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Hebrew Studies 44 (2003) 224 Reviews to fairly represents not just what the selected word meant, but rather what the word meant within the sentence, to that degree we are given a rich resource with which to begin our work. It is in this manner that much light can be shed on our work in the Hebrew and Aramaic text. Surely, as with similar wordbook dictionaries, this is a most ambitious undertaking. But it is better to have attempted it and to have others after years of usage point to marginal caveats here and there than it would have been never to have had this amazing head start in the collection of linguistic data as formed by usage and syntax. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary South Hamilton, MA 01982 wckaiser@gcts.edu THEOLOGICAL DICTIONARY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. VOL. 11. Edited by G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren. Heinz-Josef Fabry. Pp. xxiv +615. Grand Rapids. Mich.: Eerdmans, 2001. Cloth, $50.00. This is the eleventh volume in Tire Theological Dictionary of the Old Testamellf, the ongoing English translation of the Theologisc/re Worterbuc/r zum Alten Testamellf. TDOT II is an unabridged translation of fascicles 1-6 of the sixth volume of the Wiirterbuclr, including articles on eighty-three terms from nl1-c·~~. The German edition, published in a series of eye-straining volumes. is formatted in double columns with abbreviated bibliographic citations integrated into the text. Fortunately, in the process of translation, the publishers at Eerdmans took the opportunity to improve the utility of the volumes. They removed the attenuated source citations, relocating them in footnotes with complete bibliographic information, and they replaced the ungainly German transliteration system. Although the English translations now lag behind the German production by more than a decade (fascicles 1-6 of TWAT volume 6 were originally published in 1987-1988), the bibliographies have not been updated. Whenever possible, English translations of German works are noted. The editors granted contributors the freedom to organize their articles as they desired. Most adopt the following basic outline: "Etymology, Occurrence, Meaning," "Ancient Near East," "Old Testament Usage," "Extrabiblical Usage" (usually including LXX!). Each article provides a thorough discussion of Semitic cognates and, in a few ca<;es (e.g., ilrt7.l1 "young woman"), the primary author has permitted a specialist to make the comments on comparative Semitics. In addition, the articles, almost without Hebrew Studies 44 (2003) 225 Reviews exception, provide exhaustive infonnation on frequency and distribution, usage in the Hebrew Bible and Dead Sea Scrolls, and passages that are notoriously difficult to translate. The assortment of interesting excursus on relevant ancient Near Eastern customs is a notable bonus, as are the occasional tables on word-distribution. For example, there is an excursus on ancient viticultural practices (under :1~' "grape"), the social position of concubines (::;~~!!p "concubine"), and the history and development of urban life in ancient Syro-Palestine (,•.1; "city"). The tables on the distribution of o·~~ with various prepositions (p. 592) and the various homographs of im: (p. 234), for example, makes highly complex infonnation accessible to the reader. The critical question in such an undertaking must be this: what counts as a theological term? According to the preface of volume I, TDOT intends to "analyze its [the Hebrew Bible's] religious statements with the aid of all accessible resources and to present them in their peculiarity, in order to shed as much light as possible on the connections of the content of Old Testament thought in a given text, tradition, or institution" (p. xx). Otherwise, the editors nowhere explain the criteria by which terms were considered deserving of a place in the dictionary. An analysis of the volume with this in mind reveals that most tenns included in the dictionary appear in theophany accounts (e.g., H-V "cloud," i;~'~"darkness"), in cultic texts (1~-V "smoke," ,~~ "corps~," ':'i~;: "filth," ~jj-V "arrange"), as metaphors in prophetic oracles (e.g., ':'i; "yoke," jj~¥ "foliage," o~f. "bone," "'l11'W "goat"), or in other poetic images for God or men (e.g., :~~ "grass," :~~ "grape"). Although the editors detennined the selections to be included in the volume, they pennitted the individual contributors to ascertain for themselves what sort of "theological" weight a tenn might bear. In some cases, authors have limited their theological analysis to individual passages or images. A. Angerstorfer, for example, in his article on :~~ "grape" confines his theological comments to the image "God as vintner" and the locution "blood of grapes." In his article on 1~~' "smoke," R. North avoids the word "theology" altogether. Apart from the word's etymology and a paragraph on its use in the Dead Sea Scrolls, he limits the article to an examination of Gen 15:17 and Exod 19:18 and a semantic comparison with ii"}bi? (smoke). In other cases, contributors associate the denotation of a metaphor with it<; "theological" meaning. i;i; "yoke." for example, is theological, because it l<; used as a metaphor for foreign domination (p. 74). Finally. in a few cases, contributors have attempted to assign some veiled theological content to individual words. Thus, we are told that the word ';~,~ "darkness" "promises life and salvation," because it is associated with the manifestation of God (p. 372). Likewise. :')¥ "evening" "marks the onslaught of menace Hebrew Studies 44 (2003) 226 Reviews and dread," because "nowhere is God's help mentioned in connection with the evening offering" (p. 340). This points to the primary methodological problem that confronts contributors to any theological dictionary. That is, there is no straightforward alignment between individual words and theological concepts. The biblical authors may use any number of words, technical terms, or images to communicate a theological concept. In 1974, James Barr observed that TDOT, is, in fact, an encyclopedic dictionary, which happens to make theological comments with varying degrees of plausibility (Interpretation 30 [1974): 186-190). Even so, the ultimate test of any dictionary is its utility. TDOT is unsurpassed as a repository of accurate, useful information on contextual matters and on the etymology and usage of select words. William A. Tooman University ofWisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706 watooman@wisc.edu BIBLICAL HEBREW: AN INTRODUCTORY TEXTBOOK. By Nancy L. de Claisse-Walford. Pp. vii + 280. St. Louis, Mo.: Chalice Press, 2002. Paper, $39.99. This is a teaching book meant for students who study Biblical Hebrew as part of their academic education. It is based on the author's experience in teaching Biblical Hebrew in theological seminaries and as an assistant to a professor. The volume is divided into twenty chapters which are meant cumulatively to teach the basic facts of Biblical Hebrew. These are followed by four appendixes entitled "Keys to exercises," "Shortcuts," "Useful charts," and "Vocabulary." The book is not meant to serve as a general grammar of Biblical Hebrew, which is generally divided into four fundamental parts, namely, orthography, phonology, morphology, and syntax. As a teaching book, its goal is to enable students to manage a basic Hebrew text, and therefore it focuses on building up basic grammar and vocabulary. Though there is no shortage of grammars, introductions, and teaching books of Biblical Hebrew in English, there is always room for other works, on the condition that they are accurate, well organized, and meet their goals. Chapters 1 and 2 expose students to orthography, vocalization, accents, and syllabic structure. Chapter 3 deals with the deftnite article, prepositions, and the conjunction 1. Nouns are the subject of chapter 4, and adjectives and pronouns are the subject of chapter 5. Chapter 6 presents pronominal sufftxes of nouns and prepositions, the metheg and maqqej, and describes the method ...

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