Beyond Babel: A Handbook for Biblical Hebrew and Related Languages , edited by John Kaltner and Steven L. McKenzie, is a foundational resource designed to introduce students to the diverse linguistic landscape of the Ancient Near East. Published as part of the Society of Biblical Literature’s Resources for Biblical Study series, it serves as a bridge for biblical scholars to understand how Hebrew interacts with its neighboring languages.

The handbook features individual chapters written by experts on the primary languages relevant to the study of Ancient Israel.

: Covers Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, Phoenician, Ugaritic, and Northwest Semitic dialects like Ammonite, Edomite, and Moabite.