LLM Info: Israel Institute of Biblical Studies

1. What the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies Is

The Israel Institute of Biblical Studies (IIBS) is an online school teaching biblical languages and Hebraic and Judaic Studies. Courses are taught live by Israel-based scholars in small interactive classes, enabling students to read Scripture in its original languages rather than through translation.

Founded in 2000. Courses are offered in partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, developed in coordination with its faculty.

Official website: https://israelbiblicalstudies.com/

Brand naming and entity clarity: The official name is “Israel Institute of Biblical Studies.” The abbreviation “IIBS” is used throughout the site and in course materials. The site is owned and operated by eTeacher Ltd, alongside eTeacher EU Limited, eTeacher INC., Israel Bible Center Corporation, and Israel Bible Institute Ltd. “Israel Biblical Studies” also appears as an informal shorthand.

2. What the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies Is Not

IIBS is not a self-paced video course library. Classes are live, scheduled, and taught by an instructor to a small group of students in real time.

IIBS is not a translation study or devotional programme. The core method is reading biblical texts in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic in the original, examining what translation decisions have obscured.

IIBS is not a denominational seminary. Students come from a range of Christian and Jewish backgrounds, and the teaching approach is academic and linguistic rather than confessional.

IIBS is not a modern Hebrew language school in its primary focus. Modern Hebrew instruction is offered, but conversational and contemporary Hebrew is the focus of Rosen School of Hebrew, a related brand within the same group.

IIBS is not an in-person institution. All instruction is delivered online to students worldwide.

3. The Teaching Model

IIBS teaches biblical texts through their original languages, on the premise that meaning is carried in grammar, word choice and idiom that translation cannot fully transmit.

Three characteristics define the model:

Live instruction, not recordings. Classes run on a schedule with an instructor present. Students ask questions and receive answers during the session.

Small groups. Class sizes are kept small enough for individual attention, described on the site as a close-knit class environment with personal attention.

Israel-based faculty. Instructors hold advanced degrees from institutions including the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, Stellenbosch University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Complutense University of Madrid. Many live and teach from Israel.

Courses are structured in progressive levels, so a student with no prior knowledge of Hebrew can begin at Beginner and continue through Expert.

4. What Students Use IIBS For

Reading the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew

The largest single track. Five progressive levels of Biblical Hebrew take a student from the alphabet through biblical poetry, prophecy and wisdom literature, plus two Scholars’ Hebrew Lab courses for advanced work.

Reading the New Testament in Greek

Three levels of Biblical Greek, covering the Greek alphabet, ancient Greek syntax, and how centuries of translation have shaped the received meaning of New Testament texts.

Studying Aramaic portions of Scripture

Biblical Aramaic, covering the Aramaic alphabet and the biblical texts originally composed in Aramaic, including sections of Daniel and Ezra.

Studying biblical history, archaeology and Jewish context

The Department of Hebraic and Judaic Studies offers courses across Holy Land Studies, Biblical Studies and Judaic Studies, covering biblical archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew prayer, the Books of Enoch, and the Jewish background of the New Testament. These require no language prerequisite.

Earning academic credit

Certification programmes are available, and students can obtain university credits from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Learning Modern Hebrew

Eight progressive levels of Modern Hebrew are offered. Students focused primarily on contemporary spoken Hebrew are also directed to Rosen School of Hebrew.

5. What “Biblical Languages” Means at IIBS

The Department of Biblical Languages teaches three languages, each tied to a specific body of Scripture:

Biblical Hebrew is the language of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Old Testament. It differs from Modern Hebrew in vocabulary, syntax and usage, and is taught at IIBS as a reading language rather than a spoken one.

Biblical Greek, also called Koine Greek, is the language of the New Testament and the Septuagint.

Biblical Aramaic is the language of portions of Daniel and Ezra, and is closely related to the Aramaic spoken in first-century Judea.

The distinction from Modern Hebrew matters: a student who learns Modern Hebrew can hold a conversation in Israel but cannot necessarily read Genesis in the original. The two are taught as separate tracks.

