Interpretive Lexicon of Old Testament Hebrew and Aramaic: Analysis of Adverbs, Conjunctions, Interjections, Particles, Prepositions, and Pronouns

“This is one of the best, concise, at-a-glance resources for the task of Hebrew exegesis. In addition to the grammatical-lexical information presented in this volume, the authors have also provided summaries and locations of additional resources vital to exegetical analysis. I will require this book in all my exegesis courses.”

“The six parts of speech covered in this handy little vademe-cum are mostly classifiable as 'minor parts of speech' or 'closed classes, but they are essential for the proper functioning of the biblical text. Or of any text, since in English, for example, the fifty most common words are all of this sort. Hardly ever does a single rendering or definition do justice to a biblical term, and in this respect the Lexicon will especially prove its worth by opening up the possibilities that have to be weighed in the act of translating. By combing through representative dictionaries and grammars and listing and summarising the relevant entries, Gibson and Simon have done a lot of the heavy lifting for the student whose progress to date will typically have concentrated on the construal of verbs and nouns. An additionally useful feature is the treatment of both Old Testament languages-Hebrew and Aramaic-in the one volume.”

“As in most languages, it is the 'little words' that most strongly resist simple glossing. They require careful study. A good lexicon will collect all the uses of each word into one place; but even good lexicons do not consistently supply the syntactical analysis that careful study demands. A good Hebrew/Aramaic grammar will treat the syntax of 'little words'; but when a word fulfils the role of two or more different parts of speech, locating its treatments in a grammar can be time-consuming. Neither do lexica or grammars always agree on the meaning and function of these words. Collecting all the relevant information for 194 Hebrew and 88 Aramaic little words' is a stroke of inspiration for which we owe the authors a debt of gratitude. Here, then, is a compendium that belongs in every serious biblical studies library. It promises countless hours of saved labor for students of the Hebrew/Aramaic Scriptures, and a careful curation of scholarly opinion that will empower exegetes to make informed choices.”

“Gibson and Simon have succeeded in providing students, pastors, and scholars with a one-stop guide for the syntactic function and semantic range of all adverbs, conjunctions, interjections, particles, prepositions, and pronouns in the Hebrew and Aramaic Scriptures. Not only do the entries provide concise summaries of the authors' take on the syntax and semantics of the lexemes covered, but they also provide the reader with summaries of the major dictionaries and grammars as well as cross-references for those who want more detail. I will use this volume with students in my Hebrew exegesis course and my Hebrew readings courses.”