Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, Belgrade, Serbia
Željko Stanojević
Founder and Director
Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature
Expertise: Hebrew Language; Biblical Hebrew; Semitic Philology; Comparative Semitic Linguistics; Biblical Onomastics; Hebrew Lexicography; Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran Studies; Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible; Biblical Translation; Jewish Studies.
Official Profile: Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature – Željko Stanojević
CURRICULUM VITAE
Academic Profile
Željko Stanojević is a Serbian Hebraist, philologist, author, translator, lexicographer, and independent researcher specializing in Hebrew language, Biblical Hebrew, Semitic philology, biblical onomastics, and textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible. He is the Founder and Director of the Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature in Belgrade, an institution dedicated to research, education, publishing, and the promotion of Hebrew language, biblical studies, and Jewish cultural heritage.
For more than two decades his scholarly work has focused on Hebrew linguistics, comparative Semitic studies, biblical philology, manuscript traditions, and the linguistic history of the Hebrew Bible. His research combines historical-comparative linguistics, textual criticism, lexicography, epigraphy, and biblical exegesis with particular attention to the relationship between Biblical Hebrew and other Semitic languages.
He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the European Hebrew Journal, an international academic journal dedicated to Hebrew language, Hebrew Bible, Semitic studies, Jewish history, archaeology, and related disciplines. Through the Institute and the Journal he has established collaborations with scholars from leading universities throughout Europe, Israel, North America, and Asia.
His scholarly activity includes academic monographs, dictionaries, biblical translations, critical editions, linguistic studies, archaeological studies, and numerous articles devoted to Biblical Hebrew, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew lexicography, Semitic etymology, biblical names, syntax, and textual history.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
Founder and Director, Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, Belgrade.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, European Hebrew Journal.
Researcher in Biblical Hebrew, Semitic Philology, Biblical Translation, Hebrew Lexicography, and Dead Sea Scrolls Studies.
Author, translator, editor, and lecturer in Hebrew language and Jewish studies.
RESEARCH
Željko Stanojević’s research focuses on Biblical Hebrew and the historical development of Semitic languages through comparative philology and textual criticism. His work investigates biblical vocabulary, Hebrew grammar, biblical syntax, historical linguistics, and the transmission of biblical manuscripts from antiquity through the medieval period.
A significant part of his research is devoted to the Dead Sea Scrolls, especially the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa), where he examines orthography, scribal practices, textual variants, lexical development, and translation. His long-term project includes detailed philological analyses and translations of the Isaiah Scroll column by column.
Another major field of research concerns biblical onomastics. His work analyzes Hebrew personal names, theophoric elements, etymology, and naming traditions throughout the Hebrew Bible. He also investigates the relationship between Hebrew and Proto-Slavic vocabulary, comparative Semitic linguistics, and the development of biblical terminology.
His research additionally explores Biblical Hebrew verbal syntax, lexical semantics, Hebrew lexicography, the Samaritan Pentateuch, Qumran literature, manuscript transmission, and biblical archaeology.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew Language
Semitic Philology
Comparative Semitic Linguistics
Biblical Onomastics
Hebrew Lexicography
Dead Sea Scrolls
Qumran Studies
Biblical Archaeology
Textual Criticism
History of the Hebrew Bible
Biblical Translation
Ancient Near Eastern Languages
Jewish Studies
Historical Linguistics
Philology
BOOKS
Selected Books
Onomastikon biblijskih imena – Volume I: Old Testament Names (2026).
On the Language of Serbs and Jews (2026).
Srpsko-hebrejski rečnik / Hebrejsko-srpski rečnik.
Kumranski spisi – Dokaz verodostojnosti Biblije.
Jevanđelje po Mateju (translation from the Greek text).
Additional monographs and linguistic studies devoted to Hebrew language, biblical philology, and Semitic linguistics.
LEXICOGRAPHY
Author of bilingual Hebrew–Serbian and Serbian–Hebrew dictionaries.
Author of studies in biblical terminology and Hebrew lexical semantics.
Research in Hebrew etymology, semantic development, and comparative lexicography.
BIBLICAL TRANSLATIONS
Translation of the Gospel according to Matthew.
Translation and philological interpretation of selected biblical texts.
Translation and analysis of Qumran manuscripts.
