''The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'' is an
English translation of the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...
completed by
Robert Alter in 2018. It was written over the course of two decades.
Alter's translation is considered unique in its being a one-man translation of the entire Hebrew Bible.
Moreover, while most translations aimed to preserve theological accuracy, Alter's translation aims to convey the literary style of the original
Hebrew text
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
in English, recreating as much as possible its poetic rhythms and metaphors.
The translation is accompanied by a short commentary to elucidate the text. It has been praised for its elegant prose style by scholars of comparative literature, such as
Ilana Pardes
Ilana Pardes (born 1966) is a biblical scholar. She is Katharine Cornell Professor of Comparative Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Pardes attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied under Robert Alter. She r ...
, and even Bible scholars like Yair Zakovitch of the
Hebrew University
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
. Other scholars, however, such as
Edward Greenstein
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...
of
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academi ...
’s Bible department, have criticized the work for alleged inaccuracies.
References
Further reading
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* Regt, Lénart J. de. 2022. "Robert Alter's New Translation of the Hebrew Bible: An Assessment for Translators." ''
The Bible Translator
''The Bible Translator'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal relating to theory and practice of Bible translation.
Since the foundation in 1950, it has appeared in two series - ''Technical Papers'' in January and July, and ''Practical Papers'' in ...
'' 73.2:157-173.
*
*
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*Tioyé, Samy Ikoa. 2022. "Robert Alter's Translation of the Hebrew Bible: A Response to Lénart de Regt. ''The Bible Translator'' 73.2:174-180.
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External links
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Bible translations into English
2018 non-fiction books
W. W. Norton & Company books
Hebrew Bible versions and translations
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