Lexicography, together with grammatical studies and textual criticism, forms the basis of biblical exegesis. Recent decades have seen much progress in this field, yet increasing specialization also tends to have the paradoxical effect of turning exegesis into an independent discipline, while leaving lexicography to the experts. The present volume seeks to renew and intensify the exchange between the study of words and the study of texts. This is done in reference to both the Hebrew source text and the earliest Greek translation, the Septuagint. Questions addressed in the contributions to this volume are how linguistic meaning is effected, how it relates to words, and how words may be translated into another language, in Antiquity and today. Etymology, semantic fields, syntagmatic relations, word history, neologisms and other subthemes are discussed. The main current and prospective projects of biblical lexicology or lexicography are presented, thus giving an idea of the state of the art. Some of the papers also open up wider perspectives of interpretation.

Why study biblical languages? The Rewards of Learning Greek and Hebrew: Discovering the Richness of the Bible in Its Original Languages is written to convince you that its worth it! Professors Catherine L. McDowell and Philip H. Towner have spent years opening the eyes of students to the riches that await those who study Hebrew and Greek, and they invite you to listen in. This book is designed for people who have never studied the biblical languageseverything is in English or English script, and everything is clearly explained. The Rewards of Learning Greek and Hebrew contains a number of case studiessome from the Hebrew Bible and some from the New Testamentthat demonstrate the kind of accuracy and insight that await those who study the biblical languages. Each case study is accompanied by a testimonial from a student whose understanding of the Bible has been enriched by studying Greek or Hebrew. With encouragements from Christian scholars and pastors sprinkled throughout, The Rewards of Learning Greek and Hebrew gives you a taste of what awaits the student of biblical languages and encourages you to take the plunge. About the Authors Dr. Catherine McDowell is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. She previously taught Old Testament at Wheaton College in Illinois. Dr. McDowell is the author ofThe Image of God in the Garden of Eden (Eisenbrauns) and the study notes for 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles in the ESV Archaeological Study Bible (Crossway). She is in the process of founding a new seminary in Cap-Hatien, Haiti that will have a significant emphasis on biblical languages and original language exegesis. The Revd Dr Philip H. Towner is a professor at Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, where he teaches translation studies, and a visiting professor of NT exegesis and translation at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome. He is an Episcopal priest in the New York Diocese. As the former Dean and Director of the Eugene A. Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship at American Bible Society in New York City, he was co-director of the Nida School of Translation Studies, based in Misano Adriatco, Italy, and served as the Director of Translation Services of the United Bible Societies. He is the author and editor of several books and numerous articles in the fields of biblical studies and translation studies. When not in Rome, he lives in Hoboken, NJ.

New Testament lexicons of today are comprehensive, up-to-date, and authoritative. Behind them lies a tradition dating back to the sixteenth century, whose characteristics are not well known. Besides giving a history of this tradition, A History of New Testament Lexicography demonstrates its less satisfactory features, notably its dependence on predecessors, the influence of translations, and its methodological shortcomings. John A. L. Lee not only criticizes the existing tradition, but stimulates thought on new goals that New Testament lexicography needs to set for itself in the twenty-first century. This book caters to the non-specialist as well as those interested in philological detail.

Frederick W. Danker is deservedly recognized as one of todaybs foremost Greek lexicographers. Unique among contemporary biblical scholars, Danker has lived to see the publication of two major Greek dictionaries that he himself edited. While he was part of the editorial team that produced the second edition of "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature," he alone thoroughly revised the entire dictionary to produce the third edition, popularly known as BDAG. Projects like these have considerably advanced New Testament lexicography in the twentieth century and have laid a solid foundation for further lexicographical work in the twenty-first. "Biblical Greek Language and Lexicography" celebrates the life and work of Professor Danker. In character with his contribution to Greek scholarship, the essays have been chosen to assist biblical Greek students and their teachers to develop a deeper understanding of aspects of Greek language and lexicography. Among the topics of discussion are the way one discovers the meaning of words, current tools available to students of language, and the approach being used in the latest New Testament and Septuagint Greek dictionaries. The book also features rich footnotes directing students to important Greek language resources, a selected bibliography of Dankerbs publications, an appendix listing BDAG precursors, and four indexes -- biblical references, Greek words, Hebrew forms, and grammatical and lexicographical terms. Sure to interest scholars, teachers, pastors, and students, this volume is both a worthy tribute to the career of Frederick Danker and a valuable presentation of the state of the art in Greek andbiblical language studies. Contributors: Rykle Borger Cameron Boyd-Taylor Peter R. Burton Randall Buth Frederick William Danker John H. Elliott Trevor V. Evans Erik Eynikel Katrin Hauspie William A. Johnson John A. L. Lee Barclay M. Newman Jr. Takamitsu Muraoka Stanley E. Porter Terry Roberts Bernard A. Taylor James W. Voelz Richard E. Whitaker

Drawing on various modern linguistic models, including cognitive linguistics, frame semantics, and construction grammar, this book presents a new, integrated approach to lexical semantic analysis of biblical Hebrew, applying it in a detailed study of words related to “exploring.”

Many linguistic tools and methods are applied to biblical texts in order to gain meaning from them. Such applications do not always take into account the perspective of the investigators, the presuppositions of the method used and the nature of the material to which it is applied. These are all factors that influence the meaning obtained from the text. Sue Groom takes us through the pitfalls and limitations of the various methods available and considers textual transmission, diachronic and dialectical variation and the impact these have on the relationship between reader, author and text. Combining a critical account of long established approaches to Hebrew meanings with a lucid introduction to newer and more recent methods such as lexical semantics and text linguistics, this illuminating read will be of interest to those who have previously studied Hebrew as well as those who know no Hebrew or would like to start somewhere.