Samuel Lee (linguist)

Samuel Lee ( born May 14, 1783 in Longnor, Shropshire, † December 16, 1852 in Barlay, Hertfordshire ) was a British orientalist and Anglican clergyman.

Life

Lee grew up in poverty on the twelve- miles from Shrewsbury Longnor away. He was the youngest of eleven children. Four of his brothers and four sisters were from the first marriage of his father, a brother and a sister were as much younger because they were descended from the second marriage of the father.

His father died when he was twelve years old. He had to leave school and start as a carpenter, his mother was also dependent on this little merit. Through his work as a craftsman and caretaker for the Roman Catholic chapel of Sir Edward Smith, he came into contact with Latin texts, which he began to study.

After years of work as a carpenter, he continued, now married, under the most adverse circumstances, be self-study continuing. Eventually he found the support of the Archdeacon Corbett. This had recognized the extraordinary talent, furthered his education and became his patron.

In October 1817 he obtained the degree of B. A. at Cambridge University, was ordained a priest and curate in Chesterton in Cambridge.

In 1819 he became a professor of Arabic at Cambridge. As a result, he was choir master in Bristol in 1833 and got a reputation as Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge. He died in 1852 in Barlay in Hertfordshire.

Significantly it is because of the large number of his still estimated translations (including one of the book of Job from the Hebrew ) and transfers as well as its grammars.

Writings

• A lexicon Hebrew, Chaldee and English: compiled from the most approved sources, oriental and european, jewish and christian. Duncan & Malcolm, London, 1820.
• A grammar of the Hebrew language: compromised in a series of lectures, etc. 2nd edition. London 1831st
• Journal of a three years' residence in Abyssinia, in furtherance of the objects of the Church Missionary Society. London 1834.

Translations

• The Travels of Ibn Batta: ... with notes, illustrative of the history, geography, botany, antiquities, & c, ocurring Throughout the work Ibn Baa, Muammad Ibn - Abdallh. . Copy printed for the count de Mandelsloh, a foreign member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. London, in 1829.
• The book of the patriarch Job. London 1837.
• On the Theophania or divine manifestantion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. A Syriac version / Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea. Edited by Samuel Lee. Society for the Publication of Oriental Texts, London, 1842.