An Interview with the Editors of A Reader's Hebrew Bible | Part 2

Last time, we heard from Dr. A. Philip Brown, editor of A Reader’s Hebrew Bible (Zondervan, 2008). Now we hear from Dr. Bryan W. Smith, a close friend and collaborator with Phil Brown on this project.

As I mentioned last time, I had the privilege of studying biblical Greek under both of these men. While in Greenville, I was able to keep in touch with Bryan and occasionally run him down for a bit of help with my Greek. One of the things he encouraged me and the rest of my classmates to do was to keep up with our language skills by frequently reading and using our Greek New Testaments. This was laborious work for those of us who struggled with the grammar and still had a long way to go memorizing the vocab. I’ve not been as consistent as I should have been, but I have tried to keep up with it.

Since then Zondervan has published two Reader’s Greek New Testaments; and just last year, Hendrickson published The UBS Greek New Testament: Reader’s Edition (see here for a comparison of the three). Now Zondervan has published A Reader’s Hebrew Bible (RHB), so I have no excuse for not keeping up with and/or improving my knowledge of the biblical languages.

I asked Bryan to answer the same questions regarding the purpose, format and intended audience of RHB, and I would like to share his responses with you here.

A Reader’s Hebrew Bible. Edited by A. Philip Brown II & Bryan W. Smith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008. Italian Duo-Tone™, 1,680 pages.

[Zondervan | CBD | Amazon]

Read a Sample.

Q&A with Dr. Bryan Smith

Bryan W. Smith (Ph.D., Bob Jones University) is Bible integration coordinator at Bob Jones University Press.

QUESTION: What led you to pursue this project? What was your interest in it?

ANSWER: Initially the thing that led me into this project was Philip Brown. He contacted me about three years ago and asked if I’d be interested in making this idea a reality. He had already corresponded with Zondervan. They had not made any commitments, but they had indicated interest. When I considered Philip’s suggestion, the thing that pulled me in was the opportunity to provide seminarians (and those who had already completed seminary) with a way to maintain their Hebrew reading skill and even to advance in that skill. Of course, I was also interested in improving my own skill in Hebrew. This project has not disappointed me. My skill in reading Hebrew has increased, and I think that anyone who uses this tool consistently will find that his skill will increase too.

Q: Who do you envision getting the most use out of this tool? I remember being discouraged against using interlinears while studying Greek and Hebrew. Would this be more beneficial to the first- or second-year student? Or would you consider this to be more beneficial to pastors or Bible teachers?

A: Anyone who has had a full year of Hebrew can benefit from A Reader’s Hebrew Bible. We gloss words that occur one hundred times or fewer. Most first-year programs get students to that level in their vocabulary knowledge. I encourage those in seminary to use this tool. Their teachers may not allow them to use it for their translation assignments, but they can use it at church, for sermon preparation, and for personal reading and study. Unlike an interlinear (or computer programs like BibleWorks), A Reader’s Hebrew Bible gives the student just enough information to keep him reading but not so much information that his reading skill is not developed. Pastors, teachers, and seminary professors should use this tool. The best way to make responsible use of the original languages is to be very familiar with them. The best way to get familiar is to read them regularly. Some do this with Greek. Very few do it with Hebrew, and I think the main reason is that unknown Hebrew vocabulary makes regular reading too difficult.

Q: What are your thoughts on the finished product?

A: I’m very pleased with how the project has turned out. The volume is attractive, durable, and affordable. I think it’s considerably nicer than the Greek volume. We’ve taken our glosses from the two standard lexicons: HALOT and BDB. All of our glosses are also context specific. The page layout is also, I think, cleaner and easier to read than the Reader’s Greek Bible. We have noticed some errata and we’re working toward correcting that for the next edition. I’m sure Philip will tell you more about that. He has a website that keeps track of these errata items (see this post). To this point, none of the errata is—in my opinion—a reason not to purchase the volume.

Q: One of the questions I asked Phil was “Is it necessary for preachers to know the biblical languages in order to be effective interpreters?” How would you address this? Should preachers be concerned with proficiency in the biblical languages, or is a working knowledge adequate for most?

A: Should preachers be concerned to know the Bible in the original languages? Absolutely. One consequence of being committed to plenary, verbal inspiration is being committed to knowing as much as one can about the original languages. Of course, not everyone has the opportunities (or the gifts) to get comfortable with Greek and Hebrew. Those who have the opportunities, however, are obligated to take advantage of them. By the way, A Reader’s Hebrew Bible is a great opportunity.

JASON: This concludes my interview with the editors of A Reader’s Hebrew Bible. I would like to express my gratitude to both of these men for taking the time to talk a bit about this project. This interview has stirred me up to continue working on my language skills. I hope this will do the same for you.

Jason Button received a B.A. in Bible from Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC) and has begun work on an M.A. in Theology. He serves as the Book Review Editor for SharperIron and is the creator of TheoSource, a project to compile comprehensive lists of recommended books for Bible study. Currently, he is a layman serving in various roles at West Ashley Independent Baptist Church (Charleston, SC). He is married to Tiffany, and they have two children, Caris Joelle and Asa Livingstone.