32 Theological librarianship • Vol. 12, No. 1 april 2019

Hebrew Dictionaries

The most recent dictionary of Biblical Hebrew in English is Clines’s Dictionary of Classical Hebrew (DCH).69 This enormous project applies a sophisticated linguistic methodology and a near-concordance-level comprehensive analysis of all the words of the Hebrew Bible. One significant weakness of this work is its hesitance to use comparative Semitic data. In the Hebrew Bible, there are many, many words that are only attested a few times. In these cases, the comparative approach is a necessary tool for understanding what some of these words might mean. DCH is not always consistent in its methodological commitment to synchronic linguistics.

Kohler and Baumgartner’s dictionary Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (HALOT) provides an important update and translation of the 1970s German lexicon.70 This dictionary utilizes both the insights from the publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as more recent developments in comparative Semitics. The two-volume student edition is a bit more difficult to use than the five-volume edition, but the price difference is considerable. As good as HALOT is, however, Brown, Driver, and Brigg’s lexicon (BDB) is still a formidable resource. One of the biggest advantages of BDB is its treatment of particles and prepositions.71 The depth of insight and compact presentation is unmatched in any Biblical Hebrew resource. BDB is organized by root, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage of organization by root is that all of the related lexemes are close together. The disadvantage is that occasionally the roots are divided incorrectly. For example, hštḥwh is classified as šḥh and not ḥwy, but these missed roots are few and should not be exaggerated. Also, organization by root presupposes knowledge of Hebrew morphology, which can be a challenge for students.

Three other dictionaries worth considering are Clines’s Concise Dictionary, Kaddari’s Milon, and the 18 th edition of Gesenius’s dictionary.72 Clines’s concise dictionary lacks many of the advantages of DCH, and the weaknesses of the more comprehensive volumes are amplified. It is an affordable resource for students and easier to use than BDB, but not a replacement for it. Kaddari’s book is a good dictionary in modern Hebrew, providing glosses, ample examples, and some comparative Semitic discussion. The 18 th edition of Gesenius is thoroughly revised: the etymological sections as well as the lexicographical discussions. The organization is strictly alphabetical and a good resource for Hebrew lexicography in German.

Hebrew Theological Dictionaries

Despite Barr’s critique, the production of theological dictionaries has continued. The Old Testament companion to the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament has taken Barr’s critique seriously and provides an encyclopedic approach to each word.73 Though it is a wellspring of information, students should be warned about the potential pitfalls of using dictionaries like this. The biggest strength of TDOT is the presentation of information, but one weakness is that there is not much synthesis in most of the articles. VanGemeren’s NIDOTTE provides a bit more synthesis than TDOT, but the articles are shorter.74 Both are solid works in the category of theological dictionary.

69 David J. A. Clines, ed., The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993).

70 Ludwig Köhler, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Study ed. (Leiden: Brill, 2001).

71 Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament with an Appendix Containing the Biblical Aramaic, Based on the Lexicon of William Gesenius as Translated by Edward Robinson (Oxford: Clar-endon Press, 1907).

72 David J. A. Clines, ed., The Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2009); Mena ḥ em Zevi Kaddari, A Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (Alef-Taw) O ṣ ar Lešar Ha-Miqra ʾ Me-Alef ʿ ad Taw (Ramat Gan: Bar-Ilan University Press, 2007); Herbert Donner et al., Hebräisches und Aramäisches Handwörterbuch über Das Alte Testament: Gesamtausgabe, 18 th ed. (Berlin Heidelberg: Springer, 2013).

73 G. Johannes Botterweck et al., ed., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974).

74 Willem A. VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997).