For an extensive list of abbreviations for secondary sources, see §8.4 (pages 171-260) of SBLHS. Common examples are provided below.
Secondary sources like journals, series, and major reference works usually have a standard abbreviated form. In footnotes and bibliographies you should refer to a journal by its abbreviated form (e.g., Journal of Biblical Literature is abbreviated as JBL).
Biblical commentaries are usually published as a series of books with an individual author for each. The title of the commentary series (e.g., New International Commentary on the Old Testament) is abbreviated (e.g., NICOT) in footnotes and in the bibliography.
Reference works like dictionaries or encyclopedias have abbreviated forms (e.g., The Anchor Bible Dictionary is abbreviated as ABD).
Abbreviations for journals are listed together with series and reference works alphabetically by full title in §8.4.1 (pages 171-216) and alphabetically by abbreviation in §8.4.2 (pages 216-260) of SBLHS. The journals listed below are only a small portion of those listed in the handbook. All journal titles and abbreviations should be italicized.
Note: titles with an asterisk (*) are not found in SBLHS, but are commonly abbreviated as follows.
Biblica
Bib
Biblical Archaeologist
BA
Biblical Archaeological Review
BAR
Bibliotheca Sacra
BSac
Bulletin for Biblical Research
BBR
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
BASOR
Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CBQ
Christian Century
ChrCent
Christianity and Literature
ChrLit
Church History
CH
Currents in Biblical Research
CurBR
Evangelical Quarterly
EvQ
Harvard Theological Review
HTR
*International Journal of Systematic Theology
IJST
Interpretation
Int
Jewish Studies Quarterly
JSQ
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
JSNT
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
JSOT
Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions
JANER
Journal of Biblical Literature
JBL
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
JAAR
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JETS
*Journal of Theological Interpretation
JTI
Journal of Theological Studies
JTS
Master's Seminary Journals
MSJ
New Testament Abstracts
NTA
New Testament Studies
NTS
Novum Testamentum
NovT
Old Testament Abstracts
OTA
Review of Biblical Literature
RBL
Revue biblique
RB
Scottish Journal of Theology
SJT
Southwestern Journal of Theology
SwJT
*Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
SBJT
Themelios
Them
Theology Today
ThTo
Trinity Journal
TJ
Tyndale Bulletin
TynBul
Vetus Testamentum
VT
*Wesleyan Theological Journal
WesTJ
Westminster Theological Journal
WTJ
Abbreviations for commentary series are listed together with journals and reference works alphabetically by full title in §8.4.1 (pages 171-216) and alphabetically by abbreviation in §8.4.2 (pages 216-260) of SBLHS.
Note: commentary series with an asterisk (*) are not listed in SBLHS. Abbreviations for these are taken from www.bestcommentaries.com.
Abingdon New Testament Commentaries
ANTC
Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries
AOTC
Anchor Bible (or *Anchor Yale Bible)
AB (or AYB)
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
ACCS
Appolos Old Testament Commentary
ApOTC
Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament
ACNT
Baker Exegetical Commentary on the NT
BECNT
*Bible Speaks Today
BST
Black's New Testament Commentaries
BNTC
*Brazos Theological Commentary
BTC
Eerdmans Critical Commentary
ECC
*Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised
REBC
Hermeneia
Hermeneia
International Critical Commentary
ICC
Interpretation
IBC
*IVP New Testament Commentary
IVPNTC
New American Commentary
NAC
*New Cambridge Bible Commentary
NCBC
New Century Bible
NCB
New International Biblical Commentary on the NT
NIBCNT
New International Biblical Commentary on the OT
NIBCOT
New International Commentary on the NT
NICNT
New International Commentary on the OT
NICOT
New International Greek Testament Commentary
NIGTC
The New Interpreter's Bible
NIB
The New Jerome Bible Commentary
NJBC
New Testament Library
NTL
*NIV Application Commentary
NIVAC
Old Testament Library
OTL
*Pillar New Testament Commentary
PNTC
Sacra Pagina
SP
Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary
SHBC
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
TNTC
Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
TOTC
The Women's Bible Commentary
WBC
Word Biblical Commentary
WBC
*Zondervan Exegetical Commentary
ZEC
*Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary
ZIBBC
Abbreviations for major reference works are listed together with series and journals alphabetically by full title in §8.4.1 (pages 171-216) and alphabetically by abbreviation in §8.4.2 (pages 216-260) of SBLHS.
