John Cook

1. Academic Position

Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore)

2016–, Professor of Old Testament

2010–2016, Associate Professor of Old Testament

2007–2010, Assistant Professor Old Testament

 

2. Education

2002 Ph.D., Hebrew and Semitic Studies, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Dissertation: The Biblical Hebrew Verbal System: A Grammaticalization Approach. University of Wisconsin-Madison. (PDF) 

1992 M.A. (cum laude) Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

1990 B.A. , Bible-Theology and Biblical Languages, Moody Bible Institute

 

3. Research Interests

Ancient Hebrew linguistics and Northwest Semitic Languages

Diachronic typology

Semantics and discourse pragmatics

Valency and the Intersection of Syntax and Semantics

Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (poetry, Psalms, and wisdom literature)

4. Publications

a. Authored Books

In preparation. Isaiah 40–55: An Handbook on the Hebrew Text. The Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.

In preparation. The Biblical Hebrew Verbal System: A Linguistic Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

In preparation. Advanced Biblical Hebrew (with Robert D. Holmstedt).

2020 Intermediate Biblical Hebrew: An Illustrated Reader (with Robert D. Holmstedt).

2019 Aramaic Ezra and Daniel: A Handbook on the Aramaic Text. The Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.

2017 Qoheleth: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text. The Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. (with Robert D. Holmstedt and Phillip Samuel Marshall).

2013 Beginning Biblical Hebrew: A Grammar and Illustrated Reader. Baker Academic  (with Robert H. Holmstedt). (blog; publisher page)

2012 Time and the Hebrew Verb: the Expression of Tense, Aspect, and Mood in Biblical Hebrew (tentative title). Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic 7. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. (publisher page)

2007 (draft) Biblical Hebrew: A Student Grammar. (with Robert H. Holmstedt)

b. Edited Books

In preparation. Linguistics for Hebraists and Biblical Scholars. (co-edited with Robert D. Holmstedt) Eisenbrauns.

c. Book Chapters

2020. Back to the Beginning: Verbal Syntax and Semantics in Genesis 1:1–3. Pages 22–36 in For Us, but Not to Us: Essays on Creation, Covenant, and Context in Honor of John H. Walton. Edited by Adam E. Miglio, Caryn A. Reeder, Joshua T. Walton, and Kenneth C. Way. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock. 

2016. Verbal Valency: The Intersection of Syntax and Semantics. Pages 53–86 in Contemporary Examinations of Classical Languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, and Greek): Valency, Lexicography, Grammar, and Manuscripts. Edited by Timothy Martin Lewis, Alison G. Salvesen and Beryl Turner. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias. (PDF)

2013 The Verb in Qoheleth. Pp. 309–42 in Fresh Perspectives on Qohelet, ed. Mark Boda, Tremper Longman, and Cristian Rata. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. (PDF)

2013 Actionality (Aktionsart): Pre-Modern Hebrew. Pp. 25–28 in Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics, Volume 1: A–F, ed. Geoffrey Khan. Leiden: Brill. (PDF)

2013 Aspect: Pre-Modern Hebrew. Pp. 201–5 in Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics, Volume 1: A–F, ed. Geoffrey Khan. Boston/Leiden: Brill. (PDF)

2013 Verb. Pp. 896–901 in Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics, Volume 3: P–Z, ed. Geoffrey Khan. Boston/Leiden: Brill. (PDF)

2012 Detecting Development in Biblical Hebrew Using Diachronic Typology. Pp. 83–95 in Diachrony in Biblical Hebrew, ed. Cynthia Miller-Naudé and Ziony Zevit. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. (PDF; BOOK)

2012 Hebrew Language. Pp. 307–18 in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets, ed. J. Gordon McConville and Mark Boda. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity. (PDF)

2008 Hebrew Language. Pp. 260–67 in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings, ed. Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity. (PDF)

2005 Lexicons, OT. Pp. 451–52 in The Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of Scripture, ed. Kevin Vanhoozer. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

2005 Genericity, Tense, and Verbal Patterns in the Sentence Literature of Proverbs. Pp. 117–33 in Seeking Out the Wisdom of the Ancients: Essays Offered to Honor Michael V. Fox on the Occasion of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday, ed. Ronald L. Troxel, Kelvin G. Friebel, and Dennis R. Magary. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. (buy the book; PDF)

d. Journal Articles

2020 Finding Missing Objects in Biblical Hebrew (with an Appendix on Missing Subjects. Journal for Semitics 29/2: 1–21.

2018 Grammar and Theology in Daniel 3:16–18. Bulletin for Biblical Research 28/3: 367–80. (PDF)

2018 The Accordance Hebrew Syntax Project (with Robert D. Holmstedt). Journal for Semitics 27/1: 1–23. (PDF)

2016 Time to Clarify. Hebrew Studies 57: 403–21. (PDF)

2015 Cognitive-Linguistic Confusion: A Review of The Verb and the Paragraph in Biblical Hebrew: A Cognitive-Linguistic Approach, by Elizabeth Robar. Bibliotheca Orientalis 72/3–4: 294-302. (PDF)

