New Smith's Bible Dictionary

by William Smith

Preface: Monumental among religious works of all time is the dictionary compiled by Dr. William Smith. Almost every other Bible Dictionary borrws heavily from it. It has been standard in the field as the King James Version of the Bible has been standard among versions.

Dr. Smith's great work appeared first in the latter part of the nineteenth century, in a four-volume set, which was later abridged by the author into a single volume.

Numerous adaptions and revisions have appeared since 1900, each of which incorporated certain information not available to Dr. Smith. The last such revision, however, is more than twenty-five years old.

An immense amount of information is availalbe today that was not available even twenty-five years ago. Archeological discoveries, linguistic advances, better and more accurate scientific methods of dating, refined textual criticism, and new light from such sources as the Dead Sea Scrolls make it necessary to revise all older works and bring them up to date.

In this work, the Smith's Bible Dictionary has been completely rewritten. Every article has received close examination by a competent scholar, and every variance with presently known facts has been corrected. Practically every article has been updated in some manner. Yet enough of Dr. Smith's work has been retained to preserve the high quality and standard of the original.

Mechanical improvements will make the use of this dictionary more practical. Pronunciation of proper names, in accord with the best available authorities, is added. Corrections in dates from Usher's chronology are included when information is conclusive.

This dictionary limits itself to known facts and is devoid of speculative theories. Written for the average man, it will be a valuable aid in obtaining in condensed form the information sought in a Bible dictionary.

Reuel G. Lemmons

Genres: Reference, Dictionaries, Christian, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality

441 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Sir William Smith (1813-1893) was an English lexicographer. He became known for his advances in the teaching of Greek and Latin in schools.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

See also:
William Smith, exercise books

Reviews

[The Celtic Rebel (Richard) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift in 1983 from some dear friends. Since then I have used it a billion times or more; almost on a weekly basis. Wonderful resource. I highly recommend it to any student of the Bible.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a favorite reference for years - when I want to know more about a place or word in the Bible. Having grown fond of Smith's Bible Dictionary, I now continue to use an electronic version that is available in the Pocket Sword app.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid reference work. Not always 100% helpful, but generally the first one I turn to for background on Biblical terms.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference book especially during group studies. Well-researched and readable.