Jump to content

Which lexicons should I make my default?


Paul Daunno

Recommended Posts

After watching a recorded training seminar yesterday I realized that I could triple click a greek word in Mounce Greek Dictionary or KM for Hebrew and have it take me to my default lexicon. I actually have my default lexicon set as KM for Hebrew and Mounce for Greek. Based on the seminar these are not the best choices. Of those in my library, which would be the best choice for Hebrew and Greek?

 

post-29796-0-25542900-1387721755_thumb.png

 

post-29796-0-65727400-1387722133_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I would recommend Louw Nida. It is the most complete and up to date of those in your library. Spiq is good, but very limited in it's content. Thayer is dated and the others are very brief.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I second the recommendation for Louw/Nida for Greek. Just be aware that it's organized by semantic domains, so there may be multiple entries for a single Greek word. Spicq is a theological word study book, so it's a good resource but won't cover every NT word and therefore isn't the best default.

 

For Hebrew, the Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew (BDB is good too but is older). TLOT and TWOT, like Spicq, are aimed at word studies.

Edited by JonathanHuber
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both for the suggestions. I will set those as my default lexicons and give them a try. You both answered what I was hoping for; which ones are more current and which ones have the most useful information.

 

If I were to upgrade is HALOT/BDAG the way to go or is that too much for a lay person like me who uses Accordance mostly for personal Bible study and preparing to lead our small group?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paul,

It depends. Do you have training in the languages, or wish to study them later?

 

I have training but am not a pastor, and use BDAG all the time, but might not cite it in Bible studies.

 

If you are comfortable using the tools that you have then use those. If you want to dig deeper then BDAG etc. might be useful

 

One question I always ask myself, will the teaching point that I get from using these original language resources be edifying to those who I teach.

 

Leaving you in God's Care and Grace

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paul,

 

BDAG/HALOT are more exhaustive than these, which is good if you're studying or planning to study the original languages. If not, that exhaustiveness sometimes can be more overwhelming than helpful (I chose not to buy the complete TDNT for this same reason). You already have a variety of standard and theological lexicons, so you may be best served by using them for a while before deciding if you need more information.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Paul, I asked the same question recently about the BDAG/HALOT about a week ago. I had the same concerned. In my case I am trying to learn a little bit of greek to be able to get the most from the tools. I ended up getting them and I am extremely glad aI did. They both are very exhaustive and Accordance just had them on sale about a week ago.

 

On my thread David Bailey posted a link to a PDF about BDAG that helped me a lot. Intro to Using BDAG.pdf

 

I enjoy using the Louw Nida a lot. You may want to check on Mounce Expository Dictionary. It works well with the Mounce Dictionary that comes with Accordance.

 

I also use the TDNT and just got on sale the TWOT. They are both on sale right now

 

Here is the link to that other thread as it may be helpful.

Edited by davidmedina
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Phil - I don't have any formal training in original languages but am determined to use the resources in Accordance to learn what I can to better understand the text.

 

Jonathan - thank you for letting me know what I already have is very good and worth investing more time in to learn. Perhaps in the future I will add other lexicons. I do like spending money on Accordance modules

 

David - thank you for the link to the PDF. I'll read that as time permits. I too have the a Mounce Expository and have found that to be quite helpful. Glad to hear you are getting good use of BDAG/HALOT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a follow up question about CDCH. I am looking into the Hebrew word for grace/favor. Triple-clicking from the KM dictionary brings me to CDCH since that's now my default lexicon. The screen shot below is what is found for this word:

 

post-29796-0-44447500-1387904096_thumb.png

 

I am interested in the second one that references Ben Sira. Is the 37.29 meant to refer to that chapter and verse in Ben Sira? If so, which English word does it pertain to since grace or favor are not found in the NRSVS that I'm using? Also, what does (Bmg, D)* refer to?

 

While I'm at it, at a high-level what is the significance of Ben Sira and perhaps more specifically the value that it brings to CDCH? I understand the Bible and DSS but am unfamiliar with Ben Sira and the Inscriptions.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am no expert, but:

 

This reference is another entry, nothing to do with Grace.

 

It refers to this MSS of Sirach (BenSira): תׄתׄח֯נׄגׄ על מטעמים and to the uncertain reading of the word compared to the other MSS, as CDCH says, the others read תענוג.

 

Sirach (Ecclesiaticus) is important because the recently discovered Hebrew MSS witness to the original of a book which was until then only known in its Greek translation in the Septuagint, and in other translations.

 

DCH does not seem to explain what Bmg stands for, but it seems to stand for one of the MS. The JBL has this sentence: The translation of the Hebrew, which is extant in three manuscripts (B, Bmg, Masada), so I think I am correct.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Helen is correct; in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a number of fragments containing portions of Ben Sira in Hebrew were discovered in the Cairo Genizah (a storehouse for old or retired manuscripts attached to the synagogue in Cairo). These fragments were determined to be remnants of five distinct manuscripts, which were designated A, B, C, D, and E. They are extremely important for the textual history of Ben Sira and for the study of the Hebrew language, because before their emergence the book was known only in other languages such as Greek, Old Latin, and Syriac.

 

So, when the CDCH entry references "(Bmg, D)," it means that this Hebrew form is found in two of the Cairo Genizah manuscripts: B (where it appears in the margin rather than the main text; this is the meaning of "mg") and D. However, the entry suggests that the form may be a scribal error; the scribe may have intended to use a form of the verb that means "to take delight."

 

The asterisk at the beginning of the entry indicates that this word does not appear in Brown-Driver-Briggs (which was first published in 1906). The DCH and CDCH contain approximately 3300 of these "new words." Approximately one-third of these are words found in manuscripts discovered or published after the publication of Brown-Driver-Briggs (this category includes most of the Cairo Genizah manuscripts, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls). The remaining two-thirds are words that have been proposed by modern scholars, based on research in cognate languages such as Ugaritic, Akkadian, and Arabic.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...