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Biblical Language Study Resources

This guide is a collection of reference sources at UPSem Libraries for studying biblical Hebrew and koine Greek. Most of these are in the Reference collection of the Richmond library; many are also available in the Charlotte library.

Theological Wordbooks, Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

  • Balz, Horst, and Gerhard Schneider. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. 3 volumes. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993.
    • Richmond: REF. BR 64.2 E96 E vols. 1-3
    • Charlotte: 225.4803 EX32 vols. 1-3
    • A complete English dictionary of New Testament Greek. EDNT also serves as a guide to the usage of every New Testament word in its various contexts. It groups words related by root and meaning.

 

  • Buttrick, George Arthur, et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. 5 volumes. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006-2009.
    • Richmond: REF. CD 14 I62 2006 vols. 1-5
    • Charlotte:  220.3 N42034 vols. 1-5
    • This dictionary is a good starting point for research on any topic, place or person in the Bible, with emphasis on crucial theological concepts. Based on the NRSV.

 

  • Freedman, David Noel, et al., eds. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 volumes. New York/London: Doubleday, 1992.
    • Richmond: REF. BS440 .A54 1992 vols. 1-6
    • Charlotte: 220.3 AN21 vols. 1-6
    • The 6,200 entries include every proper name mentioned in the Bible, whether person or place; all versions of the Bible; methodologies of biblical scholarship; and hundreds of entries on various historical and archaeological subjects. Each entry in this alphabetically arranged work includes a heading; a qualifying tag (e.g., "person," "place," or a map reference number); a transliteration providing the original biblical form of the word with an indication of whether it is Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew, or Latin; any variations on the spelling of the heading; and any derivatives. The text of entries varies in length, from a single line for letters of the alphabet (β is simply defined as "the second letter of the Greek alphabet") to just under 75 pages for the entry Languages.

 

  • Giannakis, Giorgios K., gen. ed. Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics Online. Brill Academic Publishers, 2014.

 

  • Kittel, Gerhard. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Ronald E. Pitkin. 10 volumes. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976.
    • Richmond: REF. BR 64.2 K62 E vols. 1-10.
    • Charlotte: 225.4803 K652T vols. 1-10.
    • Focusing on the theological meaning of each word, the abridgment contains English keywords for each entry, tables of English and Greek keywords, and a listing of the relevant volume and page numbers from the unabridged work at the end of each article or section.