The second half of the 1800's saw the development of several Bible dictionaries which were envisioned as exhaustive treatments of every topic in the Bible. Two of the most widely distributed, Smith's Bible Dictionary and Hastings' Bible Dictionary, had contributions by George Edward Post and were originally published in the Great Britain. All of Post's entries from both compendia are reproduced here by permission of the original publishers. Abridged versions of both dictionaries are still in print in 2004 attesting to the enduring scholarship and utility of these volumes.

Hastings Dictionary

The five volume (later two addenda volumes were added) Bible dictionary ( A DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE DEALING WITH ITS LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND CONTENTS INCLUDING THE BIBLICAL THEOLOGY) was edited by James Hastings (1852-1922). Hastings (1852-1922) was a distinguished scholar and pastor. He was founder and editor of the Expository Times and is also well known for editing the Dictionary of the Bible, as well as the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, the Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, and the Dictionary of the Apostolic Church. The material reproduced here is from the 1901 Edition, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Unlike Smith's dictionary, Post was an original contributor to Hastings' work. Written after Post had spent years in Syria and traveled widely in Cyprus, Turkey, and Egypt this later work reflects a more sophisticated understanding of the flora and fauna.

Smith Dictionary

Sir William Smith (1813-1893) was a noted English classical scholar, theologian, and Knight Lexicographer. The first edition of his three volume Bible dictionary appeared in 1863. Post contributed to the American edition dated 1880 (William Smith's DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE; Comprising its antiquities, biography, geography, and natural history. Revised and edited by Professor H. B. Hackett, D.D. with the cooperation of Ezra Abbot, LL.D. 1880. Boston: Houghton, Osgood and Company. The Riverside Press, Cambridge) in which he added notes to the text. These can be recognized by the initials "G. E. P" and were contributed when he still lived in Tripoli, Syria (modern day Lebanon) so were written before 1868 when he removed to Beirut to join the fledgling medical school.