A Bilingual Dictionary of the Hebrew and Aramaic Old Testament

Book excerpt: The publication of the first edition of A Bilingual Dictionary of the Hebrew and Aramaic Old Testament by Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner in 1953 marked a major event in Old Testament studies. It presented a vast treasure of lexicographical material, with renderings into both German and English. Its publication superseded at once all other existing dictionaries, mostly stemming from the 19th century. The Dictionary offered for the first time a strictly alphabetical order of entries, rather than a simple arrangement by roots. This feature not only saved the scholar much time and work, it also set the standard for future lexicographical work on the Old Testament. In 1958 a new, expanded edition was published which included an extensive supplement. Many reprints have followed since, all following the original presentation of a dictionary and supplement in two separate volumes. To this very day the Dictionary remains the only complete and comprehensive English-German dictionary of the Old Testament. This new impression of the Dictionary is published in one handy volume, meeting the needs of many scholars and students. Originally published as Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros, 1953-1983