Barry J. Beitzel, PhD

Barry J. Beitzel is professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1976.

Prior to coming to Trinity, Dr. Beitzel taught Old Testament at California School of Theology, Faith Theological Seminary, and Bob Jones University. He has also served as Christian education minister at two California churches.

Dr. Beitzel earned the Doctor of Philosophy in Near-East studies from the Dropsie University and the Master of Arts in Old Testament as well as the Bachelor of Arts in Bible from Bob Jones University. He has also studied Semitics at Fuller Theological Seminary and general linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Beitzel's areas of expertise include mapmaking, the history of mapmaking, geography, and archaeology. He is a member of the American Schools of Oriental Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, the Evangelical Theological Society, the Near Eastern Archaeological Society, and the Association of American Geographers.

Dr. Beitzel's publications include The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands (Moody 1985); 1 and 2 Samuel, translated for the New King James Bible; and Joshua and Judges, edited for the New King James Bible. Most recently he published Biblica the Bible Atlas: A Social and Historical Journey Through the Lands of the Bible (Global Book Publishing, 2006). He contributed to and served as Old Testament general reviewer for the New Living Translation (Tyndale House, 1996). He has also contributed chapters to several volumes, including Major Cities of Bible Times (Thomas Nelson 1985) and The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Eerdmans 1981). He has prepared maps for several Bibles and other theological works; his maps appear in Bibles such as the Ryrie Study Bible (Moody), the NIV Study Bible (Zondervan), the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, the Life Application Bible, and the New Living Translation. One of the maps in Moody Atlas of Bible Lands won a national award from the Association of American Geographers. He has also published in National Geographic, Biblical Archeologist, Biblical Archaeology Review, Bible Review, and the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, among others.

Dr. Beitzel is a member of the Joint American Expedition to Ashara, Syria. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Beitzel regularly takes groups of people on tours of Israel.

Dr. Beitzel and his wife, Carol, reside in Gurnee, Illinois. They have three children. In his spare time, Dr. Beitzel enjoys tennis.