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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

  • Botterweck, G. Johannes. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. 15 volumes. Translated by David E. Green. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006.
    • Richmond: REF. BJ 44 T391 E vols. 1-15; BS440 .B5713 vols. 1-15
    • Charlotte: 221.3 B659T vols. 1-15
    • In-depth discussions of the key Hebrew and Aramaic words in the Old Testament. Entries employ philology as well as form-critical and traditio-historical methods. Includes bibliography for further research.

 

  • Clines, David J. A. The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. 9 volumes. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2011.
    • Richmond: REF. BJ 48 D554 vols. 1-9
    • Charlotte: REF. 492.4321 D5544 2011 vols. 1-9
    • The first dictionary of classical Hebrew to cover not only the biblical texts but also Ben Sira, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Hebrew inscriptions, up to 200 CE.

 

  • Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987.
    • Richmond: REF. BJ 48 K64
    • Charlotte: REF. 492.4203 K642C
    • Aims to track how Hebrew words develop over time. Each entry is given in Hebrew, then translated into English and analyzed etymologically, using Latin transcription for all non-Latin scripts. Distinguishes between Biblical, Post Biblical, Medieval, and Modern Hebrew, and includes cognate information for Aramaic, Arabic, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Greek, and other languages.

 

  • Militarev, Alexander, and Leonid Kogan. Semitic Etymological Dictionary. Alter Orient und Altes Testament, Bd. 278. Münster : Ugarit-Verlag, 2000.
    • Richmond: PJ3065 .M55 2000 Vols. 1-2
    • Arranges material not in alphabetical order by root but rather by semantic field, in order to give a clear picture of how words in those shared fields are etymologically related across all Semitic languages (with occasional comparative data from non-Semitic Afroasiatic languages). It is limited in terms of the semantic fields it addresses, but is a useful tool if you are looking for comparative information on animal names or on human and animal anatomy.