Adalbert Merx (November 2, 1838 - August 6, 1909), German theologian and orientalist, was born at Bleicherode near Nordhausen.

He studied at Jena, where he became extraordinary professor in 1869. Subsequently he was ordinary professor of philosophy at Tübingen, and in 1873 professor of theology at Giessen. From 1875 till his death he was professor of theology of Heidelberg. In the course of his researches he made several journeys in the East.

Among his many works are:

• Grannatica syriaca (1867-1870)
• Vocabulary of the Tigre language (1868)
• Das Gedicht vom Hiob (1871)
• Die Prophetie des Joel und ihre Ausleger (1879)
• Die Saadjanische Uberseizung der Hohenlieder ins Arabische (1882)
• Chrestoinathia targ-usnica (1888)
• Historia artis grammaticae apud Syros (1889)
• Ein samaritanisches Fragment (1893)
• Idee und Grundlinien einer allgemeiner Geschichte der Mystik (1893)

Merx devoted much of his later research to the elucidation of the Sinaitic Palimpsest discovered in 1892 by Mrs Agnes Smith Lewis, the results being embodied in Die vier kanonischen Evangelien nach pem liltesten bekannten Texte (1897-1905). His last work was an edition of the books of Moses and Joshua.