Customer Reviews

The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary

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There are probably millions of English-speaking men and women of religious inclination who have never read the Hebrew or the Christian Scriptures cover to cover. When I undertook a masters degree from a Roman Catholic Seminary, only the Pentateuch and the Prophets were required three-credit courses, and our professors emphasized themes over textual analysis. And, like many others, I know something "of" Deuteronomy and Numbers but have never examined the texts closely.

Searching souls return to sources, and it may be this need that would propel a reader to Robert Alter's original translation of the Pentateuch. As I am neither a true scripture scholar nor fluent in Hebrew language, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the translation, though it is hard to imagine a major publisher [Norton] going wrong with a scholar whose resume includes at least twenty full length works on Scriptural literature and philosophy. What I can address is the impact of Alter's efforts, his manner of presentation, underlying presuppositions, and the values and dangers of applying one's self to the full text.

Alter presupposes an openness to modern scholarship. The very title is metaphorical, not factual. The author embraces the standard source theories [Yahwist, Elohist, Priestly, Deuternomic] and draws from major Christian and Jewish scholarship in his commentaries and introductions, at times taking issue with theories or other mainstream translations. He maintains a strong presence throughout the text, perhaps five footnotes per page. There is considerable effort made to explain the multiplicities of meaning in critical Hebrew words, and the reader--perhaps scratching his head--comes away with both a greater respect of the ingenuity of ancient authors and a better understanding of the headaches of modern translators. Other footnotes connect or contrast particular texts to other parts of the Pentateuch, or the canon of Hebrew Scripture, or to other ancient texts. Of particular interest is Alter's inclusion of medieval Jewish commentators.

Alter is an all-abiding presence, but I never found him intrusive. He is useful and respectful, allowing the sacred text to stand in its context, majesty, and paradox. There is no effort to contextualize his commentary with the Christian Scriptures or present-day Christian theologies. The author does at times go out on a limb with his psychological observations: his contrasting of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for example, is intriguing if speculative, and yet it was my impression that the ancient authors probably intended for their readers to capture the humanity of such characters as the ten scouts whose knees wobbled at their first reconnoitering of Canaan as against the courage of Joshua and Caleb.

Alter sees the first book, Genesis, as an introduction to both the human situation prior to the patriarchs, and the patriarchal age itself, concluding with Joseph and the relocation of the Hebrews to Egypt. Genesis has enjoyed a certain preeminence in our time, possibly because of Christian interests in doctrines dealing with creation and original sin, not to mention its colorful tales and personages. However, when seen in the context of the five books, Genesis loses a bit of its glitter, and the reader comes to see that the Pentateuch is actually Moses' stage. Not only is Moses the protagonist of nearly everything that happens in Exodus and beyond, but he becomes the channel for the Word of God, and it is through his lips that both the Law of God and the wrath of the Almighty come to the Israelites. The Pentateuch makes clear that Moses, though hardly sinless, is the one indispensable human in the Hebrew Scripture.

The reader need be forewarned that the description of the Pentateuch as the source of the Law is well-founded. The ratio of narrative to legal code is perhaps 1:4. Despite Alter's cogent efforts to explain the significance of ritual precision and the concept of moral cleanliness, the reading of the Law in its entirety--from Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers--is arduous and at times ingratiating. One comes to the conclusion that the repetition and detail of Hebrew Law is itself a manner of emphasizing its importance.

I indicated earlier that there are inherent dangers in reading the Pentateuch. One of the most immediate is the difficulty of many contemporary readers to transcend the barriers of cultural and religious diversity, as well as the arrogance of modernity. I would concede that there will be readers who will dismiss the text as useless, incomprehensible, or representative of an ancient, inferior culture. The repeated emphasis in the Pentateuch upon ritual exactitude and community cleanliness in particular will be troublesome to those who do not trouble themselves to understand the underlying religious mentality. There are also philosophical difficulties. It is somewhat disconcerting for the Judaeo-Christian reader to come face to face with the genesis of his tradition, the violent uprooting of indigenous peoples in Canaan. Needless to say, the content of the Pentateuch and the situation of present day Israel will raise thoughtful questions.

