Book Review: BHS A Reader’s Edition

Book Review Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: A Reader’s Edition

Donald R. Vance, George Athas, and Yael Avrahami (Lexical and Grammatical Apparatus), Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: A Reader’s Edition (Peabody, MA/Stuttgart, Germany: Hendrickson Publishers/Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2014).

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I purchased The BHS Reader a few weeks ago. I have read through Genesis and some of Exodus, Joshua, Isaiah, Hosea, Habakkuk, and Zechariah in the reader. I already own A. Philip Brown II and Bryan W. Smith, A Reader’s Hebrew Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008). I will compare these reader Hebrew Bibles in this post. 

Comparing the BHS Reader’s Edition and A Reader’s Hebrew Bible

BHS Reader’s Edition:

• Glosses every lexeme that appears 70 times or less in the text of the Hebrew Bible
• Mentions proper nouns in footnotes, forcing the reader to try to understand the reference without looking it up in the footnote (it distinguishes between PN – Personal name, DN – Deity name, GN – Geographical name)
• Kethib appears in the text unpointed (see for example הוצא in Gen 8:17 on p.13) then the pointed Kethib and Qere both appear together in the footnote
• Parsing and glossing is very detailed and contextually focused (see below)
• Attention to the poetic structure of the Hebrew poetic and prophetic text

A Reader’s Hebrew Bible:

• Glosses every lexeme that appears 100 times or less in the text of the Hebrew Bible
• Makes the uncommon proper nouns (appearing 100 times or less) grey within the text
• Has Kethiv and Qere readings side by side within the text. The Kethib is unpointed and the pointed Qere immediately follows. 
• Parsing and glossing is general and not intended to be extremely detailed. If a verb is a Qal yiqtol 3ms with 2mp suffix, then the gloss would simply say Qal.

Unique Features of the BHS Reader’s Edition

It notes hapax legomena. For example, see the note on בּוֹקֵק in Hos 10:1. It states that this is from the root בקק II and glosses it as “proliferate, be rampant” (also צֹמְקִים in Hos 9:14 from צמק).

It notes word variants or by-forms. For example, the note on בְּשׂוּרִי in Hos 9:12 mentions that שׂור, here appearing with the preposition ב and the 1cs suffix, is a variant of סור. Also, they note that שָׂדָי in Hos 10:4, which is normally שָׂדַי but has a pathach here because it is in pause, is a by-form of שָׂדֶה. 

The BHS Reader’s Edition notes its adherence or divergence from other editions (BHL) and manuscripts (L; see the discussion of the placement of the accent in Gen 6:16 and 20, for example).

It provides references within the footnotes for the student to look up external grammatical issues. In Gen 50:26, there is a note attached to וַיִּישֶׂם. It suggests looking up GKC §73f (Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar which is edited and enlarge by E. Kautzsch). GKC suggests reading as וַיּוּשַׂם, a passive Qal from שׂים in accordance with the text of the Samaritan Pentateuch (ויושׂם; also see Gen 24:33). 

It notes “orthographic irregularities” appearing in the BHS text, sometimes in the text and at other times in the footnotes. For example, when dots appear above words (Gen 16:5; 18:9; 19:33; 33:4; 37:12; etc.), inverted nuns beside text (Num 10:34, 36; Ps 107:21-26, 40), suspended letters above the line (Judg 18:30; Ps 80:14; Job 38:13, 15), larger letters in text (Lev 11:42; Num 27:5; Deut 6:4), and smaller letters in the text (Isa 44:14; Jer 39:13; Prov 16:28)

It highlights the passive Qal of ילד when it is pointed as a Pu’al (p. ix). They parse such forms as Dp≈Gp for suffix conjugations or Hp≈Gp for prefix conjugations as the case may be. Dp means Pi’el passive that is Pu’al. Hp means Hifil passive, that is Hofal. Gp means Qal passive. An example of this is 2 Sam 3:5 where יֻלְּדוּ is a Pu’al but read as a Qal, not a passive of the Pi’el of ילד. The footnote says “Dp≈Gp15 ילד.” For a discussion of the pointing of ילד as a Pu’al or Nifal instead of a Qal passive in the Hebrew Bible and a further comparison with the Hifil of ילד, see Ronald Hendel and Jan Joosten, How Old is the Hebrew Bible? A Linguistic, Textual, and Historical Study (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2018), 1-4, 16-17, and 19; also see Ronald S. Hendel, “‘Begetting’ and ‘Being Born’ in the Pentateuch: Notes on Historical Linguistics and Source Criticism,” VT 50 (2000): 38-46.

