Keith,

             It appears that many still could speak Hebrew in new testament times:

                                                                                                                                   

Acts 21:40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

 

Acts 22:1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

 

Yet even with knowing the Hebrew language, and being able to read and hear the scriptures in Hebrew, the majority missed it, and rejected the LORD Jesus.

The understanding of the scriptures doesn’t come from a mechanical knowledge of a language, even Hebrew, or even knowing the history or culture of Israel.

 

I Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

 

The Thessalonian believers, particularly those who were of the Gentiles, did not speak Hebrew, and the letter written to that church was written in Greek, not Hebrew.

Yet, it could still say:

 

I Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

 

If they could only get the nuggets and real deep things of God from the Hebrew language, then Paul would have taught them Hebrew, and the epistle would have been written in Hebrew.

The LORD wouldn’t “short-change” believers from amongst the Gentiles, simply because they couldn’t speak or read Hebrew.

They were not merely given the shallow things of God, because the deep things can only be in Hebrew.

No, it was almost the opposite; Jesus doesn’t acquiesce to the educated, but rather he even used these men:

 

Acts 4:13 ¶ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

 

I cannot think that the LORD would hold back some truths of the scriptures from new believers, and only reveal them to those educated in the ancient languages.

That would seem contrary to the way that Jesus spoke about the Father:

 

Luke 10:21 ¶ In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

 

Everything that I need to know, everything I need to know, the Holy Ghost is more than able to teach me, while I’m reading & studying my King James Bible.

 

                          Thank you,

                                       Gino