The North-West Semitic epigraphic contributes considerably to our understanding of the Old Testament and of the Ugaritic texts and to our knowledge of the North-West Semitic languages as such. This dictionary is concerned with the North-West Semitic material found in inscriptions, papyri and ostraca in Phoenician, Punic, Hebrew, various forms of Aramaic, Ammonite, Edomite, the language of Deir Alla et cetera. The material covers the period from ca. 1000 B.C. to ca. 300 A.D. Besides translations the entries include discussions and full references to scholarly literature.

The book is a translated, updated and considerably augmented edition of Jean & Hoftijzer, 'Dictionnaire des inscriptions sémitiques de l'ouest'. The additions concern newly found texts as well as references to new scholarly literature. The book is an indispensable tool for research in North-West Semitic epigraphy, on the Old Testament and on Ugaritic texts, and for Semitic linguistics.