French Orientalist; born Dec. 23, 1863, at Metz; son of Elie Lambert, author of religious text-books, grandson of Chief Rabbi Lion Mayer Lambert of Metz, great-grandson of Chief Rabbi Aaron of Worms, and descendant through the last-named of Gershon Ulif Ashkenazi and of Elijah Blin, rabbi and ḥazzan of Worms in the sixteenth century. After finishing his studies at the lycée of Metz, he attended the lectures of the Talmud Torah and the Séminaire Israélite of Paris, pursuing, at the same time, courses in Semitics at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes. He received his rabbi's diploma in 1886. In 1887 he was appointed professor of Arabic and Syriac at the Séminaire, and in 1889 he took charge of Hebrew at the Ecole Normale of the Alliance Israélite. He taught Hebrew at the Talmud Torah, 1890-94, and subsequently at the Séminaire. From 1886 to 1895 he was the collaborator of Joseph Derenbourg. In 1902 he was appointed lecturer of Hebrew and of Syriac at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes.
Lambert has published the following works: "Eléments de Grammaire Hébraïque" (Paris, 1890); "Une Série de Qeré Ketib" (ib. 1891); "Commentaire sur le Livre de la Création par Saadia" (ib. 1891); "Arabic Version and Commentary to Proverbs, by Saadia" (ib. 1894), in collaboration with Joseph Derenbourg; "Premiers Eléments de Grammaire Hébraïque" (ib. 1900); "Glossaire Hébreu-Français," MS. 302 of the Bibliothèque Nationale, published by Lambert in collaboration with M. L. Brandin (1903). Of his numerous contributions to the "Revue des Etudes Juives," the "Journal Asiatique," the "Revue Sémitique," etc., the following deserve particular mention: "Observations sur la Théorie des Formes Nominales" ("Journal Asiatique," 1890); "L'Accent Tonique en Hébreu" ("R. E. J." 1892); "La Formation du Pluriel en Hébreu" (ib.); "L'Inscription d'Eryx" ("Revue Sémitique," 1893); "Le Vav Conversif" (ib. 1895); "La Syntaxe de l'Impératif Hébreu" (ib. 1897); "L'Article dans la Poésie Hébraïque" (ib. 1898); "De l'Accent en Arabe" ("Jour. Asiatique," 1898); "Le Cantique de Moïse" ("R. E. J." 1898); "Les Dates et les Ages dans la Bible" (ib. 1902). His contributions to "La Grande Encyclopédie" include the articles: "Langue Hébraïque," "Massore," "Onkelos," etc. In his articles contributed to the "Univers Israélite" Lambert endeavors to show that Judaism must give up dogmatism,modifying the customs and laws which are contrary to modern ideals while laying more stress on religious instruction.