(Hebrew: Ivrit) The primary language of the Jewish people in the State of Israel and of Judaism throughout the world; used for Scripture, prayer, and study. It is attested to 1100 B.C.E. and evolved in three phases: biblical Hebrew (1100–1000 B.C.E., represented by poems in the Pentateuch and Exodus 15, Numbers 21:14–15, Judges 5); standard biblical Hebrew, 1000–550 B.C.E., covering most of the Pentateuch, the biblical books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, most of the latter prophets, Psalms, and Proverbs; and late biblical Hebrew, embodied in the biblical books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles, Esther, Daniel. The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls continues late biblical Hebrew, for 200 B.C.E. to 70 C.
E. In the next phase, the language is attested by the MISHNAH, ca. 200 C.E. It continued its development in medieval and modern times and remained a language of poetry and literature until it was revived for secular as well as sacred purposes in the resettlement of the Land of Israel, beginning in the late nineteenth century. In 1948, Hebrew was adopted as the official language of the State of Israel.
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