Ancient Hebrew, also known as Classical or Biblical Hebrew, differs noticeably, though not drastically, from Modern Hebrew. The differences are mainly in the areas of grammar, phonology, and vocabulary, and speakers of Modern Hebrew can typically read Ancient Hebrew without difficulty. Classical Hebrew comprises a number of dialects spoken in ancient Israel between the 10th century BCE and the early 4th century CE. In the modern era, it has survived as a literary and liturgical language only. Modern Hebrew, the national language of modern-day Israel, is a secular spoken language based on Ancient Hebrew.

Hebrew is the only language to have been revived as the mother tongue of millions after a period of having no native speakers. The fact that its creation relied significantly on ancient texts accounts for its similarity to Ancient Hebrew. Modern languages that developed naturally often differ much more from earlier versions of the language than does Hebrew.

In the Middle Ages, though Hebrew was not spoken as a native or everyday language, it was spoken in liturgical contexts. A variety of pronunciation styles arose over the centuries, largely due to the wide dispersal of the Jewish population. The two major branches of Hebrew phonological styles to emerge were Sephardic Hebrew, spoken in the Iberian Peninsula and countries of the former Ottoman Empire, and Ashkenazi Hebrew, spoken in Central and Eastern Europe. The Sephardic and Ashkenazi pronunciation styles were influenced by regional spoken Jewish languages, Ladino and Yiddish respectively.

Modern Hebrew phonology is based on that of Sephardic Hebrew, while the Yemenite dialect that developed in the Middle Ages is probably closest to the phonology of Ancient Hebrew. The differences in syntax or grammar between Ancient and Modern Hebrew are based largely on influence from Ashkenazi Hebrew and Yiddish. In addition, Modern Hebrew incorporates many loanwords and neologisms necessary to discuss things that did not exist in the biblical era.

Ancient Hebrew is still used by Modern Hebrew speakers in literary and liturgical contexts and is taught in Israel's public schools. Elements of Ancient Hebrew are also used from time to time in spoken Modern Hebrew and in the Israeli media.