A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Hardcover)

by H. F. W. Gesenius (Author), Francis Brown (Editor), Edward Robinson (Translator), S. R. Driver (Contributor), Charles A. Briggs (Contributor)
Key Phrases: meaning dub, text dub, human subj, Qal Impf, Judah Jos, Dead Sea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Based on the seminal work in Hebrew lexicography, Gesenius' Thesaurus, this lexicon offers the reader short English definitions, and, in cases of uncertainty, the means of forming an independent judgment from the extant materials and the extra-biblical history of the words. Words are classified according to their stems and no pronunciations are supplied. The comprehensive appendix containing the Biblical Aramaic makes use of important Aramaic texts from Egypt, of the fifth century B.C.

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 6.6 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #305,630 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #63 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Sacred Writings > Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) > Criticism & Interpretation
  #69 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Sacred Writings > Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) > Study
  #79 in	Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Hebrew > Instruction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Judaeosemitist (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Paul Stevenson "Linguist" (Silver Spring, Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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: Based upon the Lexical Work of Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner. 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, 2 volume set. 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.

10 of 14 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

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).