The Hebrew Old Testament Reader’s Edition is a new publication by Crossway. I’ve greatly enjoyed this edition of the Hebrew Old Testament, and I want to share just a few reasons why that is the case.
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The Hebrew Old Testament Reader’s Edition
First, I’ve had the privilege of learning biblical Hebrew while in seminary a few years ago. I really enjoyed learning how to read the Old Testament in its original language. However, that was six years ago, and I have forgotten quite a few vocabulary words. Enter the Reader’s Edition! The main feature that makes this edition different than other Hebrew Old Testaments is the running glosses of words that occur fewer than 75 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. These words are placed at the bottom of the page, so as the reader is working through the Hebrew text, and they come across a word that aren’t familiar with, they are able to look to the bottom of the page to get the gloss (meaning). Not every word is included at the bottom, of course, but only those which appear fewer than 75 times (which is quite a lot of words!).
To make this reader’s edition stand out in comparison to others, Crossway also parsed the verbs that are listed at the bottom. This is extremely helpful! Now I realize that those who are more advanced in their understanding of Hebrew will mention that this isn’t a good thing (because the reader will rely more on the running gloss than they will on memorizing the vocabulary or doing the hard work of parsing), but I think this is an excellent resource for those who are not yet ready for that level of Hebrew translation.
Second, this Bible is a very beautiful publication! It’s a black hardcover book (like it’s Greek New Testament counterpart) that is elegant in style. I like how they placed the English title on the “front” and the Hebrew title on the “back” (which is actually the front in Hebrew). I’m also grateful for the black, elegant slip cover box. I appreciate how Crossway has been utilizing these slipboxes, especially for Bibles.
Third, the font size for both the Scriptures themselves as well as the glosses is just right (not too small or too big).
Since I really like this edition, I need to mention at least one criticism. And here it is: NO RIBBON MARKER! I am really surprised that they went without the ribbon marker for the Hebrew Old Testament Reader’s Edition when they did give the Greek New Testament Reader’s Edition a ribbon marker. I think that’s the only negative about this edition. They should have provided the ribbon marker.
Conclusion
Any student of Biblical Hebrew would do well to have this edition on their bookshelf. It will help you to grow in your reading, translating, and understanding of the Hebrew Old Testament. And that’s a wonderful thing! I can’t recommend this beautiful edition highly enough! Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Crossway Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of the Blog Review Program. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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