When there is ambiguity regarding how to understand a particular word, then the different options are noted with the various options in the BHS Reader’s Edition. For example, in 2 Sam 23:20, Benaiah strikes two אראל מואב. The note says that this could be a proper name, Ariel, or it could mean “warrior,” “shrine,” or “lion.” The extensive note illustrates the many different interpretive possibilities.

Another example of the attention to detail in the BHS Reader’s Edition comes from Isa 22:5. The collocation מְקַרְקַר קִר appears here. The second word has been understood as the lexeme קִיר “wall” which is spelled defectively. The preceding participle is understood to be from a denominative verb קרר meaning “to break down a wall.” For this understanding see George Buchanan Gray, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah I-XXXIX (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1912), 367. Others take קִר to be the city name “Qir.” The potential problem with this approach is that the name appears elsewhere always spelled as קִיר (see 2 Kgs 16:9; Isa 22:6; Amos 1:5; 9:7). Another approach, by G. R. Driver ,which is followed by Couey, and others, suggests that the participle is from a reduplicated verb קרקר “to make noise.” This verb has cognates in other Semitic languages such as Arabic and Aramaic. Subsequently, קִר is taken as a cognate accusative of the same verb which again is supported by other Semitic languages such as Ugaritic qr “noise.” Couey notes, “The meaning best fits the context, and the prominent repetition of sounds is consistent with a phrase that communicates the idea of making noise” (J. Blake Couey, Reading the Poetry of First Isaiah: The Most Perfect Model of the Prophetic Poetry (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), 58 note 116). These complex issues are summarised concisely in the BHS Reader’s Edition. The gloss for מְקַרְקַר is — I קרר bellow (?); shout (HCSB, NET); battering down (ESV, NIV, NRSV).” The gloss for קִר is — קִר noise (HALOT); wall (ESV, NIV, NRSV). They attend to the difficulties in the text and make the reader aware of the possibilities. Perhaps more could be added, but at least the reader is aware of a range of difficulties through the glosses that can be explored further at their convenience.

One of the strengthens of the BHS Reader’s Edition is its attention to detail within the footnotes. The BHS Reader’s Edition assumes a slightly larger vocabulary on the part of the reader then A Reader’s Hebrew Bible and forces the reader to spend time in the footnotes for extra information. 

Negative Features of the BHS Reader’s Edition 

The parsing guide is a little odd. It is based on the work of William S. LaSor, Handbook of Biblical Hebrew: An Inductive Approach Based on the Hebrew Text of Esther (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1989). It is clearly explained in the introduction, however (p. ix-xiii). The publishers include a parsing guide in the form of a bookmark. Once you see the system work through your reading of a short section or chapter you will easily understand it. The guide includes details such as suffixes and “paragogic” letters (ה and ן). The system remains cumbersome, however.

As with A Reader’s Hebrew Bible, there is no critical apparatus included in the footnotes. Look at the spelling יֶתֶר in Exod 4:18, for example. Moses’s father-in-law’s name is usually spelled יִתְרוֹ in the Hebrew Bible. The BHS Reader’s Edition says that יֶתֶר is a by-form of יִתְרוֹ and that it only appears here. It is certainly possible that it is a byform but its singular appearance is suspicious. The critical apparatus of BHS notes that several Hebrew manuscripts, Samaritan Pentateuch, Peshitta, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, and Vulgate all have the expected form יִתְרוֹ instead of יֶתֶר. It is probable that יִתְרוֹ is the better reading here. While the suggestion that יֶתֶר is a by-form of יִתְרוֹ is a valid possibility, the fact that there is a more likely possibility of reading יִתְרוֹ here might not be fully understood by someone who is just reading the BHS Reader’s Edition. I anticipate that publishers will find a way to incorporate the most pertinent critical notes in a future reader’s Hebrew Bible (pity the soul who must determine this…).

