Genesis: Translation and Commentary [Hardcover]

Robert Alter (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996

The Book of Genesis is regarded as the bedrock of Western civilization and culture, its stories and language reverberating down the centuries. The author of this translation argues in his preface that English readers have not been well served by existing translations. While the "King James" version is a work of literature in its own right, which has greatly contributed to English literature, its translators did not know the Hebrew society and language well enough to be faithful to the original. Modern translations, on the other hand, tend to simplify the Bible, aiming above all to be easily understood, and thereby losing the ambiguities of the original and its music. This translation seeks to bring the great work to life; it has extensive footnotes which aim to throw light on the language and the world of Genesis. Whereas the "King James" version inevitably changed the ancient society of Genesis into an early English one, this translation tries to convey the subtle shades of its social and familial hierarchies. In it, the characters are portrayed as real human beings, complex and flawed, with bodies as well as voices. In capturing the cadences and meanings of the Hebrew Bible, the author attempts to convey its immense literary power.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Biblical book of Genesis contains some of the most sublime poetry known to man as well as the powerful and bloody history of early Israel. Literary critic Robert Alter here joins the ranks of contemporary authors who have tried to mimic, in English, the sonorous rhythms and parallel constructions of the original Hebrew. He also supplies an insightful, fascinating commentary that emphasizes the dramatic unity of the Genesis story. For believers seeking a deeper understanding of the Bible's first book, or for readers interested in the Bible as literature, Alter's contribution is essential.

From Publishers Weekly

Of the making of many translations and commentaries on the book of Genesis there is no end. After all, the book of Genesis contains not only two of the Western world's most enduring myths of creation but also chronicles the history of early Israel. While past commentators like Hermann Gunkel and Gerhard von Rad were concerned with the ways in which the various literary forms present in the book of Genesis reflected the historical and theological concerns of the texts' writers and hearers, literary critic Alter (The Art of Biblical Narrative) emphasizes the overall narrative unity of the disparate textual units that comprise the book of Genesis. In his translation of the first 11 chapters, for example, Alter carefully reproduces the stylistic devices of repetition and parallelism so characteristic of Hebrew poetry, while his translation of chapters 12-50 captures the dramatic tension and characterization that are the hallmarks of Hebrew narrative style. Alter is ever attentive to the power of paronomasia in the Hebrew so that his translation of Genesis 1:1, "When God began to create heaven and earth, and the earth then was welter and waste (tohu wabohu, in Hebrew) and darkness over the deep and God's breath hovering over the waters...," attempts through alliteration to translate the lilting poetry of the Hebrew phrase. Although Alter's translations lack the sparkle and elegance of Everett Fox's translations of Genesis in The Five Books of Moses (Schocken 1995), his commentaries on the literary qualities of Genesis and his casting of the Hebrew Bible's opening book as a single narrative woven together by the threads of character and theme ensure that Alter's work will take its place in the distinguished ranks of commentaries.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 324 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.; 1 edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393039811
• ISBN-13: 978-0393039818
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #910,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Genesis that's a Revelation, February 10, 2001

By 

Volkswagen Blues "cead1" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genesis: Translation and Commentary (Paperback)

This edition pairs a fabulous translation with commentary that is extensive and erudite without being the least bit boringly pedantic. Alter's running commentary in the footnotes (which constitute at least one half of every page!) alerts readers to centuries of interpretations and re-interpretations of this cornerstone of world literature, in a manner that makes the book of Genesis seem more alive and more vital than ever before, an ongoing and important discussion.

Alter's commentaries help to situate Genesis within the larger narrative arc of the Bible as well as they address even the most current strains of Biblical exegesis (like feminist rethinkings of gender roles in the creation, for example), but this reader found the wealth of fascinating minutiae even more endearing. What did Potiphar's wife REALLY say to Joseph when she tried to seduce him? It's in there. What does Adam's name mean in Hebrew? It's in there.

First-time readers of the Bible can expect a very readable yet faithful prose, while long-time readers can expect the unexpected, as Alter's etymological and socio-historical explanations bring a pleasantly surprising new clarity to a classic.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Respectful, Literary Treatment of Keystone Religious Book, October 14, 2004

By 

Mark Lee (Woodruff, UT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Genesis: Translation and Commentary (Paperback)

I'll never look at Genesis in quite the same way. That said, sometimes the "fresh" "new" look is just another way of packaging a worthless, fleeting novelty. Once in awhile, though, "fresh" means a shift in paradigm.

Alter's translation is thoughtful, readable, and faithful to the spirit and dignity of the great book of Genesis. As a man who principally looks at Genesis through literary eyes, one might think his commentary would be reduced to cold faithlessness. But Alter is deeply linked to the faith of the authors and what they were trying to tell. He leaves the judgment of the story to the reader.

As a believer, I also appreciated Alter's comments on the intelligence of the composition. To him, it's not just a collection of old legends, but a story with a plan - a tapestry with patterns to be sure woven into a sensible design.

In a day where we've chaptered and versified the Bible to death, Alter's holistic treatment probably gets back to the spirit in which the original account was probably presented.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Translation, April 21, 2000

By 

Mark McEntire - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genesis: Translation and Commentary (Hardcover)

Perhaps the most serious limitation of standard translations of the Bible is the tendency for the target language and its literary conventions to take control. One concrete example of this is the convention within contemporary English prose that word repetition is undesirable. This is particularly unfortunate when translating a language like biblical Hebrew in which frequent word repetition is one of the key elements of literary structure. Alter has produced a valuable translation of Genesis which allows the literary conventions of the source language to retain control. Of course, this means that the translation will often depart the expectations of contemporary English prose, but the result is well worth this price. For the first time, the literary features of the Hebrew text of Genesis are available for English readers to observe. Those who find the stories of Genesis so familiar that they have become stale will find that this translation gives the text new life. Alter has included helpful commentary on the text in footnotes. Unfortunately, this commentary is somewhat uneven. Some literary features of the text are discussed in great detail while others receive no comment at all. Therefore, the need for a fully developed narrative commentary on Genesis is still unmet.