Customer Reviews

Isaiah: Hebrew Text & English Translation With an Introduction and Commentary (Soncino Books of the Bible)

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Most of my commentaries on Isaiah are written by Christian scholars. Most of them are in English and read left to right. This one is by Jewish scholars and reads right to left. The concept is different and I really do enjoy it. As far as commentaries go, the bulk of the material in this book is Hebrew and English text of the scriptures. It is almost more like a study bible with a few notes on each column of material than it is like a typical commentary.

Essentially this book is really a copy of the book of Isaiah with parallel versions (English and Hebrew). There are (as one review said) some annotations for the text on each page. The sparing comments do not really qualify for the billing as a commentary that the cover page displays in my mind. I would call this a really neat 'annotated parallel bible' that publishes the 'Old Testament' into 14 small volumes.

For example, on Isaiah 27:2 the English text says "In that day sing ye of her: 'A vineyard of foaming wine!".

His comments are:

that day-the day of Israel's deliverance. a vineyard. Symbolizing Israel. foaming wine. The Hebrew word, chemer, is only found again in Deut 32:14. Several Hebrew MSS read chemed 'a delightful vineyard' as in Amos 5:11.

Above this you see a column on the left with the English text and a column on the right with Hebrew text.

Let me comment on the prices. Soncino Press offers these volumes in the latest printing for less than some of the used bookstores want for older volumes. I cannot for the life of me understand why the used versions are not about half price of the newer versions. There's really nothing special about the older versions of these commentaries.

If you do not have computer aided software for the Old Testament, then these books are a great aid for anyone who reads some or a lot of Hebrew, but compared to software tools like BibleWorks 7.0, these tools leave a lot unsaid that the contemporary software tools give at the passing of a cursor.

For Christian students, the view here is interesting, especially in passages like Isa 53 where the suffering servant is viewed as exiled Israel idealized. So incredibly they believe that Israel now is a victim in her suffering as an exiled nation. For excellent insight into this same passage, one would best read "Motyer" or "Oswalt" where you receive a plethora of exegetical as well as insightful expository comments and good application ideas.

Value: I paid $8 for my copy of this book. I don't think it's worth much more than that, but it is worth owning.

Still, I love the idea of this commentary and I do love the layout of the text with notes on the same page. They are worth owning bearing in mind the contextual issues I've raised in this note.

This annotated version of the Book of Isaiah has Hebrew and English text in 2 columns on the same page and features the commentary of RADAK, Rabbi David Kimchi. Occasionally other sources are quoted. This book is not for people who exclusively suscribe to the documentary hypothesis.