The sacred authors and editors of the Pentateuch may have sensed something of this quandary, for Deuteronomy, the final book of the unit and the last will and testament of Moses, reflects a distinct authorship and vision of the desert experience. Evidently written later than the other books, Deuteronomy smoothes somewhat the ethical exactitude of the earlier books and places more emphasis upon the Glory of God and his great love of Israel. The reader should remember, too, that the Pentateuch, while the cornerstone of the Hebrew Scripture, is not its sum and substance. To significantly comprehend the books of Moses, one must read on.

Though I've read passages from the Torah when I was a young kid in Hebrew School, I never read any form of the Bible in its entirety. I bought this book from purely a secular interest in understanding what the Torah was about, the same way I've read Greek Mythology in the past. I never anticipated that I would read this from cover to cover, but the way Alter strikes the perfect balance between staying true to the original Hebrew while using English that is wrought with commensurate attention to detail and beauty, made it impossible not to. The only thing i'm not sure about is what I enjoyed more: reading the translation itself, or the footnotes. In many ways the footnotes tell you more about the Torah than the text. The author dives into amazing detail with his description of the etymological origins of the hebrew words, explanation for the usage of certain words within the context of the narrative, and analysis into the meaning of the story complete with numerous references to well-known rabbinical scholars and their views. The result is an understanding of the Torah not just through the eyes of a 21st century reader, but through the eyes of the original authors and editors of the compilation that became the Torah, thousands of years ago.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever been curious about the Torah and wanted to learn more about its meaning and derivation.

I was not brought up in an overly religious home and never read the Torah, outside of a small comparative religion unit in HS english. Then I read numerous glowing reviews of this translation and realized that since so much of our current culture and society is based on Mosaic law, that I should probably check this out.

Being a skeptic, I've always believed that the Bible is packed with contradictions and mistakes. There are some. However, this translation deals with these in a way that explains and never detracts from the splendour of the overall work. The sections that seem to be cribbed from earlier works are explained in that context and you come away with a better appreciation for the work as a whole.

Some stories are chilling, others awesome in the true sense of the word. The God of the Old Testament is a wrathful, vindictive, jealous god. This translation will give the thoughtful reader much to consider.

This being said, I don't know if I would recommend this to someone seeking a religious commentary. This is an objective look at an ancient text, and the treatment is academic - almost clinical. A dispassionate analysis and commentary allows the reader to weigh thoughts and make his own conclusions.

Translation is everything. The guy earlier that complained about the "ands" must not have read the commentary explaining their frequency. Or perhaps he feels he is better qualified as a translator. I got a different version of the Bible out of my archives and it really doesn't compare to Alter's translation.

In summary: if you are looking for an academic treatment of the Torah with phenomenal commentary and explanation, buy this book.

When was the last time a Bible translation received reviews comparing it to the magisterial King James? In my memory, Alter's is the first.

Robert Alter, perhaps the leading American Hebraist and an outstanding translator, here delivers the reader a thoughtful and fascinating new translation of the Hebrew Bible. Readers will quickly recognize Alter's position as one of the leaders of those who read the Bible as literature. Some may quibble with his decision to occasionally deemphasize more historically based interpretations in favor of examining the text in terms of theme and poetics. Thoughtful readers, however, find much worth learning in such analysis and would almost certainly also enjoy reading Everett Fox's also excellent and more historically based translation.

Of particular note, Alter's commentary and essays serve as wonderful background and offer readers not well versed in Hebrew a window into that languages internal intricacy. For all of these reasons, no serious student should miss this important text.

In this commentary the author has devoted significant effort to the faithful translation of the original Hebrew language and presented the first five books of the Bible with as much detail and presentation as I have seen. The sources are fairly comprehensive and well presented.

