I can only share my personal experience as a native English speaker from the UK: Shakespeare is studied at school with notes, as the meaning of some words has changed, or there are words that are no longer in use (princox, for example). There is also some change in word order. I studied Modern Hebrew and from that alone am able to read from the Chumash (the five books of Moses). There are some differences in grammar and word order, but they are fairly easy to understand. Regarding vocabulary, pretty much the same comment, as above. The language of the prophets and the writings are much harder to understand (for me at least). So my answer to your question is the gap in comprehension would be similar. Now, if you asked about the difference between Modern English and Chaucer (who wrote only about 600 years ago), and Modern Hebrew and Tenach, I would say definitely that it is easier to understand Tenach than Chaucer.

like Yegor said, the differences between biblical and modern Hebrew are signifiant.They differ in vocabulary, word order, grammar. So i'd also say shakespearian English is similar to modern English, more than biblical Hebrew to the modern. but it only makes sense since the difference between the times in which the two Hebrew dialects were spoken is bigger.

I'm no expert on neither biblical Hebrew nor Shakespearean English, but I have learned the first (12 years at school in Israel) and i have an idea of the other. My opinion would be that biblical Hebrew has a weaker connection to the modern Hebrew then the connection between the other two dialects. I derive that conclusion from the fact that as a native English speaker you would have less trouble understanding Shakespeare, then I would trying to understand biblical Hebrew. And don't forget to take into account the amount of time i've spent learning it through out all my years in school...

I completely agree with you, Ahikam!

I'm actually more with Shira on the subject. As a Hebrew native speaker, I am not much familiar with Shakespeare (let alone Shakespeare's English), but I've heard his books had to be translated into modern English so people nowadays will understand them. If you're a native Hebrew speaker, you don't have to read a translation of the bible into modern Hebrew (which I don't think exists), in order to understand it. That being said, it is true that there are some words that are no longer in use, and even some words (not more than one or two though) which we cannot be sure what their exact meaning. Other than that, and some little more additional grammar, it hasn't changed much, as it wasn't spoken much until it's revival. Of course, some parts of the bible is Aramaic, but it is a different language altogether. I will say that if you are interested in learning the bible, you should focus on it rather than on modern Hebrew, as it is still different in many ways (not to the extant you won't understand a word).