The Great Poems of the Bible: A Reader's Companion with New Translations [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

James L. Kugel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 1999

This beautifully designed volume is a unique reader's companion to the most beautiful poems of the Bible, newly translated by a renowned poet and biblical scholar.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

James Kugel, professor of biblical studies at Harvard University, has taken the Bible's greatest poems and given each of them a dose of fresh thinking and a new translation. Chapter by chapter, Kugel leads readers into a new and sometimes profoundly different translation based on his interpretation of the original Hebrew Bible. As a lover and scholar of many languages, Kugel offers translations that are both eloquent and spiritually stirring. As a result, this is a feast for anyone who treasures beautiful language. But more so, it is a deeply satisfying discussion of beliefs in the biblical world. Kugel's essays boldly venture into the big questions: What does the Bible mean when it talks about people's souls? Where is the soul and what does it do? What is the source of human evil? These expertly written discussions never once bog down the poems. Rather, they bring greater texture and meaning to the ancient words. --Gail Hudson

Review

"Mr. Kugel's commentaries... are marvelous--fresh, original, deeply thought, deeply felt. They are the responses to the Bible of a scholar who, far more than just a scholar, is above all a reader and knows that, even more than knowledge, taste and discrimination, the most important thing to bring to a text is oneself: not a part of oneself, but the whole, entirely focused and entirely open, ready to give and take all. To be able to read in this way is a rare gift, and Mr. Kugel, who can also write, has it." -- Hillel Halkin, The Forward, October 20, 1999

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (October 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068485774X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684857749
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,322,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James L. Kugel, Starr Professor of Hebrew at Harvard from 1982 to 2003, now lives in Jerusalem. A specialist in the Hebrew Bible and its interpretation, he is the author of The God of Old and The Great Poems of the Bible. His course on the Bible was regularly one of the two most popular at Harvard, enrolling more than nine hundred students.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An illuminating Bible Poetry Slam, October 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Poems of the Bible: A Reader's Companion with New Translations (Hardcover)

A reader's companion to some of the poems of the Bible, with Kugel's insights into their hidden beauties of deeper meanings. What do the Psalms tell us about the nature of the soul? What do the shirim/songs and proverbs tell us about monotheism and the afterlife? Kugel is a Professor of Hebrew Literature at Harvard, and a Professor at Bar Ilan University. He is also the former poetry editor of Harper's Magazine. The book includes new translations for Psalms 104, 42, 29, 51, 23, 137 and 119; Deborah's Song from Judges 5; Job 28; David's Lament from Samuel 2(How the mighty have fallen); as well as poems from Jeremiah, Isaiah, Song of Songs; Micah, Ecclesiastes and others. An example of Kugel's illumination is a chapter on Amos' prophecy on "But Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters / And righteousness Like a Mighty Stream." In addition to bringing the poem's language to greater life, Kugel explains the nature of prophecy in ancient Israel, Amos' background as a common citizen, the hidden idea of calling Amaziah's Beth-el a Beth-Sorrow. The chapter continues by discussing the use of two sentence structure in Hebrew prophecy, as in the sentence, "An ox knows its owner, and an ass it's master's trough." From structure, Kugel moves to word choice. For example, why use ox? An animal that is dull witted but readily plows with a yoke. Why use an 'ass' which is smart but cannot be controlled? The word 'knows' also means 'devoted to' and 'obeys', while the word 'master' also means 'Creator' and is an allusion to a Canaanite diety. Thus we discover the hidden beauty of the sentence. All this illumination, and just one sentence. So buy the book and in Hillel's words, "go and learn."

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Poets' poet, November 21, 1999

By 

Daniel Braunschvig "Danny" (Jerusalem Israel) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Great Poems of the Bible: A Reader's Companion with New Translations (Hardcover)

The Great Poems of the Bible could also have been titled: "Wisdom in the Bible". In his book, James Kugel shows the depths of thought and feeling that one can encounter in these texts when one takes the time to ponder their words and rhythms. The Wisdom which is put forth is far from the sanctimonious moralizing of some. Rather it is an endeavour to picture the universe as a whole, where in the end harmony triumphs. Kugel's prose itself is a tour de force of poetry and most probably it took a poet to reveal the Poems of the Bible from the all encompassing cries of the Prophets to the "one-liners" of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. One cannot finish this book without desiring to read it over again.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quietly moving tribute..., January 19, 2002

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A. Ort "aorto" (Youngstown, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Great Poems of the Bible: A Reader's Companion with New Translations (Hardcover)

Kugel's book provides wonderful insight into some of the subtleties that lie behind these 'poems' of the Bible so often lost in translation and literalized in this overly scientific day and age of ours.

The poems, with the commentary provided by Kugel, come alive on the page and Kugel's knowledge and enthusiasm for the material is obvious on each and every page. A worthy addition to any collection.