the function of the waw-hahipuch (vav of reversal) and proceeds to formulate the most comprehensive set of rules with regard thereto, complete with numerous examples from Scripture. This edition includes a new biographical introduction and an annotated bibliographical survey of the grammars with which Sharp interacted. As an added bonus, Granville Sharp's rather impressive family is presented in a family tree in the inside back cover.
Author Biography:
Granville Sharp, Esq. (1735-1813), of London, England, was an auto-didact in a variety of fields, publishing 52 works on subjects ranging from music to politics to Biblical languages. A listing of his published works is included in this volume and fills nearly five pages thereof. In addition, a memoir was put together from his papers, many of which were unpublished at the time, after his death. As a barrister, he was much sought after, especially by runaway or abused slaves seeking his representation in court. Most such cases were taken on pro bono. In both Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew, Sharp discovered nuances of those languages which had erewhile eluded the grasp of even the most learned of scholars. For all his accomplishments, however, Granville Sharp never married and never had any children, devoting his whole being to the causes he held most dear, especially the abolition of slavery in the British kingdom. Brian Tice, M.Sci., of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a professor of Jewish Studies and Ancient Near Eastern Languages at Messianic Jewish Rabbinate, where he also serves as Rosh Yeshiva. His formal studies include Modern Languages, Ancient Languages, Bible, and Jewish Studies - culminating in two degrees (B.Sci. and M.Sci.). Since 2000, he has served the Jewish community as a musician, chazzan, moreh, and ordained rabbi. Professor Tice is also a playwright and the author of Reflecting on the Rabbis: Sage Insight into First-Century Jewish Thought (2017). His contributions to tikkun olam include work with terminally/critically-ill children, victims of violent/hate crime, and outreach to the homeless.
