Akkadian Lexicon Companion for Biblical Hebrew Etymological, Semantic and Idiomatic Equivalence (English and Hebrew Edition) - Softcover

Hayim Tawil

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1602801142 ISBN 13: 9781602801141

Publisher: KTAV Publishing House, 2009

Synopsis

The Companion does not confine its interest solely to etymological equivalents with Akkadian but also embraces semantic and idiomatic relationships. It helps uncover meanings for Hebrew words that have eluded clear definition in particular contexts, but which have either Akkadian cognates or vocable euivalents employed in a similar context. It proposes nuances for Hebrew words suggested by similar Akkadian usages. It illuminates idioms from related expressions in Akkadian. It corrects certain understandings of Hebrew words and expressions in light of their Akkadian equivalents. It shows that the large resource of Akkadian literature, though geographically and temporally somewhat remote and linguistically somewhat different from Hebrew, can, offer a large number of insights for the task of understanding and interpreting Biblical Hebrew.

About this title

Review:

The work of Professor Hayim Tawil contributes to the study of the Hebrew Bible and its language at its highest level. His expertise in the Bible, its language, and in the world of the Ancient Near East is apparent from this important study. Many idioms and expressions from the Book of Books find their elucidation in Professor Tawil s explications. --Dr. Moshe Bar Asher, Professor Emeritus, The Hebrew University President of the Academy of the Hebrew Language Winner of the Israel Prize in 1993

Since the decipherment of cuneiform in the 19th century, Bible scholars have searched the Akkadian texts for cognates to Biblical Hebrew lexemes. In the 20th century, their search was substantially facilitated by the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary (CAD) and Von Soden s Akkadisches Handwoerterbuch (Ahw). But the 21st century promises to usher in a new age for the critical utilization of the comparative lexical evidence, thanks to Hayim Tawil s Akkadian Lexical Companion for Biblical Hebrew. Tawil has systematically combed the standard dictionaries of Akkadian (and occasionally, Ugaritic) to list every potential or proposed cognate to the Biblical Hebrew lexicon. Individual studies, widely scattered in the periodical and monographic literature, have also been adduced. The author has organized the material according to such categories as idiomatic usage, phraseology, sequencing and denotation. The result is an impressive demonstration of the extent to which the languages in question illuminate each other and of the limits of the comparisons. --William W. Hallo, The William M. Laffan Professor Emeritus of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature, Yale University

I can only admire the immense amount of labor you are expending on this project...I view your project as rather unique, as I am not familiar with anyone who has endeavored to undertake what you are about here. And what I find especially significant and helpful is that you do not confine your interest to etymological equivalents but also embrace semantic and idiomatic relationships. This certainly enhances the usefulness of your work. While the prodigious amount of data you have assembled will appeal primarily to Hebrew Bible and/or East Semitic scholars, I think anyone with some knowledge with biblical Hebrew and Akkadian would want to consult this Lexical Companion from time to time in connection with linguistic interpretation in their own work.
- --Dr. George M. Landes, Professor Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary

About this edition

• Publisher: KTAV Publishing House
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1602801142
• ISBN 13: 9781602801141
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 530
• Editor: Richard White