This volume aims to examine the history and the impact of Wilhelm Gesenius s Concise Hebrew-German Dictionary in the context of historical research. From the time of its initial publication in 1810 through its most recent 18th edition completed in 2010, the dictionary has been among the most important reference works for scholars in Hebrew language studies, Old Testament biblical studies, and Semitic studies. It has exerted lasting influence on Old Testament biblical exegesis, Hebrew lexicography, and Semitic language studies. The 33 essays in this volume provide a picture of the dictionary's diverse historical interrelationships and impacts."

This volume draws together the author's studies on the concept of the Messiah in the Old Testament, primarily a completely new revision of his up to now unpublished 1986 inaugural dissertation, as well as other essays, including those on anthropology and on the relationship of theology and the history of religion in the Old Testament.