New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis by
Only one hermeneutical text published prior to the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis can be held up reasonably to its measure of quality and the exhaustive nature of the research that produced this immense work. That singular collection worthy of comparison is its counterpart, the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, edited by Colin Brown. This 5 volume addition to that acclaimed work, though intimidating in the achievement it embodies, is intended for serious Old Testament and exegetical study by men and women of all walks of life -- both academics and pastors, students and laypersons. Volume one contains a Guide to Old Testament Theology and Exegesis in which ten essays have been compiled to thoroughly explain proper hermeneutics and interpretation, as well as guidelines for using this source material. Volumes one through four contain the Lexicon of the Old Testament, all words found in the text ordered by Hebrew alphabetization for easy reference, and coupled with a Goodrick / Kohlenberger cross-referencing number to be used in conjunction with Strong's numbering system. The relationship of each word in different contexts and languages is also explained, including alternative words, and the particulars of their semantic domain. All this information is, of course, complete with bibliography. Volume four also begins the Topical Dictionary. Therein can be found articles on the theology of each Old Testament book individually, as well as discussion of biblical concepts, people, places, events, and literary pieces, all information that is cross-referenced to the preceding Hebraic Lexicon. Finally, volume five contains a series of indexes: Hebrew Index, Scripture Index, Subject Index, and an index of Semantic Fields. Taken as a whole, the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis is an unparalleled accomplishment in the field of biblical hermeneutics.
Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament by
This multivolume work is still proving to be as fundamental to Old Testament studies as its companion set, the Kittel-Friedrich "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament," has been to New Testament studies.The "TDOT" volumes present in-depth discussions of the key Hebrew and Aramaic words in the Old Testament. Leading scholars of various religious traditions (including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Greek Orthodox, and Jewish) and from many parts of the world (Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States) have been carefully selected for each article by editors Botterweck, Ringgren, and Fabry and their consultants, George W. Anderson, Henri Cazelles, David Noel Freedman, Shemaryahu Talmon, and Gerhard Wallis.The intention of the writers is to concentrate on "meaning," starting from the more general, everyday senses and building to an understanding of theologically significant concepts. To avoid artificially restricting the focus of the articles, "TDOT" considers under each keyword the larger groups of words that are related linguistically or semantically. The lexical work includes detailed surveys of a word's occurrences, not only in biblical material but also in other ancient Near Eastern writings. Sumerian, Akkadian, Egyptian, Ethiopic, Ugaritic, and Northwest Semitic sources are surveyed, among others, as well as the Qumran texts and the Septuagint; and in cultures where no cognate word exists, the authors often consider cognate ideas."TDOT'"s emphasis, though, is on Hebrew terminology and on biblical usage. The contributors employ philology as well as form-critical and traditio-historical methods, with the aim of understanding the religious statements in the Old Testament. Extensive bibliographical information adds to the value of this reference work.This English edition attempts to serve the needs of Old Testament students without the linguistic background of more advanced scholars; it does so, however, without sacrificing the needs of the latter. Ancient scripts (Hebrew, Greek, etc.) are regularly transliterated in a readable way, and meanings of foreign words are given in many cases where the meanings might be obvious to advanced scholars. Where the Hebrew text versification differs from that of English Bibles, the English verse appears in parentheses. Such features will help all earnest students of the Bible to avail themselves of the manifold theological insights contained in this monumental work."