Note: titles with an asterisk (*) are not found in SBLHS, but are commonly abbreviated as follows.
Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by David Noel Freedman. 6 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
ABD
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988.
BEB
*Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Edited by Tremper Longman III. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013.
BIBD
*Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible. Edited by Kevin J. Vanhoozer. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005.
DTIB
*Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Edited by Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998.
DBIm
Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation. Edited by John Hayes. 2 vols. Nashville: Abingdon, 1999.
DBI
Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. Edited by David J. A. Clines. 9 voles. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 1993-2016.
DCH
Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Edited by Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, and Pieter W. van der Horst.
DDD
Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Edited by Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown, and Nicholas Perrin. 2nd ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2013.
DJG
Dictionary of New Testament Background. Edited by Craig A. Evans and Stanley E. Porter. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
DNTB
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
DPL
Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments. Edited by R. P. Martin and P. H. Davids. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997.
DLNT
*Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books. Edited by Bill T. Arnold and H. G. M. Williamson. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005.
DOTHB
*Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch. Edited by T. Desmond Alexander and David W. Baker. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003.
DOTP
*Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets. Edited by Mark J. Boda and J. Gordon McConville. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012.
DOTPr
*Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. Edited by Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008.
DOTWPW
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Edited by David Noel Freedman. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.
EDB
Encyclopedia Judaica. Edited by Fred Skolnik and Michael Berenbaum. 2nd ed. 22 vols. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007.
EncJud
*Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity. Edited by Angelo di Berardino et al. 3 vols. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014.
EAC
*Encyclopedia of Christianity. Edited by Erwin Fahlbusch, et al. 5 vols. Grand Rapids and Leiden: Eerdmans and Brill, 1999-2008.
EC
Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. Edited by Everett Ferguson. 2nd ed. 2 vols. New York: Garland, 1997
EEC
Encyclopedia of Religion. Edited by Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. 15 vols. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005.
ER
Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Edited by Hans-Josef Klauck et al. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2009.
EBR
Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Edited by Lawrence H. Schiffman and James C. VanderKam. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
EDSS
*Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996.
EDBT
*Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001.
EDT
Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Horst Balz and Gerhad Schneider. ET. 3 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990-1993.
EDNT
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
BDAG
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida. 2nd ed. 2 vols. New York: United Bible Societies, 1989.
L&N
Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint. Johan Lust, Erik Eynikel, and Katrin Hauspie. Rev. ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2003.
LEH
Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint. Takamitsu Muraoka. Leuven: Peeters, 2009.
GELS
The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Ludwig Koehler, Walter Baumgartner, and Johann J. Stamm. 4 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1994-1999.
HALOT
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979-1988.
ISBE
New Bible Dictionary. Edited by D. G. W. Wood, I. Howard Marshall, J. D. Douglas, and N. Hillyer. 3rd ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
NBD3
*New Catholic Encyclopedia: Second Edition. Edited by Berard L. Marthaler et al. 15 vols. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2003.
NCE2
*New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Edited by T. Desmond Alexander, et al. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
NDBT
New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology. Edited by E. M. Blaiklock and R. K. Harrison. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983.
NIDBA
*New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Edited by Moisés Silva. 2nd ed. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
NIDNTTE
New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Edited by Willem A. VanGemeren. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997.
NIDOTTE
New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible. Edited by Katharine Doob Sakenfeld. 5 vols. Nashville: Abington, 2006-2009.
NIDB
The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words. Edited by Verlyn D. Verbrugge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.
TDNTW
Oxford Classical Dictionary. Edited by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
OCD
Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by Frank L. Cross and Elizabeth A. Livingstone. 3rd ed. rev. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
ODCC
*Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation. Edited by Steven L. McKenzie. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
OEBI
Religion Past and Present: Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion. Edited by Hans Dieter Betz et al. 14 vols. Leiden: Brill, 2007-2013.
RPP
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-1976.
TDNT
Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Edited by G. johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren. Translated by John T. Willis et al. 10 vols. 1974-2006.
TDOT
Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. Ceslas Spicq. Translated and edited by James D. Ernest. 3 vols. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994.
TLNT
Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament. Edited by Ernst Jenni, with Claus Westermann. Translated by Mark E. Biddle. 3 vols. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997
TLOT
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Edited by R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980.
TWOT
The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. James H. Moulton and George Milligan. London, 1930. Repr. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997.
MM
*The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible. Edited by Merrill C. Tenney and Moisés Silva. 5 vols. Grand Rapids, 2009.
ZEB