Semitic language that is both a sacred language of Judaism and a modern vernacular in Israel.
Like Aramaic , to which it is closely related, Hebrew has a documented history of nearly 3,000 years. The earliest fully attested stage of the language is Biblical Hebrew: the earlier parts ("Standard Biblical Hebrew") date before 500 BC and include even older poetic passages; the later parts ("Late Biblical Hebrew") were composed 0441; 500200 BC. Post-Biblical Hebrew, variously termed Rabbinic or Mishnaic Hebrew (see Mishna ), is characterized by an early period when Hebrew was still probably to some degree a vernacular and a later period, after 0441; AD 200, when Aramaic became the everyday speech of Jews in the Middle East. The 6th and 7th centuries marked a transition to Medieval Hebrew. The resurrection of Hebrew as a vernacular is closely linked with the 18th-century Haskala movement and 20th-century Zionism . Contemporary Israeli Hebrew is spoken by about five million people in Israel and abroad. See also Ashkenazi ; Sephardi ; Hebrew alphabet .