Books · 11 reviews
The Best Greek & Hebrew Reference Books
Lexicons, grammars, and reference works for the biblical languages.
If you're learning Greek or Hebrew, a good reference keeps you from drowning in verb forms and vocabulary. BDAG is the standard scholarly lexicon for New Testament Greek; HALOT holds the same place for Old Testament Hebrew and Aramaic. Both are demanding, college-level texts built for serious study. Liddell & Scott (the standard ancient Greek lexicon, free) rounds out the set if you also read classical texts.
Choose based on your depth. Pastors and seminarians doing original-language work usually start with Basics of Biblical Greek and Basics of Biblical Hebrew, then graduate to BDAG and HALOT for detailed word studies. Readers wanting to understand Greek or Hebrew without mastering it can use the Reader editions (A Reader's Greek New Testament, A Reader's Hebrew Bible) which gloss difficult words on every page. Several key references are free or low-cost, so the table shows both paid and public-domain options side by side.
| Book | Rating | Price | Publisher | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDAG | 4.8 ★ | ~$130 hardcover | University of Chicago Press | |
| HALOT | 4.7 ★ | ~$400 (set) | Brill | |
| Liddell & Scott Greek-English Lexicon | 4.7 ★ | Free (older ed. online); ~$130 unabridged | Oxford University Press | |
| NIDNTTE | 4.7 ★ | ~$200 (5-vol set) | Zondervan Academic | |
| TWOT | 4.7 ★ | ~$50 (2-vol set) | Moody Publishers | |
| A Reader’s Greek New Testament | 4.7 ★ | ~$40 hardcover | Zondervan | |
| A Reader’s Hebrew Bible | 4.7 ★ | ~$60 hardcover | Zondervan | |
| Basics of Biblical Greek | 4.7 ★ | ~$45 (grammar) | Zondervan Academic | |
| Basics of Biblical Hebrew | 4.7 ★ | ~$50 (grammar) | Zondervan Academic | |
| TDNT | 4.6 ★ | ~$60 (one-volume "Little Kittel") | Eerdmans | |
| BDB | 4.5 ★ | Free (public domain); ~$40 print | Various / Public domain |
BDAG
The standard scholarly lexicon for New Testament Greek - the reference scholars, translators, and serious students reach for when they need to know what a Greek word actually means.
HALOT
The standard scholarly lexicon for Old Testament Hebrew and Aramaic - the Hebrew counterpart to BDAG, and the reference serious students of the Old Testament reach for first.
Liddell & Scott Greek-English Lexicon
The standard lexicon of the entire Greek language - classical, koine, and everything between - the reference scholars mean when they say "look it up in Liddell."
NIDNTTE
The major modern wordbook of New Testament Greek - tracing each word from classical usage through the Septuagint into the New Testament, organized for serious word and concept study.
TWOT
The Old Testament word study tool built for readers with limited Hebrew - concise entries on the theological weight of Hebrew terms, keyed to Strong’s numbers so you can use it from the English text.
A Reader’s Greek New Testament
The Greek New Testament with rare words glossed in a footnote on every page - so a student who has finished a year of Greek can finally read continuous text instead of stopping at every unfamiliar word.
A Reader’s Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Old Testament with the less-frequent words glossed in footnotes on every page - so a student who has finished introductory Hebrew can read continuous text instead of stopping for the lexicon at every turn.
Basics of Biblical Greek
The first-year New Testament Greek grammar most students in the English-speaking world actually learn from - a full course with workbook, video lectures, and an app, built to get a true beginner reading the Greek text.
Basics of Biblical Hebrew
The first-year Biblical Hebrew grammar most students in the English-speaking world actually learn from - a full course with workbook, video lectures, and resources, built to get a true beginner reading the Hebrew text.
TDNT
The monumental ten-volume wordbook of New Testament Greek - the landmark "Kittel" that defined the genre, available whole or in the one-volume abridgment everyone calls "Little Kittel."
BDB
The classic Hebrew lexicon, organized by root and still widely used - dated in places, but free in the public domain and built into nearly every Bible study app and site.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Greek and Hebrew reference books?
BDAG is the standard for New Testament Greek; HALOT is the standard for Old Testament Hebrew and Aramaic. Both are primary tools for scholars and pastors who work in the languages. Liddell & Scott covers classical Greek. All three are referenced across every serious commentary and seminary program.
What's a good Greek lexicon for beginners?
Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words bridges the gap - a readable one-volume lexicon without the technical density of BDAG. A Reader's Greek New Testament is also excellent if you're reading the Greek text itself, since difficult words are glossed on every page.
Are there free original-language reference books?
Yes. Liddell & Scott Greek-English Lexicon is free (public domain), and several grammars and resources are available without cost online. That said, BDAG and HALOT are worth purchasing if you do regular word studies, since their scholarship is irreplaceable.
Do I need both a grammar and a lexicon?
Yes, they do different jobs. A grammar (like Basics of Biblical Greek) teaches you how verbs, nouns, and sentences work; a lexicon (BDAG, HALOT) tells you what individual words mean. You need both to understand the original text carefully.