2014 Current Issues in the Study of the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System. Kleine Untersuchungen zur Sprache des Alten Testaments und seiner Umwelt 17: 79–108. (PDF)

2014 Putting Old Wine in New Wineskins: A New Synthesis of the Verbal System of Biblical Hebrew That is Neither New Nor a Coherent Synthesis. A Review of The Verbal System of Biblical Hebrew: A New Synthesis Elaborated on the Basis of Classical Prose, by Jan Joosten. Hebrew Studies 55: 351–60. (PDF)

2008 The Hebrew Participle and Stative in Typological Perspective. Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages. 34/1: 1–18. (JNSL site; PDF)

2008 The Vav-Prefixed Verb Forms in Elementary Hebrew Grammar. Journal of Hebrew Studies. 8/3: 1–16 (PDF).

2006 The Finite Verbal Forms in Biblical Hebrew Do Express Aspect. Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society 30: 21–35. (JANES)

2004 The Semantics of Verbal Pragmatics: Clarifying the Roles of Wayyiqtol and Weqatal in Biblical Hebrew Prose. Journal of Semitic Studies 49/2: 247–73. (JSS site; PDF)

2001 The Hebrew Verb: A Grammaticalization Approach. Zeitschrift für Althebraistik 14/2: 117–43. (PDF)

 

d. Reviews

2019 Review of A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, by Christo H. J. van der Merwe, Jacobus A. Naudé, and Jan H. Kroeze. Bulletin for Biblical Research 29/1: 75–77. (PDF)

2017 Review of Job’s Journey: Stations of Suffering, by Manfred Oeming and Konrad Schmid. Bulletin for Biblical Research 27/1: 99–100. (PDF)

2017 Review of A Handbook of Biblical Hebrew, by W. Randall Garr and Steven E. Fassberg. Bulletin for Biblical Research 27/3: 379–81. (PDF)

2016 Review of The Verb in Archaic Biblical Hebrew, by Tania Notarius. Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 16. (LINK)

2016 Review of The Message of Lamentations, by Christopher J. H. Wright. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 59/1: 169-70.

2016 Review of The Syntax of Volitives in Biblical Hebrew and Amarna Canaanite Prose, by Hélène Dallaire. Review of Biblical Literature (LINK).

2015 Review of Transitivity and Object Marking in Biblical Hebrew, by Peter Bekins. Bulletin for Biblical Research 25/3: 382-84. (PDF)

2014 Review of the Verbal Tense System in Late Biblical Hebrew Prose, by Ohad Cohen. Bulletin for Biblical Research 24/4: 529-31. (PDF)

2014 Review of Hebrew in the Second Temple Period: The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Contemporary Sources, ed. Steven E. Fassberg, Moshe Bar-Asher, and Ruth A. Clements. Bulletin for Biblical Research 24/1: 78–80. (PDF)

2013 Review of an Introduction to Ugaritic, by John Huehnergard. Bulletin for Biblical Research 23/2: 251–53. (PDF)

2011 Review of KUSATU (Kleine Untersuchengen zur Sprache des Alten Testaments und seiner Umwelt) 8.9 (2008). Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 11. (online)

2010 Review of A New Understanding of the Verbal System of Classical Hebrew An Attempt to Distinguish Between Semantic and Pragmatic Factors, by Rolf J. Furuli. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 69/2: 249–51. (PDF)

2009 Review of Conservatism and Innovation in the Hebrew Language of the Hellenistic Period: Proceedings of a Fourth International Symposium on the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Ben Sira, ed. Jan Joosten and Jean-Sébastian Rey. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 71: 439–41. (PDF)

2008 Review of Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel, by Wilda C. Gafney. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 51: 620–21.

2007 Review of Untersuchungen zur verbalen Valenz im biblischen Hebräische, by Michael Malessa.Catholic Biblical Quarterly 69: 790–92. (PDF)

2006 Review of Biblical Narrative and the Death of the Rhapsode, by Robert S. Kawashima. Hebrew Studies 47: 439–43. (PDF)

2006 Review of Studies in Grammaticalization, by Aaron Rubin. Hebrew Studies 47: 433–36. (PDF)

2006 Review of Studien zur Sprachwelt des Alten Testaments II, by Ernst Jenni. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 68: 786–87. (PDF)

2006 Review of Narrative Structure and Discourse Constellations: An Analysis of Clause Function in Biblical Hebrew Prose, by Roy L. Heller. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 68: 116–17. (PDF)

2005 Review of Biblical Hebrew: Studies in Chronology and Typology, ed. by Ian Young. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 67: 181–82. (PDF)

2005 Review of Song of Songs/Lamentations, by Duane Garrett and Paul House. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48/3: 630–32.