QUMRAN RESEARCH
One of the principal areas of Dr. Stanojević’s current research is the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa). His ongoing project provides a comprehensive philological analysis, translation, and textual commentary for each column of the manuscript, examining orthography, morphology, syntax, scribal conventions, textual variants, and lexical development.
The project also compares the Qumran manuscript with the Masoretic Text and other ancient witnesses in order to investigate the transmission of the Hebrew biblical text.
PUBLICATIONS
Selected Scholarly Articles
Proto-Slavic čьrta and Semitic ś-r-ṭ: Semantic Convergence.
Wine or Grape Juice? The Use of the Noun Yayin in the Old Testament.
The Etymology of the Hebrew Lexeme ʾĀdām.
The Function of Wayyiqtol in Biblical Hebrew.
The Distribution of Theophoric Elements in a Corpus of Biblical Personal Names.
Orthographic Features of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa).
Morphological Features of the Great Isaiah Scroll.
Lexical Features of the Great Isaiah Scroll.
Translation and Commentary on the Great Isaiah Scroll.
Studies in Biblical Onomastics.
Studies in Hebrew Syntax.
Studies in Comparative Semitic Linguistics.
Studies in Biblical Philology.
Studies in Hebrew Lexicography.
Studies in Qumran Hebrew.
Studies in Biblical Translation.
In addition to these publications, Željko Stanojević has authored numerous books, dictionaries, translations, academic articles, and philological studies dedicated to Hebrew language, Semitic linguistics, biblical philology, textual criticism, Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical archaeology, Jewish studies, and comparative historical linguistics.
MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECTS
The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) Project
One of the principal long-term research projects conducted by Željko Stanojević is a comprehensive philological study of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) from Qumran. The project consists of a column-by-column linguistic, textual, and exegetical analysis of one of the oldest surviving biblical manuscripts.
The research investigates orthographic conventions, morphology, syntax, lexical development, scribal practices, textual variants, and the relationship between the Qumran text, the Masoretic Text, and other ancient biblical witnesses. Individual studies have been published for successive columns of the manuscript and collectively form one of the most extensive contemporary analyses of the Great Isaiah Scroll.
Biblical Onomastics Project
Another major research project focuses on biblical personal names and the historical development of Hebrew onomastics. This work examines the etymology, morphology, semantic structure, and theological significance of biblical names while tracing naming traditions throughout the Hebrew Bible.
The project resulted in the publication of the multi-volume Onomastikon biblijskih imena, providing systematic linguistic and historical analyses of biblical anthroponyms.
Hebrew Lexicography
An important part of Dr. Stanojević’s scholarly activity is devoted to Hebrew lexicography. His work includes the compilation of Hebrew–Serbian and Serbian–Hebrew dictionaries, lexical studies of Biblical Hebrew, semantic analyses, and research into the historical development of Hebrew vocabulary.
His lexicographical research combines biblical philology, comparative Semitic linguistics, and modern linguistic methodology.
Comparative Semitic Linguistics
His comparative linguistic research investigates relationships between Hebrew and other Semitic languages, including Aramaic, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Arabic, and Phoenician. He also explores possible lexical and semantic parallels between Semitic and Indo-European languages, particularly Proto-Slavic.
These studies contribute to a broader understanding of language contact, historical linguistics, and the evolution of ancient Near Eastern languages.
Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran Studies
Dr. Stanojević has published numerous studies dedicated to the Dead Sea Scrolls, focusing particularly on the linguistic features of the Isaiah Scroll, textual transmission, manuscript traditions, scribal culture, and the historical development of Biblical Hebrew during the Second Temple period.
His research integrates philology, textual criticism, paleography, and biblical exegesis to reconstruct the textual history of the Hebrew Bible.
Biblical Translation
His translation work combines close philological analysis with textual criticism and linguistic commentary. In addition to translating biblical texts, he has published studies on translation methodology, Hebrew syntax, lexical semantics, and the interpretation of difficult biblical passages.
SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTIONS
Dr. Stanojević’s publications encompass monographs, dictionaries, translations, academic articles, philological studies, textual analyses, and linguistic research devoted to Hebrew language, Semitic philology, biblical interpretation, manuscript traditions, and Jewish history. His work contributes to contemporary scholarship on Biblical Hebrew, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew lexicography, biblical onomastics, and the historical transmission of the Hebrew Bible.