The introductory articles from the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis are presented here in a separate publication, serving as an introduction to Old Testament theology and exegesis.

This classic introduction to textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible is now entirely updated. The book examines the transmission of the biblical text in its original languge, the history of its translation, the causes of corruption in the textual tradition, and the proper principles and techniques of textual criticism.

Foreword by A. Schenker S. C. Daley’s book, The Textual Basis of English Translations of the Hebrew Bible, moves us beyond existing uncertainties about the textual basis of modern Bible translations to a fresh understanding of the text-critical constitution of well-known English translations of the past four hundred years. Most translations depart from the Masoretic Text selectively, and in-depth analysis of their textual decisions leads (1) to the identification of distinct periods in the textual history of the English Bible, (2) to a classification of the translations by eclectic type, and (3) to the observation that each translation is ultimately unique from a text-critical perspective. The study then revisits the topic of the text to be translated in Bibles intended for the wider public.

Preliminary Material /Robert Horton Gundry -- Introduction /Robert Horton Gundry -- Chapter One: Examination of the Text-Form /Robert Horton Gundry -- Chapter Two: Explanation of the Text-Form /Robert Horton Gundry -- Chapter Three: The Question Of Historicity /Robert Horton Gundry -- Chapter Four: The Problem of Legitimacy /Robert Horton Gundry -- Bibliography /Robert Horton Gundry -- Author Index /Robert Horton Gundry -- Index of Scripture References /Robert Horton Gundry.

In Exploring the Isaiah Scrolls and Their Textual Variants, Donald W. Parry systematically presents, on a verse-by-verse basis, the variants of the Hebrew witnesses of Isaiah (the Masoretic Text and the twenty-one Isaiah Dead Sea Scrolls) and briefly discusses why each variant exists. The Isaiah scrolls have greatly impacted our understanding of the textual history of the Bible, and in recent decades, Bible translation committees have incorporated a number of the variants into their translations; as such, the Isaiah scrolls are important for both academic and popular audiences. Variant characterizations include four categories: (a) accidental errors, e.g., dittography, haplography, metathesis, graphic similarity; (b) intentional changes by scribes and copyists; (c) synonymous readings; (d) scribes’ stylistic approaches and conventions.