B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

Hello again.

I've got another question now. I have a digital edition (scanned) of the BDB, and it works fine for me when reading the Tanakh. But I know that it's not up-to-date, so I want to get another lexicon that contains modern discoveries (Ugarit, Dead Sea Scrolls, that kind of things).

Someone told me that the DCH by David Clines is a good option, and I found a one-volume version on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Concise-Dictionar ... 1412875443

But others say it's not worth the investment, that it's too basic, and that it's still lacking two not yet published parts (7 & 8 volumes of the multivolume edition).

What would you recommend?

normansimonr wrote:...I want to get another lexicon that contains modern discoveries...What would you recommend?

I would recommend Karl Randolph's lexicon. It is "up to date" and includes "modern" discoveries in that Karl is constantly revising it. It is an interactive lexicon in that if, in the course your reading, you feel that one of Karl's entry's needs to be revised, he will seriously consider your suggestions, and your ideas may even wind up in the next edition.

I've been googling a bit but I can't find it. Could you help me?

Send Karl a private message and he will add you to the list of people who receive the latest versions of the lexicon, which now includes some brief stuff on Hebrew grammar as well. You should be able to print the whole thing for less than $20.00.

OK thanks. I'll do that.

Dear Norman:

As a writer of a dictionary specifically aimed for beginning students, of course I would recommend my own dictionary. Mine is not a scholar’s dictionary, rather a student’s one, yet one that I use myself so I keep checking it for accuracy.

Another dictionary I recommend for the beginning student is Davidson’s Analytical Concordance because it lists all the forms found in the Hebrew Bible. I don’t always agree with it, but I found it a good source for learning Hebrew when I was just beginning. I include many of the more difficult to recognize forms in my dictionary, so you may find that when using my dictionary, you won’t need this one.

Karl W. Randolph.

There is a more comprehensive lexicon by David Clines and a concise lexicon that is quite abbreviated and condensed.

You might also consider getting them in digital format. Here are the lexicons for Accordance but I would imagine that Logos and BibleWorks might have them as well, especially HALOT.

Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, edited by David Clines
http://www.accordancebible.com/store/de ... oncise+DCH

Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, edited by David Clines
http://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=DCH

(Personally, I have found the Concise Dictionary to be much less helpful that the complete one.)

But I still really appreciate HALOT and would recommend it as the first choice for a lexicon.
Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Koehler and Baumgartner
http://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=HALOT

If you are interested in epigraphic Hebrew, there is this little volume by J. P. Kang.
Dictionary of Epigraphic Hebrew
http://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=DEH

Arne Halbakken

Thanks so much for your references. Now I have K. Randolph's excellent lexicon and also Davidson's analytical lexicon in its public domain format. With these three lexicons (BDB, Randolph's and Davidson's) and the BHS I feel more able to understand Biblical Hebrew. Now, the thing about introductory grammars is that, in my opinion, they don't really agree with one another about the meanings of the verb conjugations, so which grammar to choose will be pretty difficult, I reckon. But that's the topic of another post.