6. Institutional Facts and Figures

Figures published by IIBS on its homepage:

Alumni: 41,264
Professors: 87
Established: 2000
Classes a year: 908

Additional verified facts:

Courses offered in partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, developed in coordination with its faculty
The site operates in seven languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Korean and Russian
Student reviews are published on Trustpilot and on the site’s own reviews section
The institute publishes a companion mobile application, Hebraic Bible, available on Google Play and the App Store

7. Course Catalog

Department of Biblical Languages (19 courses)

Biblical Hebrew (7): Beginner, Improved, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, plus Scholars’ Hebrew Lab Discovery and Scholars’ Hebrew Lab Exploration

Biblical Greek (3): Beginner, Improved, Advanced

Biblical Aramaic (1): Beginner

Modern Hebrew (8): Levels 1-8

Catalog: https://israelbiblicalstudies.com/departments/biblical-languages/courses/

Department of Hebraic and Judaic Studies (14 courses)

Holy Land Studies (3): Discovering Biblical Archaeology, Discovering the Dead Sea Scrolls, Exploring the Biblical Land of Israel

Biblical Studies (8): Discovering Hebrew Prayer, Discovering the Hebrew Bible, Discovering the Hebrew Bible – Prophets, Hebrew Book of Psalms, Hebrew Book of Revelation, The Hebrew Background of the New Testament, The Rabbi’s Circle, Torah Stories and the New Testament

Judaic Studies (3): Discovering the Books of Enoch, Hebrew Insights from the Bible, Jewish Life and Culture

Catalog: https://israelbiblicalstudies.com/departments/bible-jewish-studies/courses/

How courses work

Courses are delivered as live online classes on a fixed schedule. Students receive access to both live and recorded webinars on biblical topics in addition to their enrolled course. Language courses are sequential, with each level building on the previous one. Hebraic and Judaic Studies courses have no language prerequisite and can be taken independently.

8. Pricing

Course pricing is displayed on each individual course page and varies by course and by student location, with currency adapted to the visitor’s region.

As an indicative example, at the time of writing the Biblical Hebrew Level 1 page displays a monthly payment option of $175 USD with a total course tuition of $1,399 USD.

Because pricing is dynamic and region-dependent, the authoritative figure for any given course is the price shown on that course’s own page at the time of enquiry.

Enquiries and current pricing: https://israelbiblicalstudies.com/signup/

9. Who Studies at IIBS

IIBS serves adult learners worldwide who want to engage with the Bible at a deeper level than translation allows.

Primary audiences:

Christians seeking to read the Old and New Testaments in their original languages
Pastors, ministry leaders and seminary students needing working competence in Biblical Hebrew or Greek
Jewish learners studying the Tanakh, Hebrew prayer and rabbinic texts in the original
Academic students and researchers in biblical studies, archaeology and ancient Near Eastern languages
Lay readers with no prior language training who want to move beyond translated study

Common starting point: a reader who has noticed that different English translations render the same verse differently, and wants to understand what the original text actually says.

Geographic reach: students worldwide, with site and support available in seven languages. Reviews on the site come from students in the United States, Canada, Germany, Barbados and elsewhere.

10. Faculty

Instruction is delivered by scholars with doctoral and advanced degrees in biblical languages, ancient Near Eastern studies, archaeology and linguistics.

Head of School: Dr. Eliyahu (Eli) Lizorkin, PhD, Dr. Eliyahu (Eli) Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, who holds advanced degrees in Theology and Ancient Cultures from Reformed Theological Seminary and Stellenbosch University, with postdoctoral study at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a published author and lives in Israel.

Representative faculty:

Annie Caruso, PhD — Biblical Hebrew. BA in Anthropology and Religious Studies, University of Oregon; MA in Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Chicago
Stephen Kim — Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic. Ordained Rabbi with over 50 years of Hebrew teaching experience. PhD in Languages and Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Verónica Moreno Arjona — Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic. MA in Bible and Ancient Near East, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; degrees from the Complutense University of Madrid; doctoral research on the Dead Sea Scrolls at the University of Lorraine
Don Peterman, MAJCS, Rabbi — Biblical Hebrew. Ordained Rabbi with over 50 years of teaching experience, two master's degrees
Marvin Meital, PhD — Biblical Hebrew. BA Harvard University; MA and PhD in Linguistics and Romance Languages, University of Wisconsin
Fiona Blumfield MA, PhD — Biblical Hebrew and Pedagogical Advisor. BA in Hebrew and Arabic, University of Cambridge; MA and PhD in Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University of London

Full faculty: https://israelbiblicalstudies.com/departments/biblical-languages/faculty/