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To facilitate reference, we have lettered, alphabetically, the edge of our own copy so
that the book can be easily opened approximately at the required place.
#3.
Lexicons.
pp. 50 - 53
While there are several Lexicons and Concordances in one Volume, it must be
remembered that a Lexicon, like a Dictionary, is concerned with the meaning of words,
whereas a Concordance is concerned with the occurrence of words. A Lexicon and
Concordance combines the two functions. Most know Liddell and Scott's Greek and
English Lexicon. While this work takes cognizance of all words used in the N.T., it also
draws many of its illustrations and instances from the writings of Greek philosophers.
The meanings assigned to Greek words must be checked by usage, and not accepted
without reserve, as absolutely true of the N.T. Schrevelius' Lexicon is useful and has
much the same character as Liddell and Scott's.
The name, however, that comes to mind in association with Lexicons that have a
distinct bearing upon the Scriptures is that of Parkhurst. There are two from his pen; one
for the Hebrew and one for the Greek. We quote the title page of the Hebrew Lexicon,
which is fairly descriptive and gives a good idea of the nature and scope of both works:--
"An Hebrew and English Lexicon, without points, in which the Hebrew and Chaldee
words of the Old Testament are explained in their leading and derived senses, the
derivative words are ranged under their respective primitives, and the meanings assigned
to each authorized by references to passages of Scripture, and frequently illustrated and
confirmed by citations from various Authors, ancient and modern."
To this work is prefixed an Hebrew and a Chaldee Grammar, without points. The
7th edition, corrected and improved, was published in 1813. Parkhurst stresses the
importance of the Hebrew tri-literal root. Care is necessary in taking his English
derivations from the Hebrew. It is easy to mistake similar sounds for evidences of similar
pedigrees, but this error is not confined to Parkhurst. Dr. McCaul, Professor of Hebrew
in King's College, London, wrote:--
"With regard to the Hebrew roots assigned by Parkhurst, the student will observe that,
in consequence of his rejection of the system of vowel points, they sometimes differ
considerably from those given in modern Hebrew Lexicons. In such cases, the reader
must be led by the weight of evidence and analogy, and receive or reject Parkhurst's
conjectures accordingly. He will, however, often find them both sagacious and valuable
anticipations of that system of comparative etymology which now obtains in the
Indo-European languages, and which has of late been applied to the Hebrew and its sister
dialects."
After an interval of seven years, Parkhurst published his companion Lexicon to the
Greek of the N.T. Its title page reads as follows:--