Already as a young man Paul de Lagarde began making contributions to the field of Semitic linguistics. The present volume consists of one of his early writings on the study of various roots in the Semitic family tree. A variety of roots in an assortment of languages including Arabic, Hebrew, Ethiopic, Greek, and Armenian, constitute this astute display of comparative philology. Biblical citations within the context of the discussion will aid the reader in locating a problematic word in the course of translation. In-depth discussion of several roots marks this contribution as one which has earned its place in any future discussion of the lexemes contained herein. A worthy piece of de Lagarde’s lexical legacy, this brief study will find repeated use by students of the languages of the biblical world.

Paul Anton de Lagarde (born Paul Boetticher, 1827-1891) was a biblical scholar and student of ancient languages. Having studied at Berlin, Halle, London, and Paris, he had a wide exposure to international thought. He eventually taught at Göttingen. Despite his participation in the anti-Semitism of his day, he was a gifted student of Semitic languages. His voluminous linguistic works are still recognized for their insights into oriental languages. He made important contributions to the study of Syriac, Aramaic, Arabic, Hebrew, and Coptic, as well as Greek and Latin.