[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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