There are a few picky things that I do not like about the BHS Reader’s Edition. It is much bigger and heavier than A Reader’s Hebrew Bible as a result of all the footnotes. I can carry my A Reader’s Hebrew Bible in my backpack without trouble. Carrying the BHS Reader’s Edition is a bit more difficult but it is not as heavy as the ESV-Hebrew Old Testament. The footnotes themselves are wonderful but can be distracting and actually impede the reading process for me. I found myself longing for my compact, simple BHS half way through Genesis. Also, the font is much smaller on the BHS Reader’s Edition than it is on the A Reader’s Hebrew Bible. I actually like the minimal glossing of A Reader’s Hebrew Bible compared to the comprehensive glossing of the BHS Reader’s Edition. I enjoy having nothing more than the binyin and its most basic gloss in the notes. This forces each reader to think about the context and understand the Hebrew lexeme. Also, providing no information outside of the binyin makes the reader work through the parsing. In sum, though there are some hindrances, the BHS Reader’s Edition is a wonderful, comprehensive Bible and it will accomplish its goal of helping students work through the text of the Hebrew Bible. 

To purchase these books and in a small way support this blog, follow the link below.

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: A Reader’s Edition [Imitation Leather] By Compiled by Donald R. Vance, George Athas & Yael Avrahami / German Bible Society A helpful language reference tool for students, pastors, and scholars. The BHS Reader’s Edition is for those who have a basic understanding of Biblical Hebrew and desire to read and study the Hebrew Bible. With this book alone (and a year’s study of Hebrew), students are able to read the Hebrew Bible in its entirety. No other reference books on the market today have the same quality, grammatical information, or detail. Main features include: Complete text of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, checked against the Leningrad Codex All words that occur fewer than 70 times are parsed and contextually defined in the apparatus Glossary listing of all other words Improved layout of poetic text All weak verb forms are parsed High quality paper does not bleed through

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, paperback edition By German Bible Society Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) is known to be the definitive edition of the Hebrew Bible. It is a revision of the third edition of the Biblia Hebraica edited by Rudolf Kittel, the first Bible to be based on the Leningrad Codex. The Leningrad Codex is the oldest complete Hebrew Bible still preserved. It originally appeared in installments, from 1968 to 1976, with the first one-volume edition in 1977; it has since been reprinted many times. The text is a nearly exact copy of the Masoretic Text as recorded in the Leningrad Codex. The Masoretic notes are completely revised. Included is a foreword in German, English, French, Spanish and Latin as well as an English and German key to the Latin words, abbreviations and other symbols in the critical apparatus. The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) Paperback Edition offers you a more affordable way to study Biblical Hebrew while maintaining all of the features available in the standard and compact editions.

A Reader’s Hebrew Bible – Italian Duo-Tone, Tan By A. Philip Brown II & Bryan W. Smith / Zondervan A Reader’s Hebrew Bible saves time and effort in studying the Hebrew Old Testament. By eliminating the need to look up definitions, the footnotes allow the user to read the Hebrew and Aramaic text more quickly, focusing on parsing and grammatical issues. A Reader’s Hebrew Bible offers the complete text of the Hebrew and Aramaic Bible using the Leningrad Codex (minus critical apparatus), shaded Hebrew names that occur less than 100 times, footnoted definitions of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less (twenty-five or less for Aramaic words), context-specific glosses, stem-specific glossed definitions for verb forms (Qal, Piel, Hiphil, etc.), Ketib/Qere readings both noted in the text and differentiated appropriately, and a marker ribbon. A. Philip Brown II (Ph.D., Bob Jones University) is associateprofessor of Bible and Theology at God’s Bible School and College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He co-edited the 3rd edition of Handbook of New Testament Greek, a publication for Bob Jones University. Bryan W. Smith (Ph.D., Bob Jones University) is Bible integration coordinator at Bob Jones University Press.