While there are a few sections that may raise some scholarly disagreement, especially as Genesis is presented, I think the overall process was to be faithful to the historical and spiritual text, as it has been understood for centuries.

A good book to have on hand, as the these are some of the most important literature ever written, and form the backbone for most of the world's belief systems. Nat at all an easy read, but great reference material.

I couldn't begin to count the number of times I've read the books of the Pentateuch. They are as familiar to me as the view out my front window. Yet soon after opening Alter's version, I realized that this was a new view, through a window I had never used before. Not since first encountering Eugene Peterson's "The Message" have I had the same sensation of freshness, of surveying new vistas within God's Word. Alter gave me--a novice with regard to the original languages of Scripture--an unexpected understanding of Hebrew context and syntax and vocabulary and rhythm. He provided new insights into the thinking of the writers and presumed editor of the Five Books and, I believe, into the thinking of the One who inspired it all. The ratio of commentary to text is perfect. In fact, I am amazed that so much could be conveyed in so few sentences of commentary. The appropriate adjectives for this stunning work are all superlatives. This is the best! I'm thrilled to have learned that Alter has undertaken a similar venture into the Books of Samuel ("The Story of David"). Just as I wished that Peterson would extend his grasp to the entire Bible--a wish that came true--I wish Alter would do the same for the entire Hebrew Bible. Kudos for the work done so far!

Update: Jan. 2010
I wrote to Prof. Alter to inquire about any other biblical translations because, quite frankly, his translation (and, Prof. Everett Fox' translation) are some of the most exciting and intriguing books to be published in any genre. Here is Prof. Alter's response:

Dear Mr. Lawrence,

Many thanks for your enthusiastic response. The next installment of my Bible translations, the Wisdom Books (Job, Qohelet, Proverbs) will be published in October [2010].

All best,

Robert Alter
***** ***** *****



The Five Books Of Moses, a scholarly translation of The Torah by Dr. Robert Alter is nothing short of magnificent. I've been wanting a book such as this for quite some time and to be quite frank, I was greatly disappointed with the recently released Oxford Jewish Bible.

The Five Books of Moses, is just that a translation of the first five books of our Bible, but it also has substantial and thorough annotations which entices the reader to reconsider age-old beliefs about the text and how one perceives the patriarchs, matriarchs and the Torah in general.

In addition to the text, Dr. Alter offers alternative translations based on the oldest historical usage of individual words. In some cases, he also he focuses on the history of the letters and how that might affect translation.

This is an indispensable book and one that should be owned with Everett Fox' competing version of the same topic.

I've been using this text as part of a Bible Study I conduct. The commentary is primarily a translator's. What I mean by that is that it's not mainly a theological commentary, but one which seeks to understand the Hebrew text and explain how the translator sees the text. I like that insofar as what I'm looking for is an attempt at an accurate translation rather than as someone promoting his own theological agenda. If you're looking for theological interpretations, then this commentary would be of limited interest. The primary goal is to render an accurate literary translation of the Hebrew and to offer some archeological/ancient cultural commentary. I can see this text useful regardless of whether it's used by Jews or Christians.

"The Five Books of Moses" is a great translation of these ancient books. The translation can be rough sometimes, but that is because it sticks closely to the original Hebrew in ways that most modern English translations avoid. It is a joy to read, both from a scholarly perspective and as a devotional book.

Robert Alter's translation work is excellent, also be sure to check out his earlier work "The David Story."

I have ever had a great love of, and interest in, the Scriptures. From the beginning of my interest I have carried on delving into the background of the Scriptures both from the texts, English, Latin and Greek, and also their historical background.
All the commentaries I have studied were written by Christian authors.
Finding the "Five Books of Moses" by Robert Alter, a Jewish Scholar, has quite opened my eyes to aspects of the Scriptures I had never encountered before. As it is over 1,000 pages long I use it for cross references and find it very illuminating and certainly don't see myself reading it from cover to cover! As a work of reference, however, I'm finding it both very interesting and enriching and worth every penny.