The Biblia Hebraica Quinta Editione, abbreviated as BHQ or rarely BH5, is the fifth edition of the Biblia Hebraica and when complete will supersede the fourth edition, the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS).
Biblia Hebraica series
Biblia Hebraica Quinta, Ruth 1:1–9. The textual apparatus on Ruth 1:1 (see fig. F), first contains the lemma from the base text (ML; בִּימֵי שְׁפֹט הַשֹׁפְטִים); then the witnesses that agree with this reading (4QRutha [one of the mss of Ruth from Qumran], GMss. [reading of more than one manuscript of the Old Greek], V [Latin Vulgate], T [Targum] | [separator line]); then appears the first reading that differs from the base text (ἐν τῷ κρίνειν τοὺς κριτάς G [sigla of witnesses attesting this reading] | [separator line]); another reading appears next that differs from the base text [Syriac text] S [Syriac]; next appear the notations “facil-synt” (facilitation of the syntax, “simplifying the syntax”) and “+” (symbol indicating that the commentary section has a discussion of this variant) and finally “—” (marks the end of the discussion of the variant). [German Bible Society] – Paul D. Wegner, A Student’s Guide to Textual Criticism of the Bible: Its History, Methods & Results (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 113–114.
Like the third and fourth editions, the BH5 uses a text-based on the Leningrad Codex;[1] the text has been corrected against color photographs of the codex taken in the 1990s.
A sample page from Biblia Hebraica Quinta (Deuteronomy 1:1–11). Note the newly implemented and fully collated Masorah magna between the main text and the critical apparatus.
Unlike previous editions, it includes a commentary explaining the Masorah[2] and discussing the significance of the textual variants in the footnotes. It also contains the Masorah magna, which was not in the first three versions and only available in a supplementary volume in BHS. Another change is that it rarely cites variants from Hebrew manuscripts collated by Benjamin Kennicott[3] and C. D. Ginsburg;[4] the editors, following the work of Moshe Goshen-Gottstein,[5] believe that such variants are of little value.
BHQ Fascicles and Editors
The edition has been described as “international and ecumenical” as it features editors from 13 different countries and different denominations (with involvement from Catholics, Protestants and Jews).[6] The work is currently being published in fascicles[7] according to this release schedule:[8]
The Biblia Hebraica Quinta Editione, abbreviated as BHQ or rarely BH5, is the fifth edition of the Biblia Hebraica and when complete will supersede the fourth edition, the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS).
A sample page from Biblia Hebraica Quinta (Deuteronomy 1:1–11). Note the newly implemented and fully collated Masorah magna between the main text and the critical apparatus.
Content
Like the third and fourth editions, the BH5 uses a text-based on the Leningrad Codex; the text has been corrected against color photographs of the codex taken in the 1990s.
Unlike previous editions, it includes a commentary explaining the Masorah and discussing the significance of the textual variants in the footnotes. It also contains the Masorah magna, which was not in the first three versions and only available in a supplementary volume in BHS. Another change is that it rarely cites variants from Hebrew manuscripts collated by Benjamin Kennicott and C. D. Ginsburg; the editors, following the work of Moshe Goshen-Gottstein, believe that such variants are of little value.
BHQ Fascicles and Editors
The edition has been described as “international and ecumenical” as it features editors from 13 different countries and different denominations (with involvement from Catholics, Protestants, and Jews).[1] The work is currently being published in fascicles according to this release schedule:[a]
The linked books of the Bible below that have been released will jump you to Amazon.
Consulting work for the Masorah is being done by Aron Dotan, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Indicates members of the Editorial Committee
A
indicates the president of the Editorial Committee
The first fascicle (general introduction and The Five Megilloth, part 18) was published in 2004. The books are in the same order as in the Leningrad Codex and BHS, namely Ruth, Canticles (Song of Songs), Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Lamentations, and Esther.
The second fascicle (Ezra and Nehemiah, part 20) was published in 2006.
The third fascicle (Deuteronomy, part 5) was published in September 2007.
The fourth fascicle (Proverbs, part 17) was published in February 2009.
The fifth fascicle (The Twelve Minor Prophets, part 13) was published in November 2010.
The sixth fascicle (Judges, part 7) was published in March 2012.
The seventh fascicle (Genesis, part 1) was published on February 1, 2016.
In October 2016, the release dates for Leviticus and Ezekiel slipped a year (from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018, respectively) on the Scholarly-Bibles.com web page, and the release date for Numbers changed from “forthcoming in 2017” to “in preparation,” and that for Job changed from “in preparation” to “forthcoming in 2017.”
Release Date
The Eisenbrauns web page estimates that the entire Hebrew Bible will be completed by 2021.
