Which dictionary do you use?

Brothers,

Besides the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (if you have it) do you really, I mean for real, use another dictionary? which one?

This Day I was searching for the word "Emmanuel". The YBD is so much better then others that I was wondering if I have to wast time looking at others like Eerdmans Dictionary of the bible.

What has been your experience in using dictionaries in logos?

Thanks

romulo

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Mark Barnes

For a Bible Dictionary, AYBD is certainly my first choice, particularly for people and places. But there are other types of dictionaries, of course. IVP specialist dictionaries (DJG, DPL etc.) outrank AYBD, as does Dictionary of Demons and Deities in the Bible. Other dictionaries with a specialist flavour include the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (which is terrific), and various Biblical Theology dictionaries which will give you something different from AYBD.

Then, of course, are the times when you don't want to wade through several thousand words. In that case the New Bible Dictionary or Zondervan Encylopedia of the Bible can be 'better' (i.e. more suitable) than Anchor.

Allen Browne

Hi Romulo

I don't have the AYBD, so I can't comment on whether it would be exclusively adequate.

My dictionaries are prioritized like this, as I find this gives me the best results in the Information Window as I read:

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (my favorite)
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (good stuff)
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (good compact one)
Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the bible (specific purpose, but often useful)
Compact Oxford English Dictionary (so if a word isn't found in the others, it looks here.)

There are several other special purpose dictionaries I use regularly, e.g. IVP Dictionary of the OT series.

Sure, there's heaps of overlap so not all useful. However, I often do search my "Dictionaries (English)" collection, defined as:

(type:(dictionary,encyclop) OR title:dictionary) ANDNOT (title:(Lexicon,Greek,Hebrew,Aramaic,Coptic,Cascadia,"Tense","Alten","Quotations") OR type:media)

Hope there's some useful info somewhere there for you.

Dave Hooton

This Day I was searching for the word "Emmanuel"

I don't have AYBD but I was intrigued by your search. Eight (8) of my dictionaries use "Immanuel", supposedly derived from the Hebrew name in Is 7:14. Only 2 use "Emmanuel" from the LXX and GNT name. Then look at English bible usage:

"Immanuel" (23) - 13 in both OT/NT, 10 in OT only
"Emmanuel" (11) - 1 in both OT/NT, 10 in the NT only

ie. 10 bibles use Immanuel in the OT and Emmanuel in the NT!

Greg Corbin

I agree with Allen. The ISBE and Baker are both excellent dictionaries. You will find nuggets in each of them that other dictionaries will not have.

Bohuslav Wojnar

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177405#Comment_177405

My usual chain of looking for the subjects is:

1. ISBE (great tool for the evangelical users)

2. AYBD (always have something others do not have)

3. New Unger's Bible Dictionary (sentiment for the paper version, but really, it's great resource.)

tom

Brothers,

Besides the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (if you have it) do you really, I mean for real, use another dictionary? which one?

This Day I was searching for the word "Emmanuel". The YBD is so much better then others that I was wondering if I have to wast time looking at others like Eerdmans Dictionary of the bible.

What has been your experience in using dictionaries in logos?

Thanks

romulo

I always start with AYBD, but I also check ISBE and Eerdmans

Josh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177274#Comment_177274

Yes yes! My vote is for the IVP specialty dictionaries too. They are a fantastic price and hold vast amounts of detailed information.

Logos has some of them bundled here with other dictionary titles...

http://www.logos.com/products/details/1516

http://www.logos.com/products/details/4714

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177473#Comment_177473

Anchor Yale first and foremost.

Harper's Bible Dictionary for a one volume work.

Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church for a lot of the history work.

Friedrich

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177493#Comment_177493

I echo Mark about the IVP Dictionaries, and many others for ISBE. I'd like to make a brief plug for the ZEB. I hated the old "Pictorial Encyc." Zondervan had. But from what I have used so far, the ZEB is really nice. Definitely more "evangelical" in authorship, but well written and more comprehensive. I have begun to wonder how I might stack it up next to ISBE--my old favorite. It is definitely more current. AYBD is newer to me (last Dec.), but I have found most articles to be outstanding, and have been more "wowed" by insight there than I remember being with ISBE.

George Somsel

Brothers,

Besides the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (if you have it) do you really, I mean for real, use another dictionary? which one?

This Day I was searching for the word "Emmanuel". The YBD is so much better then others that I was wondering if I have to wast time looking at others like Eerdmans Dictionary of the bible.

What has been your experience in using dictionaries in logos?

Thanks

romulo

ABD, TDNT, DDD and occasionally Easton's. I don't think you were referring to these but I use Collins Unabridged, to a lesser extent Concise Oxford and Webster. I also use Diccionario General De La Lengua Española Vox. Barcelona: Biblograf, S.A.; Tecnolingua, S.L., 1997.

