About Dr. Richard S. Hess

Rick is the Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Denver Seminary. Having studied at both Jewish and Christian seminaries, he earned a PhD from Hebrew Union College, an MDiv and a ThM from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a BA from Wheaton College.  He has completed postdoctoral studies and research in Chicago, Jerusalem, Cambridge, Münster, and Sheffield; and taught in Glasgow and London before moving to Denver.

Rick and his wife Jean have two sons and a daughter who are all married.  They have been blessed with an extended family of eight grandchildren. Two families live in the Denver area, while the middle child and his family live in Cedar Springs, MI, where he is a worship pastor. Jean and Rick are ordained in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and co-pastor 316, a Celtic Christian church in the Denver area. Besides spending time with their children and grandchildren, they enjoy walking and playing with their Wheaten Terrier, O’Malley.

Rick has preached and taught at a variety of churches and universities in America, Great Britain, Korea, China, Israel, and India, to name a few.

Dr. Hess loves to answer your questions, especially about the Old Testament!

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Bible Publications

Dr. Hess has written many books, articles, papers and more.

All Publications Dr. Hess on Amazon

Dr. Hess is a member of the New International Version’s Committee on Bible Translation, and was an editor for the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible. He is editor of the Denver Journal, and formerly the editor of the Bulletin for Biblical Research. He’s authored a dozen books, including commentaries and studies on Genesis, Leviticus, Joshua, and the Song of Solomon. He also co-edits the Septuagint Commentary Series. Rick has worked as a translator for the New American Bible, the Holman Standard Christian Bible,  the English Standard Version, and The Common English Bible translations of the Old Testament. Rick has edited about 70 academic books on various biblical topics and has published well over 100 scholarly and peer-reviewed papers on the Bible, as well as hundreds of reviews and commissioned dictionary articles.

Having completed his massive The Old Testament: A Historical, Critical, and Theological Introduction, Rick is currently working on commentaries of Genesis (popular) and Kings (academic), as well as research papers on the study of ancient Near Eastern texts related to the Old Testament.

Additional research interests include Old Testament exegesis and theology, Hebrew and ancient Near Eastern languages, biblical archaeology, and topics such as the transcendent value of human life and healing in biblical times. Dr. Hess is consultant to the postdoctoral research project on Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Onomastics, Tyndale House, Cambridge, England. He also serves on the Evangelical Theological Society’s Hebrew Bible / Old Testament Archaeology Planning Committee and on the Exploring the Composition of the Pentateuch Group.

Recent Blogs and Podcasts

• Did Esther Really Exist?  https://youtu.be/SzxyNk6bLvc  December 15, 2024.
• “Joshua,” Doable Discipleship, Jason Wieland, Saddleback Church, October 22, 2024.
• “Historical Evidence for the Book of Judges,” Nauka & Teologija with Nemanja Jurisic, May 16, 2024.
• “A Biblical Scholar’s Journey: From Hierarchy to Mutuality,” CBE Denver’s Mutuality Minded, May 8, 2024: LINK 1 or LINK 2
• “Was King David Mythical or Historical?” February 10, 2024: LINK 1

Recent and Upcoming Speaking Engagements

• Weekly Preaching/Bible Teaching, Saturday Evenings 5:00 pm, 316 Church, Englewood CO. Contact Rick for location.
• “Book of Joshua: Genre,” Hebrew Scriptures and Cognate Literature Section, Society of Biblical Literature, Boston, MA, Saturday – Tuesday, November 22 – 25, 2025.
• “Scholars who Preach,” Asbury Seminary, Wilmore, KY, October 21-22, 2025.
• Committee on Bible Translation, Biblica, Colorado Springs, Monday – Wednesday, June 23 – July 1, 2025.
• “Method in Name Analysis with Focus on Biblical and Amarna Names,” Invited Workshop on Linguistic Analysis of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Names, Old Testament Onomastics Project, Tyndale House Cambridge UK, Monday – Tuesday, June 2-3, 2025.
• “New Evidence for Asherata/Asherah,” Religions Special Issue: The Bible and Ancient Mesopotamia16.4 (2025) 397 https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040397
• “Could Moses Write? Alphabetic Script from the Beginning to the Tenth Century BC,” China Academic Consortium, Zoom Lecture, Friday, May 9, 2025.
• “Did Ancient Israel Believe in One God?” Ratio Christi, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Monday, April 21, 2025.
• “Linear Alphabetic Script in Texts from the Third Millennium until the Tenth Century BCE,” 10:00 am, Rocky Mountain – Great Plains AAR-RBS Regional Meeting, University of Denver, Saturday, March 29, 2025.
• “Joshua and Genocide: The Question of a Cruel God in the Bible,” Deere Hester Lecture, 11:00 am, Gateway Seminary, Ontario, California, March 27, 2025.
• “Doubt” Panel Discussion, Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 pm, South Fellowship Church, Littleton, March 12, 2025.