Akkadian vs Hebrew - How similar is Akkadian to Hebrew? Comparing the Akkadian and Hebrew Languages

How similar is Akkadian to Hebrew? To what extent are these two Semitic languages intelligible? Can a Hebrew speaker understand Akkadian? Akkadian was the language used in ancient Mesopotamia by the Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian communities. The language was used as the lingua franca for international correspondence throughout the ancient Near East and reached as far away as Egypt. In time Akkadian was replaced by Aramaic, which was the main language of the region for more than a thousand years after Akkadian. Hebrew on the other hand is a language of lower Canaan, spoken by the ancient Kingdoms of Israel and Judah and the language used to write the Hebrew Bible, otherwise known as the Old Testament. In addition to the reach of the Akkadian language as far as Egypt, the Babylonian Empire uprooted the communities of Judah and relocated them in Babylon two generations of direct contact put the Hebrew community of exile alongside Akkadian speakers. #Akkadian #hebrewlanguage #Polyglot