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177518#Comment_177518

I have ABD prioritized as my top dictionary. But I also like ISBE, BEB, and ZEB. NBD is good for when all I want is a brief definition. The IVP OT and NT dictionaries are excellent. I also really like the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery.

My preferred English dictionary is Collins 8th ed.

Jeremy

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177566#Comment_177566

AYBD is a good resource, but it is getting a little bit dated. I think the Eerdman's Dictionary of the Bible is a shorter and newer version of that resource. I use it a lot. The IVP Dictionaries are more up to date, but they aren't very theological. A hidden gem that a lot of people don't know about (because Logos takes WAY too long to change the metadata) is the Encyclopedia of Christianity. It is up to date, scholarly, and diverse. The Zondervan dictionary is pretty good now that it is updated.

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177574#Comment_177574

I wish the Z Encyclopedia wasn't treated as separate volumes.

Friedrich

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177574#Comment_177574

Encyclopedia of Christianity. It is up to date

I am awaiting volume 5 . . .

Mark Barnes

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177574#Comment_177574

The IVP Dictionaries are more up to date, but they aren't very theological.

I'd view the IVP Dictionaries as ten times more theological than Anchor. It's one of the reasons why I love them. I'm curious as to why you think otherwise.

Wilson Hines

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177693#Comment_177693

The ABD is so comprehensive I just don't look anywhere else unless it comes up in my parallels in such a way as it catches my eye. That being said, it happens so rarely, I can't remember their names

Romulo de Amorim Correa

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177274#Comment_177274

For a Bible Dictionary, AYBD is certainly my first choice, particularly for people and places. But there are other types of dictionaries, of course. IVP specialist dictionaries (DJG, DPL etc.) outrank AYBD, as does Dictionary of Demons and Deities in the Bible. Other dictionaries with a specialist flavour include the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (which is terrific), and various Biblical Theology dictionaries which will give you something different from AYBD.

Then, of course, are the times when you don't want to wade through several thousand words. In that case the New Bible Dictionary or Zondervan Encylopedia of the Bible can be 'better' (i.e. more suitable) than Anchor.

Thanks Mark. I got a point.

There are specialists dictionaries like IVP that are excellent. Other day I was trying to find out the social context of the "carpenter" in the first century and the "Dictionary of the new testament background" and "dictionary of Jesus and the gospel" was very precise!

Romulo de Amorim Correa

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177287#Comment_177287

This Day I was searching for the word "Emmanuel"

I don't have AYBD but I was intrigued by your search. Eight (8) of my dictionaries use "Immanuel", supposedly derived from the Hebrew name in Is 7:14. Only 2 use "Emmanuel" from the LXX and GNT name. Then look at English bible usage:

"Immanuel" (23) - 13 in both OT/NT, 10 in OT only

"Emmanuel" (11) - 1 in both OT/NT, 10 in the NT only

ie. 10 bibles use Immanuel in the OT and Emmanuel in the NT!

Hi Dave.

After these analysis what was you conclusion?

Obs: In portuguese there is only "Emanuel"

Romulo de Amorim Correa

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177405#Comment_177405

I agree with Allen. The ISBE and Baker are both excellent dictionaries. You will find nuggets in each of them that other dictionaries will not have.

Hi Allen and Greg.

I don´t have the ISBE. I will take note here to see this one in the future.

thanks

Romulo de Amorim Correa

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177574#Comment_177574

(...) A hidden gem that a lot of people don't know about (because Logos takes WAY too long to change the metadata) is the Encyclopedia of Christianity. It is up to date, scholarly, and diverse. (...)

Hi Jeremy. The Encyclopedia of Christianity is new to me. I just got it in a recent logos package upgrade that I did. I will trust in you advise and prioritize the two volumes I have to see what happens.

I found out too that the the volume 5 is still in prepub. Did you know that?

Jeremy

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177721#Comment_177721

Yeah I knew that.

Allen Browne

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177721#Comment_177721

Encyclopedia of Christianity is new to me.

Only just got this one too, but have not found it as useful as I'd hoped.

Whether or not it's useful probably depends on your perspective and what you are looking for.

Friedrich

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/177880#Comment_177880

Encyclopedia of Christianity is new to me.

Only just got this one too, but have not found it as useful as I'd hoped.

Whether or not it's useful probably depends on your perspective and what you are looking for.

i have used it more as a kind of updated Oxford Dictionary of the CC. It may include more than that, but that is how I have categorized it in my mind. To that end, it is useful. I don't use it in the same way I use ISBE, AYBD, ZEB, etc., which are "more useful" to my studies. I will need to poke around a bit more and see what it's limits are.