The Hebrew Bible A Translation With Commentary Vol Three Volume Set

A landmark event: the complete Hebrew Bible in the award-winning translation that delivers the stunning literary power of the original. A masterpiece of deep learning and fine sensibility, Robert Alter’s translation of the Hebrew Bible, now complete, reanimates one of the formative works of our culture. Capturing its brilliantly compact poetry and finely wrought, purposeful prose, Alter renews the Old Testament as a source of literary power and spiritual inspiration. From the family frictions of Genesis and King David’s flawed humanity to the serene wisdom of Psalms and Job’s incendiary questioning of God’s ways, these magnificent works of world literature resonate with a startling immediacy. Featuring Alter’s generous commentary, which quietly alerts readers to the literary and historical dimensions of the text, this is the definitive edition of the Hebrew Bible.

Edited by Everett Fox Introductions Commentary Notes 1,056 pp.

"A modern classic....Thrilling and constantly illuminating."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World Through a distinguished career of critical scholarship and translation, Robert Alter has equipped us to read the Hebrew Bible as a powerful, cohesive work of literature. In this landmark work, Alter's masterly translation and probing commentary combine to give contemporary readers the definitive edition of The Five Books. Winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Translation and the Koret Jewish Book Award for Translation, a Newsweek Top 15 Book, Los Angeles Times Favorite Book, and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book.

Leviticus was to early Israel what the Constitution was to the fledgeling United States. In Leviticus 17-22 world-class Bible scholar and rabbi Jacob Milgrom shows us what the law means and how it defines those who adhere to it.

When we read an English translation of the Bible we define the words within it according to our modern vocabulary allowing our culture and language to influence how we read and interpret the Bible. The Bible was written by ancient Hebrews whose culture and language was very different from our own and must be read and interpreted through their eyes. When we define the names of God using our culture and language we lose the Hebraic meanings behind the original Hebrew names of God. Consequently the true nature and character of God is hidden behind the veil of time and culture. By understanding the various names of God through the vocabulary and language of the ancient Hebrews, the nature and character of God is revealed to us in a new light. The prophet Zechariah described the character of God with the words "sh'mo ehhad" translated as His Name is One (Zechariah 14:9). This phrase beautifully describes the character of God from a Hebraic perspective that is lost to us through translation and unfamiliarity with ancient Hebrew culture.

The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh is the canonical collection of Hebrew scriptures, including the Torah. These texts are almost exclusively in Biblical Hebrew, with a few passages in Biblical Aramaic Judaism was a false doctrine that taught men to keep the Mosaic Law in addition to the Law of Christ (see Acts 15:1-5). Judaism had made deep inroads in the Lord's church at the time of writing. The Hebrew writer combats this erring doctrine by setting forth the superiority of Christ to angels, Moses, the Mosaic Law, Levitical priesthood, and Abraham. To attain the righteousness of God, the Hebrews would need to be taught to reject Judaism and do not permit their persecution and temptation to sin to get the better of them.

"A masterpiece of contemporary Bible translation and commentary."—Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books of 1999 Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.

In this work, the author brings the book of Bereshit (Genesis) to life by his idiomatic, easily understood translation of the Masoretic text. Dr. Friedman takes many ancient Hebrew idioms and unfolds them and their significance for the reader. Additionally, the reader enters into the flow of the text through his commentary, one that is based on unique Jewish approaches to understanding this foundational biblical book. This translation is both scholarly and artistic; upholding the holiness of the text while casting new looks at it, as is done when assessing the life of Yakov (Jacob). There is a special appendix to the translation and commentary that is found in chapter 37, when the life of Joseph is featured. In this fresh, insightful translation and commentary, the reader will enjoy immersing himself or herself in the Bible's classic first book, the 'Book of the Beginning.'