Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament by edited by G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer RinggrenCall Number: Ref. BS440.B5713 vol. 1-15
ISBN: 0802823254
Multi-volume Bible dictionary. Alphabetical by topic, entries are transliterated from the Hebrew. The focus in this dictionary is both linguistic and theological. Entries provide in-depth discussions of the key Hebrew and Aramaic words in the Old Testament. Contributors are international scholars from diverse religious traditions and thus exhibit a diversity of theological viewpoints. Entries typically treat the head term along with cognates and semantically related lexemes. Included is etymological analysis (which may involve investigation of sources in other ancient Near Eastern languages), a survey of the number and distribution of occurrences in the Old Testament, an overview of characteristic syntactical contexts, delineation of the semantic field, consideration of the theological significance of the data, and a bibliography. Frequently, translation equivalents that are found in the Septuagint are mentioned and, where relevant, usage in the Dead Sea Scrolls is discussed. Here and there, reference is made to rabbinic usage and apocryphal/pseudepigraphal connections. This is an important reference work for scholars working in the original language of the Hebrew scriptures.