KEIL, KARL FRIEDRICH. - Protestant-Lutheran exegete of conservative tendency, an opponent of critical methods, b. at Lauterbach near Oelsnitz (Saxony), 26 Feb. 1807, d. at Rödnitz near Glauchau (Saxony), 5 May 1888. He studied at the Universities of Dorpat (Estonia) and then Berlin, where he became the most important disciple of E. W. Hengstenberg.
His first work, *Apologetischer Versuch über die Bücher der Chronik und die Integrität des Buches Esra* (1833), was dedicated to the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, a great patron of K. He became a lecturer (1833) at Dorpat, extraordinary professor in 1837, and ordinary professor there until 1858. In 1859 he moved to Leipzig, where, in collaboration with Franz Delitzsch, he devoted himself to the extensive *Biblischer Kommentar über das Alte Testament*.
Other works published in Leipzig include: *Über die Hiram-Salomonische Schifffahrt nach Ophir und Tarsi* (1834); *Der Tempel Salomons* (1839); *Einleitung in die kanonischen Schriften des Alten Testamentes* (1853; 2nd ed., 1858; 3rd ed., 1873); *Biblische Archäologie* (1858–59); *Genesis, Exodus* (1861; 3rd ed., 1878); *Samuel* (1865; 2nd ed., 1875); *Die zwölf kleinen Propheten* (1867; 3rd ed., 1888, with a biography of K. at the beginning of the book); *Daniel* (1869); *Chronik, Esra, Nehemia und Esther* (1870); *Jeremia* (1872); *Josue, Richter und Ruth* (2nd ed., 1874); *Die Bücher der Makhabäer* (1875); *Die Bücher der Könige* (2nd ed., 1876); *Ezechiel* (2nd ed., 1882). On the New Testament he published: *Commentar über das Evangelium des Matthäus* (1877); *Marcus und Luca* (1879); *Johannes* (1881); *Comm. über die Briefe des Petrus und Judas* (1883); *Comm. über den Brief an die Hebräer* (1885).
His characteristic essays are diligent, learned, and rich in erudition, though sometimes lacking balance and occasionally erroneous; examples may be read, e.g., on Mt. 26:17 and Jn. 18:28, Lk. 2:1–5, etc.