Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Mar 2004 by Schmutzer, Andrew J

Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch. Edited by T. Desmond Alexander and David W. Baker. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003, 954 pp., $34.95.

With the publication of the Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch (DOTP), IVP has released the fifth "black dictionary," and the first of five projected for the OT (future volumes include Historical Books, Wisdom and Poetry, Prophets, and Old Testament Backgrounds). The 158 articles were written by 86 contributors (18 from UK, 4 from Canada, 54 from the US, 3 from Australia, and 7 from other countries). Along with cross-references the Scripture and Subject indexes (pp. 922-41, 942-53) are invaluable for efficient use. In addition most entries conclude with a substantive bibliography, more valuable for the scholar than pastor.

In many ways, the DOTP marks the coming of age for pentateuchal studies in evangelicalism, assessing its past and plotting a future. Even forty years ago source criticism would have dominated a dictionary on the Pentateuch, peppered the articles with "conservative" and "liberal" language, and likely would have been unable to muster an adequate pool of scholars. That said, it is encouraging to see some scholars working with an evangelical majority who would not have done so traditionally. The DOTP reveals the state of pentateuchal studies as more articulate in historiographical and literary complexities, and pursuing a greater creativity and breadth of ideas. Moreover, the DOTP demonstrates that collaboration from various backgrounds can address key problems for mutual benefit.

As with previous "black dictionaries," the DOTP has solicited articles from experts in their given field: R. Averbeck (Sacrifices and Offerings), M. Chavalas (Archaeology), J. Hartley (Atonement, Day of), R. Hess (Language of the Pentateuch), K. Kitchen (Egypt, Egyptians), V. Matthews (Social-Scientific Approaches), G. McConville (Deuteronomy, Book of), J. McKeown (Blessings and Curses, Land), E. Merrill (Chronology), and A. Millard (Writing), to name but a few. Not to detract from the 86 contributors, it is nonetheless puzzling to find no entries from such scholars as B. Waltke, E. Yamauchi, J. Hoffmeier, A. Ross, W. Kaiser, W. Dumbrell, V. Hamilton, J. Sailhamcr, G. Goldsworthy, D. Tsumura, D. Block, M. Futado, and G. Wenham.

The absence of some leading lights notwithstanding, it would still be hard to find a better collection of articles on pentateuchal topics (see Index, p. 954). There are the expected names (e.g. "Adam," "Moses"), places, (e.g. "Cities of Refuge"), critical issues (e.g. "Exodus, Date of"), theological discussions (e.g. "Sin, Guilt"), and general topics (e.g. "Travel and Transportation"). Many may find the discussion of various methodologies (e.g. "Literary/Narrative Criticism," "Social-Scientific Approaches," etc.) enlightening if not a ballast given the stigma (enigma?) of pentateuchal scholarship and the often dense skin of historical-critical issues that limits some in pentateuchal studies and causes others to despair altogether (see "Source Criticism" [pp. 798-805J, "Pentateuchal Criticism, History of" [pp. 622-31], etc.). Since critical study of the Pentateuch, even within evangelicalism, has too often allowed a dichotomy to exist between exegesis and exposition, the article on "Preaching the Pentateuch" (pp. 637-43) stands out as long overdue. The Pentateuch forms the inner rings of a canonical tree that cannot be ignored, and could be the easiest corpus to preach poorly. McMickle seems correct in noting the difficulty preachers face trying to explain ancient customs and culture, a situation exacerbated within an age of rationalism (p. 637). His assertion that "God did not merely identify with the oppressed. God also called those newly liberated people into a relationship of accountability . . ." (p. 641) is also a timely reminder in an era of liberation theologies and advocacy criticisms. There is a growing need to creatively communicate the transcendent "oughtness" of these earliest of texts to a church cynical of the academy. The DOPT may be a catalyst for a new generation of pentateuchal exposition.

While many may find a topic addressed that is not, it seems that the Article Index (p. 954) could have dedicated full entries for such significant topics in the Pentateuch as: "ark," "barrenness," "Bethel," "birthright," "Canaan," "Dead Sea Scrolls," "Hebrew(s)," "historiography," "Jordan River," "Kadesh-barnea," "memory," "mythology," "Negev," "Passover," "plagues," "rebellion," "sacred space," "Septuagint," "Sinai," "tribe(s)," "wells," "worship," etc. As it stands, "barrenness," "birth," "birthright," "memory", "rebellion," "tribe," and "wells," are not even found in the Subject Index. In my opinion, entries on the function of the "birthright" (e.g. patriarchal narratives), the continued contribution of Septuagint research (e.g. E. Ulrich Jr., "The Septuagintal Manuscripts from Qumran: A Reappraisal of Their Value," in Septuagint, Scrolls and Cognate Writings [ed. G. Brooke and B. Lindars; SBLSCS 33; Scholars, 1992]), the thematic significance of water and "wells" (e.g. W. Propp, Exodus 1-18 [AB] 579-81, 609-13), or the theological significance of "memory" would be far more helpful in a dictionary on the Pentateuch than an article on the "Daughters of Zelophehad" (p. 912), which might be better addressed under inheritance laws. When such topics are relegated to a Subject Index (if at all), the usefulness of the DOPT is diminished.