Customer Reviews

JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh: Pocket Edition

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Tanakh, an edition of the Holy Scriptures of Judaism, put out by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), now has a dual-language edition (Hebrew and English), which is incredibly useful for scripture study.

The word Tanakh consists of the first letters of the words denoting the three sections of the text: the Torah (the Law), consisting of the first five books; the Nevi'im (the Prophets), which includes major and minor prophets, as well as some of the history books; and the Kethuvim (the Writings), which consists of poetry, wisdom literature, stories and eschatological literature, and some further history books.

The Tanakh is not simply a new translation of the Christian Old Testament. Indeed, most Christian readers would be surprised at the differences inherent in the Tanakh. For one thing, the ordering of the books in the Tanakh is different from the order in the Christian Old Testament. The intent behind the differing order demonstrates one of the key differences in focus of Judaism and Christianity. The ordering of the Old Testament, with the minor prophets, and their call to repentance and future deliverance of the people of Israel by God, is anticipatory of the Messianic age, and hence provide a `run-up' to the New Testament. Obviously, Judaism does not have the same focus toward Jesus. Thus, the conclusion of the Tanakh leads to the return from exile, the restoration of the people of Israel to the land of promise, and the return of the worship of God to the appointed place, the Temple.

Also, the chapter/verse division is somewhat different. This can be seen in side-by-side comparison with other English Bible translations, but also becomes apparent in comparison with other Jewish editions.

The editors state that English translations usually list thirty-nine books of the Bible. Meanwhile, Hebrew Bibles classically have presented twenty-four books -- counting the following groups as one book each: the two part of Samuel; the two parts of Kings; the Twelve ('Minor') Prophets; Ezra and Nehemiah; and the two parts of Chronicles. Some aspects of our book design presume the thirty-nine-book division: the tables, book openings, and chapter numbers. But we ended only the conventional twenty-four books with a closing prayer and with the sum total of verses.

The Tanakh was originally translated and published in three sections, corresponding to the three divisions of the text. Begun in 1955, The Torah was completed in 1962; then there was a wait until The Nevi'im was released in 1978, and The Kethuvim in 1982. This edition of the Tanakh is the compilation of these efforts by JPS, with revisions, especially of the 1962 Torah translation.

This edition, while incorporating the Hebrew text, is not meant for ritual practice. The intended readership of this volume is the scholar or the general reader; it is not set up for liturgical use -- as the preface states: 'It meets only the traditional rabbinic standards (halakhah) for formatting a study Bible, which are less stringent than those for ritual texts.'

The introduction is quite frank about the difficulties that arise in working with ancient manuscripts. In a section entitled The Unbroken Chain of Uncertainty, the editors address the problem of which documentation and corrective (the masorah, which gives rise to the name masoretic text, meaning, authoritative and 'marked') is used, given the variances that arise in ancient manuscripts with fairly equal claim of authority. Drawing on the MCW (Michigan-Claremont-Westminster) electronic BHS (Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia), JPS has a text nearly identical with the Leningrad Codex (a 1000-year old volume of the text, the oldest nearly complete volume known). In using this documentation, JPS editors have also done the following in making the text accessible and authoritative:

- added chapter and verse numbers, all of which were added much later
- redivided the Psalms to 150 (the Codex has divisions into 149)
- inserted markings to show codex paragraphing as well as possible scribal errors
- filling in cross-references

The editors point out some of the omissions - Like the medieval scribes, we culled most of our nearly six hundred notes from the larger body of masoretic lore (roughly two hundred thousand notes!); we do not pretend to have been exhaustive.

These notes deal with textual anomalies, and are written in such a manner than a glossary helps decipher them.

This is a rewarding volume for anyone who seeks to tap into the power of the original language side-by-side with a unique and powerful translation of the Hebrew scriptures.

First of all let me say that this is my very favorite translation. Though not the most literal on a word-for-word basis (for that I would recommend the NASB), it is highly readable and faithful to the Hebrew text presenting the meaning in a beautiful and literary style that is unparalleled in my opinion. The JPS version is an absolute pleasure to read.

Another thing I have always appreciated about the Jewish Publication Society is the attention to detail and aesthetics in their publications regarding the appearance on the page: Typeface, layout, etc. This edition is no exception. It is compact, printed beautifully on high quality paper and with a durable paper/leather look binding. The Hebrew and English are in parallel columns, line by line, and the type is pleasing to the eye, clear, and easy to read despite its necessarily small point size.

I hope this review has been helpful - I have recommended this translation for years now and was pleased to still find it in various editions today.

The Jewish Publication Society's TANAKH is a good text for any serious Bible reader and scholar. The preface informs the reader how the translators and editors proceded with the redacting of the Hebrew and English. This preface gives the reader a clear guide on this translation.

Readers should realize that this translation was done for Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews. There are citations in this volume with view that this TANAHK was done for the different Jewish movements in English language areas.

The difficutly of doing a translation is obvious. One must realize, at the editors do, that accuracy in biblical translations can be elusive. The editors clearly state what sources they use which in of itself can be a challenge. Readers should not that there are footnotes which carefully explain variations in translation of difficult or obscure passages.
Another important feature is that the editors were honest enough to admit where they were not sure of the Hebrew.

Those who are not familiar should know that the organization of the TANAKH is different than the Christian Old Testament. Yet, Christians can benefit from this book. Those who know Hebrew can compare translations with the Hebrew and decide on the accuracy of translations.

The editors placed a Guide to Hebrew Footnotes at the end of this book. This guide is an important asset of this book in that those who can read Hebrew have a useful tool in understanding the Hebrew. A good companion volume is THE JEWISH STUDY BIBLE which helps the serious reader. This reviewer favorably recommends the JPS HEBREW-ENGLISH TANAKH

Lovely, inspiring, and wonderful as it should be. The one problem is the size of the text - about 6pt. Luckily for me I'm young and nearsighted, but I doubt that my mother could read this easily.

All I suggest is this: If you have a difficult time reading very small text, DO NOT BUY THIS.
Also, I was a bit put off by the bar-code printed in the inner cover.
Other than that, this is a fine translation, the book is well made.

Type much too small for mature eyes. If you are price conscious and have good eyes--great deal

Best English Translation with almost flawless Hebrew and fits neatly into a big coat pocket.

This is a lovely book... beuatifully put together, a pleasure to hold and read, and with a limpid English translation. I had never seen a Jewish version of the scriptures before and this is a revelation.
Also, coming from Europe and buying this while on vacation in the US, I found the price amazingly low

The JPS Tanakh fills an important niche is the study of Biblical Hebrew. Having the English side by side with the Hebrew helps throse of us whose Hebrew skills are a little rusty to mine the beautiful riches of the original language.

That having been said, I would have found an iterlinear far more helpful than a parrallel. With the parrallel set-up, it is difficult to see the word-to-word corespondence 100% of the time.
Also, the format of the pocket edition was rather bulky. I don't see how this could be improved, seeing how the entire Hebrew testament is included and the font is diminished as far as possible, but the resulting 3 inch thick book does not supply the convenient portablity I was looking for.

I am used to read Christian Bibles and I must say that I'm so glad that I bought this Tanakh! I also study Hebrew for myself and it's great to say the real names of the persons and of HaSjem.