The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon

The Brown-Driver-Briggs is much more than a dictionary.Although I agree with the reviewers who regret that this edition doesn't have the Hebrew-English index in the back, I never even thought to look for this in all my years of owning this dictionary until I read a review saying it was missing.Here is a brief summary of what you get in the BDB, as it is most commonly abbreviated, and some things you need to know.Learning to use the BDB is often included in many Hebrew coursebooks, since it is almost like learning a language in itself.First of all, the words are NOT listed in alphabetical order. They are listed in alphabetical order under the HEADING OF THE ROOT. So, every word which is formed from the root "KTV" (such as Miktav, Ktav, and Ktovah) will be listed in alphabetical order starting with the root itself (prefixed by the "root" symbol borrowed from math), "√כתב," in the "Kaf" section. So knowing how to identify the root consonants of a word is a must before you can use this dictionary.However, this is an essential skill for understanding any Semitic language anyway, since Hebrew, Arabic, or Aramaic word meanings are just vowel shapes and helper prefixes, with a consonant-based meaning.Secondly, you will need a reference grammar like Gesenius handy in order to understand what Brown Driver Briggs is telling you about the word. The grammatical information given is very specific and often includes unusual forms such as Hithpa'al and Hothpalel.Thirdly, when you first look up a root, you will see it compared with its Semitic equivalents in Arabic, Aramaic, Akkadian, Syriac, and Ge'ez (ancient Ethiopian), as well as the occasional Ancient Egyptian or Coptic word. So knowing the Arabic alphabet is a good introduction to being able to use the Comparative Semitics tools the dictionary offers.Right now I am learning the Ethiopian alphabet (called the Ge'ez Fidel) and the Syriac script (the BDB lists Syriac words in the Serto (western Syriac) script, as opposed to Estrangelo (eastern Syriac)). Akkadian and Egyptian words are not listed in cuneiform/heiroglyph form, but instead are written in English-letter transcription.Fourthly, there are many, many abbreviations used in the dictionary. Almost all of these abbreviations are explained in the front of the book, right after the Preface. It might be handy to put a sticky marker there, or a bookmark, for easy flipping back and forth to look up an abbreviation.Fifthly, Greek is used throughout the dictionary. The most common example is the letter "ψ" used to abbreviate "Psalms." However, words or phrases in Greek are not uncommon. Less common are Latin and German insertions or titles of books.Sixthly, the dictionary is rife with Scriptural references illustrating the various forms and usages of the word.Seventh, manuscript names are also included. This information can be ignored by the beginner (I do.) These are the funny looking symbols such as old Fraktur-style German letters in a big font sometimes followed by a Greek word.Eighth, the definitions of the words are usually written in italics, interspersed among all the complicated symbols and Scriptural references found under each listing.Because the BDB is so complicated, it is extremely useful. It is also just one volume, as opposed to 6-volume sets like some dictionaries, meaning it is accessible to the beginner.Some people are overwhelmed by the complicated information presented in the BDB. They know the Hebrew alphabet, but don't know how to identify the root of a word. Or they don't speak any other Semitic or scholarly language other than Hebrew, so all the comparative Semitics data is useless to them. For such students, a pocket dictionary might be more useful and much easier to use.I want a deep understanding of the Hebrew Bible. With all the raging controversies surrounding its origins and meaning, I find it extremely useful to have so much information accessible about the etymologies of words and the comparison with other Semitic languages. I feel like if I can learn to read these other languages, I will be able to understand the hidden story behind Scripture which has been so hotly pursued ever since the birth of High Criticism in Germany in the late 1800s. So the BDB feels like an invitation to me, showing me in an attractive visual format the various important elements of Comparative Semitics and textual criticism with which I must become familiar if I want to have a deep understanding of the Hebrew Text and form an opinion about its origins.

This BDB Hebrew Lexicon is ‘alphabetized’ in Hebrew, not English. To use this, if you are not a Hebrew speaker, you must have a Strong’s Concordance, which I have. I have a Hebrew (Israel) Bible, or TNK (Tanak), a ‘Learn to Speak Hebrew’ book (plus the other two related books) by Miiko Schaffier, and Gary A. Long’s ‘Grammatical Concepts’ for Biblical Hebrew. It’s possible to use the BDB Hebrew Lexicon using the Strong’s Concordance for quick reference (it is by page number) so if you’re completely new to the Hebrew language I’d suggest the other books, either with your purchase of the BDBHL or preferably before, which would decrease the ‘shock’ value. The BDB is twenty years of intense work by the authors, and based on the work of Wilhelm Gesenius, the father of modern Hebrew lexicography. The BDB relates to OT Hebrew words and cognate languages usage. It “organizes the Hebrew words according to their roots, rather than alphabetically.” The Strong’s uses page numbers next to the Hebrew words. The Aramaic is separate and is placed by itself at the end of the BDB as a separate and subordinate element of the OT language. There is no English-Hebrew index, decided against per practical reasons not to include that. With 1185 pages I can concur.Understand that you are taking on a phenomenal body of work in this (if you’re not familiar with the Hebrew language). But if you’re serious about your biblical studies and have other books (simuch as the ones I mentioned, and there are many more) then you would very much enjoy having this (the brown and green copy, 11th printing, 2007, USA). There is a list of abbreviations after the preface, on pages xv-xxi. I suggest, if your eyes are like mine, that you use a strong pair of reading glasses, and it won’t hurt one bit to use a magnifying glass. I’m staring at age seventy and my eyes definitely require all the help they can possibly get.Enjoy your BDB. and God bless.

More useful if you have other publications to enhance this publication. Strong’s Concordance; Vine’s Expository; Greek Diaglott; etc. Among the most powerful tools used by Jehovah’s Witnesses for pure and accurate translations of biblical text and supporting biblical teachings; and their translations of Bibles into hundreds of languages (including sign languages and brails). No one produces more accurate renderings of the entire Bible. I investigated. Do so for yourself and you’ll discover no one is more dedicated to purity and accuracy. The Emphatic Greek Diaglott, published in the late 1800’s is also one of the finest works available to enhance the Brown, Driver, and Briggs if you are to understand the Septuagint’s differences from the original Hebrew text. Jehovah’s Witnesses purchased the copy rights and publish a more simplified Diaglott based upon that Emphatic Diaglott.

Very good concordance.

Solid lexicon, good for its size but sometimes leaves one looking for more.

Thus is an incredibly comprehensive reference resource for understanding the root of many concept words which have become most important in understanding Biblical and Rabbinic Judaism. Only wish somebody would extend it into a encyclopedia.