Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Dave Washburn <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

On Tuesday 10 August 2004 16:15, Peter Kirk wrote:
> On 10/08/2004 21:56, George F. Somsel wrote:
> >On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 19:48:35 +0100 Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
> >
> >writes:
> >>On 10/08/2004 19:04, Maurice A. O'Sullivan wrote:
> >>>...
> >>>What you call the condensed edition of BDB -- other list members
> >>
> >>take
> >>
> >>>note -- is a facsimile edition, and very, very clunky to move
> >>
> >>through.
> >>
> >>
> >>Are you sure? There is also a condensed (non-facsimile) edition
> >>which
> >>originally came with the Online Bible and has been distributed
> >>elsewhere. This is missing what I find the most useful part of BDB,
> >>the
> >>lists of references. There are also theologically motivated changes
> >>to
> >>the definitions, at least of `ALMA. This edition is, in my opinion,
> >>
> >>worth what it costs, which is nothing.
> >>
> >>
> >>--
> >>Peter Kirk
> >
> >_______________
> >
> >I have the enhanced BDB, the Abridged BDB and the facsimile BDB.  You are
> >absolutely incorrect in your assertion that there is any theologically
> >motivated change in the abridged edition.  It is a faithful, though
> >shortened version of the original and complete version.
>
> George, we may be talking about different abridged versions, but I
> definitely have one (although not in Logos format), entitled "Brown,
> Driver, Briggs (BDB) Hebrew-English Lexicon, abridged (Online Bible)",
>
> which has an adjusted definition for `ALMA. I quote:
> > 1) virgin, young woman
> > 1a) of marriageable age
> > 1b) maid or newly married
> > ++++
> > There is no instance where it can be proved that this word
> > designates a young woman who is not a virgin. (TWOT)
>
> But my printed BDB has a different definition: "young woman (ripe
> sexually; maid or newly married)", with no mention of "virgin". The
>
> following is taken from the Preface to this edition:
> > Source
> >
> > This version of the Online Bible / BDB / Strong's dictionary (OBDS) is
> > an adaptation of material developed in part by Online Bible associates
> > and is used by permission.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > According to our sources, the OBDS was a project undertaken by a Texas
> > man, who, after retiring from the armed services went to seminary.
> > Then, during a year of living with his aged father in Tennessee, he
> > began keying the BDB entries to the Strong’s numbering system and
> > distilling BDB into a shorter dictionary (etymology and bibliography,
> > along with Scripture references and quotations, were largely removed).
> > As a further check, the entire lexicon was compared with M. Robinson
> > and J. Green’s A Concise Lexicon of the Biblical Languages (CLBL).
> > Cross references to Harris, Archer, and Waltke's Theological Wordbook
> > of the Old Testament (TWOT), published by Moody Press, were also added.
> >
> > During the production process, some internal editing of the
> > definitions was carried out. It is said that definitions considered to
> > be liberal were altered (e.g., ‘virgin’ was preferred over ‘young
> > woman’, ‘Jerusalem’ is ‘teaching of peace’ with no mention, as in BDB,
> > of the Canaanite god Shalim, etc.). Also, all reference to the JEDP
> > documentary hypothesis, assumed by BDB, was removed. Furthermore,
> > personal names were matched with etymologically derived meanings, most
> > often without mention of the possible sources of such meanings.
>
> See also http://www.crosswire.org/sword/modules/ModInfo.jsp?modName=OLBHeb.
>
> This is probably not the version which Maurice mentioned, which was "a
> facsimile edition, and very, very clunky to move through". But it may
> well be "the free condensed edition in Logos' software" which Dave
> mentioned, because a "condensed edition" can hardly be the same as "a
> facsimile edition" - although there is currenty no mention of this text
> on the Logos site.

Several years ago when I first bought Logos 2.0c they offered an abridged BDB 
lexicon as a free download.  It's not the same as the OLB one (which, btw, 
the sword website says is locked so sword users can't get it), I believe it 
was their own abridgement.

-- 
Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"No good.  Hit on head."   -Gronk