I regularly encounter citations of outdated Biblical reference material: a friend recently sent me an article that referenced definitions from Grimm’s Greek-English Lexicon, another friend has cited entries from Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words and Strong’s Concordance is frequently used in sermons to give us the meaning of the original languages.
So what’s wrong with these sources? Using biblical reference works of the past is like seeking medical advice from a 19th century medical dictionary. Would you feel comfortable if your doctor flipped open the 1858 edition of Gray’s Anatomy while he poked and prodded you? (more…)