[b-hebrew] Biblical Hebrew and Akkadian Comparative Lexicon
George Athas
george.athas at moore.edu.au
Tue Mar 7 16:26:15 EST 2006
The following [abridged] news item is forwarded on behalf of Uri Hurwitz
(uhurwitz at yahoo.com) and may be of interest to members of B-Hebrew.
Best Regards,
GEORGE ATHAS
Fellow Chairman, B-Hebrew
Moore Theological College
1 King St, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia
Ph: (+61 2) 9577 9774
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FEATURES: Biblical Hebrew and Akkadian Comparative Lexicon
The Commentator
Features
March 2, 2006
Yeshiva Faculty Scholar's Lexicon Set to Revolutionize Field of
Biblical Study
By: Zev Eleff
After eight years of diligent research, distinguished Yeshiva
College Associate Professor (non-tenured) Hayim Tawil will be
releasing a Biblical Hebrew and Akkadian Comparative Lexicon to be
published by CDL Press within the next month. The Lexicon, which
will be the first of its kind to focus on the comparative study and
interpretation of Akkadian, Aramaic and Hebrew languages, is seen
by many scholars within the field as a groundbreaking intellectual
and spiritual endeavor.
"Professor Hayim Tawil's Lexicon is on the same! level as Jastrow or
any top-caliber work," said Yeshiva Hebrew Department Chair,
Professor Samuel Schneider while listing many of the acclaimed
Semitic grammarians who have hailed Tawil's revolutionary opus. "He
is known as a top scholar in his field and deserves the highest of
praises for the places he is taking his particular area of study."
"[Professor Tawil's] work will be of major importance to the
studies of the Bible," wrote the late Brandeis University Professor
and noted scholar, Dr. Nahum Sarna. "It is obviously impossible
today to study Biblical Hebrew successful without knowledge of
Akkadian, and [Professor Tawil's] forthcoming Lexicon should be
particularly important to all students."
Other Semitic experts such as Union Theological Seminary Professor
Emeritus, Dr. George Landes applauded Tawil on his labors as he
viewed the project's importance from its earliest stages. "I want
to encourage your continuing efforts," commended Dr. Landes in a
letter of recommendation of Tawil's work. "I hope that, like Moses,
you will be able to see the 'Promised Land' of your work's
completion, with your sight unimpaired and your vigor unabated."
Structurally, the Lexicon, which features over 1,000 entries,
involves a direct comparison of Akkadian, Biblical Hebrew and
Biblical Aramaic. Tawil's central thesis states that unmediated
comparison can assist in explicating otherwise difficult biblical
lexemes and idioms. The assumption behind this thesis, as Tawil
conveys in the Lexicon's introduction, is that Akkadian
lexicography is further advanced than its Hebrew counterpart.
The Lexicon will aid both students and premier scholars in several
areas of research. In particular, the work aims at uncovering
meanings for Hebrew words that eluded clear definition in specific
contexts and to propose nuances for Hebrew words suggested by
similar Akkadian usages. In addit! ion, Tawil's work attempts to
illuminate idioms from related expression in Akkadian, to correct a
certain understanding of Hebrew words and expressions in light of
their Akkadian equivalents, and to shed insights Akkadian
literature may have on interpreting difficult Biblical Hebrew.
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