Customer Reviews

Langenscheidt's Pocket Hebrew Dictionary (English and Hebrew Edition)

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This dictionary provides every lexiconical entry for the Hebrew Tanach. Each entry provides the various translations foudn in the Tanach for the entry. It also provides under each basic entry the meaning for the word as used in other forms, such as verb stems, nouns, participles, infinitives, adjectives, etc. Every form of the word that occurs in the Tanach is found in this resource. The only "basic" source I find more useful at times concerning the meanings of the words is the lexicon in the Strong' Concordance, which provides the basic meaning and nuances behind the Hebrew translation. An advantage of this pocket dictionary, on the other hand, is that it provides what Strong does not: the meanings as directly associated to particular grammatical forms of the word. For instance, Strong would state that the root meaning of "deep" as in "deep water" is "agitation." The root meaning for the word "sea" is "roar." This pocket dictionary does not speak concerning this. If one follows these words through the Old Testament, one finds that their "hidden" lexiconical meaning (the meaning that doesn't show up in translation) is very foundational to its contextual use. But Strong provides no meanings as associated with various grammatical uses of the words. For instance, the pocket dictionary under review would state that the word for "visit" means to have rule or charge over something in the Hifil stem. Strong gives no such associational comparisons of meaning as related to changes in grammatical use. I believe both resources, as basic resources, must be had by the Hebrew student. By having both, one gets what one could never have by only having one of these resources. This dictionary also provides meanings that books of Hebrew word lists do not provide.

This is useful in that it is a pocket sized dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, whereas most of that sort are large lexicons.

It's small, it's not too hard on the eyes and it covers the vocabulary. Of course, you must know enough of the language to be able to find an entry. Not appropriate for exegesis papers, but useful for "quick" reading.

I have been stimulated by Free to Be Me by Arthur Vonshtain to learn other languages and Hebrew was my first to start with. I am interested in ancient Hebrew but there is not many dictionaries to use. This brand I always use and never regret.

This is a great Hebrew tool, but cannot stand on its own for the beginning student. The problem is that it is a Hebrew to English dictionary, which is useful, but it is not an English to Hebrew dictionary.