A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament [Hardcover]

H. F. W. Gesenius (Author), Francis Brown (Editor), Edward Robinson (Translator), S. R. Driver (Contributor), Charles A. Briggs (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198643012 | ISBN-13: 978-0198643012 | Publication Date: December 31, 1952 | Edition: 2

with the co-operation of: Driver, S. R.; Unknown function: Briggs, Charles A.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1152 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (December 31, 1952)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198643012
• ISBN-13: 978-0198643012
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic standard, May 11, 2008

By 

Paul Stevenson "Linguist" (Duhok, Iraq) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Hardcover)

This dictionary is an old standard, and still very helpful. It is organized by roots. This means that all words are listed under the consonantal root (usually three consonants), regardless of what additional consonants or vowels have been added at the beginning or elsewhere. When I was a beginner in Hebrew, I found this system difficult to follow. However, with practice I started to get used to which roots lost their first consonant in derived or conjugated forms, and which ones had unstable second and third consonants. Now I can use this dictionary without much difficulty.

If you are a beginner in Hebrew, this dictionary is definitely a good one to plan to get, but you would be better served initially by A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. This dictionary organizes words alphabetically rather than by roots, a feature which saves beginners a lot of frustration. As you progress, you should also consider getting a much more recent comprehensive lexicon of Biblical Hebrew, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. This dictionary is based on much more recent scholarship that Brown-Driver-Briggs, but it is considerably more expensive, so BDB is an economical choice for good, if not cutting edge, scholarship. In case it matters to you, the edition I am reviewing here is the one without Strong's numbers. I have no interest in Strong's numbers, but if you find them helpful, take a look at this edition of BDB: Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful edition of a classic lexicon, March 19, 2000

By 

Jacob (Bethesda, Moldova, Republic of) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Hardcover)

This is a great Hebrew lexicon with detailed entries with references to the other semitic languages such as Aramaic, Arabic, Syriac, and Ethiopic. In fact, it even has a biblical Aramaic lexicon as an appendix.

11 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vital scripture study resource. Don't need to know Hebrew!, October 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Hardcover)

Why a lexicon? "In the beginning was the WORD." Word usage is enormously helpful to Biblical understanding. H.W.F. Gesenius (mid 1800's) is acclaimed as the Noah Webster of Old Testament Hebrew lexicons (dictionary). He brings to the Old Testament a wonderful blend of Christian/Jewish background and insight. Be sure to note not only the word you are looking up, but also the words that surround it, for they too often lend very interesting and even uncanny insight (divine providence).