2004 Review of Lamentations, by Adele Berlin. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 47/1: 146–47.

2004 Review of Profecía y Sintaxis: El Uso de las Formas Verbales en los Profetas Menores Preexílicos [Prophecy and Syntax: the Use of the Verbal Forms in the Pre-Exilic Minor Prophets], by Francisco Javier del Barco del Barco. Hebrew Studies 45: 101–3. (PDF)

2003 Review of Focus Structure in Biblical Hebrew, by Katsuomi Shimasaki. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 65: 618–19. (PDF)

2003 Review of The Lord of the East Wind, by Aloysius Fitzgerald. Hebrew Studies 44: 250–52.

2003 Review of The Verbal System in Classical Hebrew in the Joseph Story: An Approach from Discourse Analysis, by Yoshinobu Endo. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 62/1: 62–64. (PDF)

2002 Book notice of Auxiliation: An Inquiry into the Nature of Grammaticalization, by Tania Kuteva. Diachronica 19/2: 426.

2002 Book notice of World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, by Bernd Heine and Tania Kuteva. Diachronica 19/2: 423–24.

 

5. Conference Papers and Invited Lectures

2019 “Word Order in Biblical Aramaic.” Ugaritic Studies and Northwest Semitic Epigraphy and Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew joint session, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, November 23–26.

2019 “Missing Objects in Biblical Hebrew.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, November 23–26.

2019 “Exploration in Hebrew Verbal Valency.” (Invited paper) Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew: New Perspectives in Philology and Linguistics, Cambridge, July 7–10.

2019 “Describing Verbal Valency.” Biblical Language and Linguistics session, Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, Vancouver, June 1–3.

2017 “Linguistics and Philology: A Response to Jeremy Hutton.” (Invited response) Joint session of Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew and Philology in Hebrew Studies, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, November 20.

2017 “Valency and Other Syntactic Considerations.” (Invited presentation) Syntactic Databases for Biblical and Early Jewish Texts, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, November 18.

2016 “The Accordance Syntax Database.” (Invited paper) New Directions in the Computational Analysis of Biblical Hebrew Grammar session, International Organization of Septuagint and Cognate Studies, Stellenbosch, South Africa, September 4–9.

2014 “The Biblical Hebrew Verbal System in Action: 1 Samuel 1–2.” Invited paper, National Association of Professors of Hebrew Annual Meeting, San Diego.

2014 “Verbal Valency in Biblical Hebrew and the Case of מלא.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, San Diego.

2014 “The analysis of verbal valency in Biblical Hebrew.” Invited lecture, Biblical Exegesis Seminar, Department of Theology, Uppsala University, February 20.

2014 “Current issues in the study of the Biblical Hebrew verbal system.” Invited lecture, Old Testament Colloquium: Recent Works on the Hebrew Verbal System, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, January 29.

2014 “Current issues in the study of the Biblical Hebrew verbal system.” Invited plenary address, New Research in Hebrew Language and Culture, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, January 27–29, 2014.

2012 “Verbal Valency: The Intersection of Syntax and Semantics.” International Syriac Lexicon Project, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, Chicago.

2011 “Verbal Sequences in Biblical Hebrew: A New Approach Based on Discourse Representation Theory.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, San Francisco. (PDF)

2010 “Complements and Adjuncts in Accordance Syntax of the Hebrew Bible.” Invited paper, Accordance Software session at Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, Atlanta.

2009 “Detecting Development in Biblical Hebrew using Diachronic Typology.” Invited paper, National Association of Professors of Hebrew Annual Meeting, New Orleans. (revised and forthcoming Diachrony in Biblical Hebrew)

2009 “Reconsidering the So-called Vav-Consecutive.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, New Orleans. (PDF)

2008 “Time and the Biblical Hebrew Verb.” Invited paper, Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

2007 “What’s a Subjunctive? Teaching Verb Modality to Elementary Hebrew Students.” Invited paper, National Association of Professors of Hebrew Annual Meeting (panel discussion on teaching the verbal system to elementary Hebrew students). (revised and published JHS)

2007 “The Hebrew Participle in Typological Perspective.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting. (revised and published JNSL)

2006 “Verbal Patterns in Psalms.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting.

2005 “Mood/Modality in Biblical Hebrew Verbal Theory.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting.

2005 “Interpretive Ambiguity and the Exegesis of Proverbs.” Wisdom in Israelite and Cognate Traditions section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting.

2005 “The Use of Typology in Analyzing the Biblical Hebrew Verb.” Upper Midwest Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting.

2005 “Typology and the Biblical Hebrew Verb.” American Oriental Society/North American Conference on Afroasiatic Linguistics Annual Meeting. (revised and published JANES)

2005 “Generic Distinctions, Verbal Forms, and the Interpretation of Biblical Proverbs.” Midwest Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting (Regional Scholar Award; revised and published Fox festscrift)

2003 “The Use of Wayyiqtol in Poetry.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting.

2002 “The Semantics of Verbal Pragmatics.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew Section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting. (revised and published JSS 2004)

2001 “Tense, Aspect, and Modality and the Biblical Hebrew Verb.” Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew Section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting. (revised and published ZAH 2001)

1998 “Tense and Aspect and the Biblical Hebrew Verbal System.” Midwest Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting.