A ''Mikraot Gedolot'' (), often called a "

Rabbinic Rabbinic Judaism (), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, Rabbanite Judaism, or Talmudic Judaism, is rooted in the many forms of Judaism that coexisted and together formed Second Temple Judaism in the land of Israel, giving birth to classical rabb ...

Bible" in English, is an edition of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...

in its letters,

niqqud In Hebrew orthography, niqqud or nikud ( or ) is a system of diacritical signs used to represent vowels or distinguish between alternative pronunciations of letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Several such diacritical systems were developed in the Ea ...

(vocalisation marks), and

cantillation marks Hebrew cantillation, trope, trop, or ''te'amim'' is the manner of chanting ritual readings from the Hebrew Bible in synagogue services. The chants are written and notated in accordance with the special signs or marks printed in the Masoretic ...

* A

Targum A targum (, ''interpretation'', ''translation'', ''version''; plural: targumim) was an originally spoken translation of the Hebrew Bible (also called the ) that a professional translator ( ''mǝṯurgǝmān'') would give in the common language o ...

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

translation *

Jewish commentaries on the Bible Jewish commentaries on the Bible are biblical commentaries of the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh) from a Jewish perspective. Translations into Aramaic and English, and some universally accepted Jewish commentaries with notes on their method of approach ...

; most common and prominent are medieval commentaries in the ''

peshat ''Peshat'' (also ''P'shat'', ) is one of the two classic methods of Jewish biblical exegesis, the other being Derash. While ''Peshat'' is commonly defined as referring to the surface or literal (direct) meaning of a text,Goldin, S. (2007). Unloc ...

'' tradition Numerous editions of the ''Mikraot Gedolot'' have been and continue to be published.

Commentaries

In addition to

Targum Onkelos Interlinear text of Hebrew Numbers 6.3–10 with British_Library.html" ;"title="Aramaic Targum Onkelos from the British Library">Aramaic Targum Onkelos from the British Library. Targum Onkelos (or Onqelos; , ''Targūm ’Unqəlōs'') is t ...

and

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...

's commentary, the standard Jewish commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, the ''Mikraot Gedolot'' will include numerous other commentaries. For instance, the

Romm publishing house The Romm publishing house was a publisher of Jewish religious literature from 1788 to 1940. It is known for its 1886 Vilna Shas, which still serves as a definitive edition. Baruch ben Yosef Romm founded the business originally in Grodno and it co ...

edition of the Mikraot Gedolot contains the following additional commentaries: *

Targum Jonathan The Targum Jonathan () is the Aramaic translation of the Nevi'im section of the Hebrew Bible employed in Lower Mesopotamia ("Babylonia"). It is not to be confused with "Targum Pseudo-Jonathan," an Aramaic translation of the Torah. It is often kn ...

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (also known as the Jerusalem Targum, Targum Yerushalmi, or Targum Jonathan) is an Aramaic translation and interpretation (targum) of the Torah (Pentateuch) traditionally thought to have originated from the land of Israel, al ...

Rashbam Samuel ben Meir (Troyes, c. 1085 – c. 1158), after his death known as the "Rashbam", a Hebrew acronym for RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, was a leading French Tosafist and grandson of Shlomo Yitzhaki, "Rashi". Biography He was born in the vicinity of ...

Tosafot The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot () are Middle Ages, medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The authors o ...

on the Torah (''Daat Zekenim'') *

Chaim ibn Attar Chaim ibn Attar or Ḥayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar (, ; – 7 July 1743) also known as the Or ha-Ḥayyim after his popular commentary on the Torah, was a Talmudist and Kabbalist. He is arguably considered to be one of the most prominent Rabbis o ...

(''Or Hachaim'') *

Abraham ibn Ezra Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (, often abbreviated as ; ''Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra''; also known as Abenezra or simply ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167)''Jewish Encyclopedia''online; '' Chambers Biographical Dictionar ...

David Kimhi ''Cervera Bible'', David Kimhi's Grammar Treatise David Kimhi (, also Kimchi or Qimḥi) (1160–1235), also known by the Hebrew acronym as the RaDaK () (Rabbi David Kimhi), was a medieval rabbi, biblical commentator, philosopher, and grammarian ...

Nachmanides Moses ben Nachman ( ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (; ) and by the contemporary nickname Bonastruc ça Porta (; l ...

Gersonides Levi ben Gershon (1288 – 20 April 1344), better known by his Graecized name as Gersonides, or by his Latinized name Magister Leo Hebraeus, or in Hebrew by the abbreviation of first letters as ''RaLBaG'', was a medieval French Jewish philosoph ...

Jacob ben Asher Jacob ben Asher (c. 1270–1340), also known as Ba'al ha-Turim as well as Yaakov ben haRosh, was an influential Medieval rabbinic authority. He is often referred to as the Ba'al ha-Turim ("Author of the ''Turim''"), after his main work, the ''A ...

(''Ba'al Haturim'') *

Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno (Obadja Sforno, Hebrew: עובדיה ספורנו) was an Italian rabbi, Biblical commentator, philosopher and physician. A member of the Sforno family, he was born in Cesena about 1475 and died in Bologna in 1549. Bi ...

Shabbethai Bass Shabbethai ben Joseph Bass (1641–1718) (; also known by the family name Strom), born at Kalisz, was the founder of Jewish bibliography and author of the supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch. Life After the death of his parent ...

(''Siftei

Hakham ''Hakham'' (or ''Chakam(i), Haham(i), Hacham(i), Hach''; ) is a term in Judaism meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise th ...

im'') *

Obadiah of Bertinoro Obadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro (; 1445 – 1515), commonly known as "The Bartenura", was a 15th-century Italian rabbi best known for his popular commentary on the Mishnah. In his later years, he rejuvenated the Jewish community of Jerusale ...

(''Emer Neka'') *

Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz (1550 – 21 February 1619) was a rabbi and Torah commentator, best known for his Torah commentary .Although most write this as ''Keli Yakar'', "the second word should be ''Yekar''" (יְקָר), as the voweliza ...

(''Kli Yakar'') *

Isaac Abarbanel Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel (;‎ 1437–1508), commonly referred to as Abarbanel (; also spelled Abravanel, Avravanel or Abrabanel), was a Portuguese Jewish politician, statesman, philosophy, philosopher, Rabbinic commentaries, Bible commentator ...

Joseph Kara Joseph ben Simeon Kara ( 1065 – c. 1135) (), also known as Mahari Kara, was a French Bible exegete who was born and lived in Troyes. Biography His uncle and teacher was Menachem ben Helbo, whom Ḳara often cites in his commentaries, these quo ...

Newer editions often include

Baruch Epstein Baruch Epstein or Baruch ha-Levi Epstein (1860–1941) () was an Ashkenazi Jewish rabbi, best known for his '' Torah Temimah'' commentary on the Torah. He was the son of Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, rabbi of Novarodok and author of the work ...

's '' Torah Temimah'' and other medieval commentaries, or more modern commentaries such as

Malbim Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser (March 7, 1809 – September 18, 1879), better known as the Malbim (), was a rabbi, master of Hebrew grammar, and Bible commentator. The name ''Malbim'' was derived from the Hebrew initials of his name. He ...

. Special editions exist of supercommentaries on Rashi or commentaries and targumim not included in older editions. Bomberg also included the Masoretic notes on the biblical text, but no modern edition does.

Editions of the Bomberg ''Mikraot Gedolot''

First published in 1516–17 by

Daniel Bomberg Daniel Bomberg ( – ) was one of the most important early printers of Hebrew books. A Christian Hebraist who employed rabbis, scholars and apostates in his Venice publishing house, Bomberg printed the first Mikraot Gdolot (Rabbinic Bible) and ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, the ''Mikraot Gedolot'' was edited by Felix Pratensis. The second edition was edited by the Masoretic scholar

Jacob ben Hayyim ibn Adonijah Jacob ben Hayyim ben Isaac ibn Adonijah or Jacob ben Chayyim (c. 1470 – before 1538), was a scholar of the Masoretic Text, Masoretic (𝕸) textual notes on the Hebrew Bible, exegete and printer (publishing), printer. Born in Tunis and thus some ...

in 1525. All of its elements (Masoretic Text,

, and commentaries) were based upon the manuscripts that ben Hayyim had at hand (although he did not always have access to the best ones according to some, Ginsburg and some others argued that it was a good representation of the

Aaron ben Moses ben Asher Aaron ben Moses ben Asher (; 10th century, died c. 960) was a sofer (Jewish scribe) who lived in Tiberias. He perfected the Tiberian system of writing vowel sounds in Hebrew. The system is still in use today, serving as the basis for grammatic ...

text). The first Bomberg's ''Mikraot Gedolot'', though hailed as an extraordinary achievement, was riddled with thousands of technical errors. Objections were also raised by the Jewish readership, based on the fact that the very first printing of the Mikraot Gedolot was edited by Felix Pratensis, a Jew converted to Christianity. Furthermore, Bomberg, a Christian, had requested an ''imprimatur'' from the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. Such facts were not compatible with the supposed Jewish nature of the work; Bomberg had to produce a fresh edition under the direction of acceptable Jewish editors. This second edition served as the textual model for nearly all later editions until modern times. Concerning the biblical text, many of ben Hayyim's errors were later corrected by

Menahem Lonzano Menahem ben Judah ben Menahem de Lonzano (), often Menahem di Lonzano, was a rabbi, Masoretic scholar, lexicographer, and poet. He died after 1608 in Jerusalem. Biography His origin is unknown, but it has been supposed that he was born in Ital ...

and

Jedidiah Norzi Jedidiah Solomon ben Abraham Norzi (1560–1626) () was a Rabbi and exegete, best known for his work ''Minchat Shai''. Born at Mantua, he studied under Moses Cases, and received his semicha, rabbinical ordination in 1585. Toward the beginning of th ...

. The ''Mikraot Gedolot'' of Ben Hayyim served as the source for the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...

in 1611 and the Spanish Reina Valera translation. A scholarly reprint of the 1525 Ben-Hayyim Venice edition was published in 1972 by

Moshe Goshen-Gottstein Moshe Goshen-Gottstein (; 6 September 1925 – 14 September 1991) was a German-born professor of Semitic linguistics and biblical philology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and director of the lexicographical institute and Biblical rese ...

.M. H. Goshen-Gottstein (ed.), Mikraot Gedolot, Biblia Rabbinica, A Reprint of the 1525 Venice Edition (Makor, Jerusalem, 1972)

Recent printed editions

Most editions until the last few decades, and many editions even today, are reprints of or based on late nineteenth century Eastern European editions, which are in turn based more or less on the Ben Hayyim edition described above. In the last generation, fresh editions of the ''Mikraot Gedolot'' have been published, based directly on manuscript evidence, principally (for the biblical text and Masoretic notes) the '' Keter Aram Tzova'', the manuscript of the Tanakh kept by the Jews of Aleppo. These also have improved texts of the commentaries based on ancient manuscripts. Four of these editions are: * the

Bar Ilan Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''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 academic university institution. It has 20,000 s ...

''Mikraot Gedolot ha-Keter'', ed. Menaḥem Cohen, complete in 21 volumes: Genesis (2 vols.), Exodus (2 vols.), Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua & Judges (1 vol.), Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Minor Prophets, Psalms (2 vols.), Proverbs, Job, Five Megillot (1 vol.), Daniel-Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles. * ''Torat Hayim'', published by Mossad Harav Kook, with 15 volumes thus far: Torah, Psalms, Proverbs, and five Megillot, plus several non-biblical texts. * Chorev Mikraot Gedolot, published by Hotzaat Chorev (now complete). * Mikraot Gedolot, published by Artscroll Mesorah

References

{{reflist

Sources

* Menaḥem Cohen, "Introduction to the ''Haketer'' edition," in ''Mikra'ot Gedolot Haketer: A revised and augmented scientific edition of "Mikra'ot Gedolot" based on the Aleppo Codex and Early Medieval MSS'' (Bar-Ilan University Press, 1992).

External links

*
Mikraot Gedolot – Haketer
(

Bar Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''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 academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...

website) *
Reconstructing the Bible (haaretz.com website)

Wikimedia projects

Wikisource's Mikraot Gedolot is available in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

(has the most content) and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Editions available online

The Second Rabbinic Bible (Mikra'ot Gdolot)

Mikraot Gedolot AlHaTorah
– free customizable online edition, including up to 26 different commentators, some newly published or in critical editions * The Second Rabbinic Bible (Mikraot Gedolot) (מקראות גדולות) Volume I, Yaakov ben Hayyim, 1524;
digital copy
Yaakov ben Hayyim, 1524: The Second Rabbinic Bible
(Genesis through Deuteronomy only) Ancient Hebrew texts Bible translations into Aramaic Bible versions and translations Biblical commentaries Biblical exegesis Books about the Bible Hebrew Bible Hebrew Bible studies Hebrew Bible versions and translations Hebrew Bible words and phrases Jewish education Jewish law Jewish prayer and ritual texts Jewish texts Jewish texts in Aramaic Law of Moses Midrashim Rabbinic Judaism Rabbinic legal texts and responsa Rabbinic literature Religious books Sifrei Kodesh Talmud Targums Torah Torah study