Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words [Hardcover]

William D. Mounce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 2006

For years, Vine's Expository Dictionary has been the standard word study tool for pastors and laypeople, selling millions of copies. But sixty-plus years of scholarship have shed extensive new light on the use of biblical Greek and Hebrew, creating the need for a new, more accurate, more thorough dictionary of Bible words. William Mounce, whose Greek grammar has been used by more than 100,000 college and seminary students, is the editor of this new dictionary, which will become the layperson's gold standard for biblical word studies. Mounce's is ideal for the reader with limited or no knowledge of Greek or Hebrew who wants greater insight into the meanings of biblical words to enhance Bible study. It is also the perfect reference for busy pastors needing to quickly get at the heart of a word's meaning without wading through more technical studies. What makes Mounce's superior to Vine's? - The most accurate, in-depth definitions based on the best of modern evangelical scholarship - Both Greek and Hebrew words are found under each English entry (Vine's separates them) - Employs both Strong's and G/K numbering systems (Vine's only uses Strong's) - Mounce's accuracy is endorsed by leading scholars

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William D Mounce (Ph.D., Aberdeen University) lives as a writer in Washougal, Washington. He is the President of BiblicalTraining.org, a non-profit organization offering world-class educational resources for discipleship in the local church. See www.BillMounce.com for more information. Formerly he was a preaching pastor, and prior to that a professor of New Testament and director of the Greek Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the author of the bestselling Greek textbook, Basics of Biblical Greek, and many other resources. He was the New Testament chair of the English Standard Version translation of the Bible, and is serving on the NIV translation committee. SPANISH BIO: William D. Mounce (PhD, Universidad de Aberdeen) reside como autor en Washougal, Washington. Es presidente de la organizacion sin animo de lucro, BiblicalTraining.org, la cual ofrece recursos educacionales de alta calidad para el discipulado en la iglesia local. El Dr. Munce fue pastor y anteriormente profesor del Nuevo Testamento y director del programa Griego en el Seminario Teologico Gordon-Conwell. Es autor del exitoso libro de texto Griego, Gramatica biblica griega y muchos otros recursos. Sirve en el comite de la version de la Biblia en ingles NIV.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1344 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Supersaver edition (September 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310248787
• ISBN-13: 978-0310248781
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Hebrew
  • #7 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Hebrew
  • #8 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Greek

More About the Author

Bill lives as a writer in Washougal, Washington. He is the President of BiblicalTraining.org, a non-profit organization offering world-class educational resources for discipleship in the local church. He also runs Teknia.com, a site committed to helping people learn biblical Greek. And I author a series of blogs on this site.

Formerly he was a preaching pastor at a church in Spokane, WA, and prior to that a professor of New Testament and director of the Greek Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He also taught at Azusa Pacific University for ten years.Bill is the author of the bestselling Greek textbook, Basics of Biblical Greek, and many other resources. He was the New Testament chair of the English Standard Version translation of the Bible, and is now serving on the NIV translation committee. Robin and Bill have been married since 1983 and have three children.

Education

Ph.D. 1981, in New Testament. Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, Scotland.
M.A. 1977, in Biblical Studies. Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.
B.A. 1975, in Biblical Studies, minor in Greek. Bethel College, St. Paul, Minnesota; Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1971-74.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good... but..., October 9, 2006

By 

J. Oh "aletheia67" (Auburn, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Hardcover)

The book is overall very good quality inside and out. It self-proclaims that it is MORE "accurate, up-to-date, complete numbering system, and user-friendly" than Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary. My review is mixed, even though overall I do like the book.

PROS:
1. Indeed, some of the entries are more up-to-date than Vine's. But you cannot really tell the difference. A simple lay person has to believe that it is up-to-date.
2. I do find OT entries more complete than the Vine's, but shorter in definition. It simply has more entries for OT words than Vine's book. And I find it useful.
3. Dictionaries at the back really helps. These dictionaries are not concordance dictionaries where you find them at the back of concordance. These dictionaries provide short but clear definitions for the word at hand. Truly handy.
4. Hardcover book is clean and tight. Pages are thin (like the pages of the Bible)... this could be either pro or con depends on your preference.

CONS:
1. Some NT entries are not necessarily better than Vine's in my opinion. Such terms as "envy" "godly, godliness" and OT entry "wisdom" are better explained in Vine's. Hence, some entries are better than Vine's but other entries, the Vine is clearly better.
2. Personally, I do not like the format of the book (but this is subjective judgment). Under the English entry, both Hebrew and Greek corresponding words are discussed. To me this is a bit inconvenient. I like the Vine's format better: having separate entries for Hebrew words and Greek words.

Overall, I do like the book and recommend it. But I suggest that you use the book with good old Vine's Expository Dictionary. For my studies, Vine is hard beat.

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not all that "Complete", February 17, 2007

By 

Norrin Radd (Wayne Township, PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Hardcover)

The title says the dictionary is "Complete," and the cover blurbs call it "Vine's for the 21st Century," and say that compared to Vine's, Mounce's work is "More accurate," "More user-friendly," has "More up-to-date definitions" and a "More complete numbering system."

Undoubtedly these things are all true. It also features, in my opinion, a more readable layout, more contemporary and reader-friendly wording, and the fact that OT and NT words are not divided into entirely separate sections of the book is logical and convenient.

Finally, the inclusion of concise, "Strong's-like" lexicons at the end of the book is a nice touch.

The complaints:

Despite its claims of being "complete," it is most certainly not so. Only when closely examining the Introduction does one understand the curious inability to locate certain words: "It includes all Greek words occurring TEN times or more, all Hebrew words occurring FIFTY times or more, and other words occurring less if they are exegetically or theologically significant." (Emphasis added by reviewer.)

This makes sense if and only if concision is the overriding goal. After a bit of consideration, it is easy to realize that it is often those words LEAST used that are MOST in need of careful definition and exposition. This is a significant drawback, and in my opinion makes the title of the book misleading if not outrightly untruthful.

Involved in a debate about the Biblical teaching about homosexuality? Sorry, except for the very brief entry in the Strong's-type lexicon in the back of the book, you won't find any mention of "arsenokoites" in this tome.

In contrast to Vine, Mounce also seems to provide "exposition" that avoids some of the ongoing controversies in Christianity.

Trying to suss out whether Heaven and Hell really are "everlasting" or merely "age-long" as various "eonian" proponents claim? Vine frames parts of his definitions in such a way that they seem intended to directly address claims posited by some eonians and Universalists; Mounce's definitions are clear and adequate, but less "direct" in terms of addressing controversies.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not good enough, December 20, 2006

By 

Dr. T. Irvine (Londonderry, Co. Londonderry United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Hardcover)

I agree with the previous reviewers. There are several weaknesses in the layout and the dictionary itself. Example: on page 783, the author discusses the Greek word for weep (Klaio) and his explanation and examples totally ignores one of the most well known times when Jesus wept (John 11:35) which is the verb dakryo. This verb is listed on page 1115 - in the Greek! Not much good for those who haven't studied Greek before. There are several times this happens. The word 'contend' (e.g. used in Jude 3) and receives only one reference in Mounce (Diakrino); in Vine's it receives 3 references (athleo, diakrino & epagonizomai - the actual Greek word used in Jude!) My advice as a language teacher - Vine's should be your first stop - then Mounce's.