Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Oxford University Press (2014), Edition: 2, 2400 pages
Description
"The Jewish Study Bible combines the entire Hebrew Bible--in the celebrated Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation--with explanatory notes, introductory materials, and essays by leading biblical scholars on virtually every aspect of the text, the world in which it was written, its interpretation, and its role in Jewish life. The quality of scholarship, easy-to-navigate format, and vibrant supplementary features bring the ancient text to life"--Publisher's Web site.
Awards
National Jewish Book Award (Winner — Scholarship — 2004)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member jeffd1830
When I purchased this Tanakh I was mostly interested in the translation it contains, and curious about the commentary, but I was very pleased to discover the numerous lengthy essays included in the back of the book, all of which are interesting and many invaluable to a better understanding of the
The running commentary along the text of the Tanakh is refreshing because it contains both rabbinic and scholarly, even critical, information. When placed along side a fairly conservative translation like the NJPS, the result is a well balanced book that "debates with itself" to allow the reader a full range of opinions to choose from. The short (typically one or two page) introductions at the beginning of each book provide useful historical context for the books, pulling them out from the "traditional understanding" and allowing them to be properly framed in the environment and circumstances under which they were written, or as close as we can get to uncovering that. I want to read the books to understand why they were written and what the original author, or authors, meant by their text, and this Tanakh allows me to do that better than any other Bible I have seen.
Show More
text.The running commentary along the text of the Tanakh is refreshing because it contains both rabbinic and scholarly, even critical, information. When placed along side a fairly conservative translation like the NJPS, the result is a well balanced book that "debates with itself" to allow the reader a full range of opinions to choose from. The short (typically one or two page) introductions at the beginning of each book provide useful historical context for the books, pulling them out from the "traditional understanding" and allowing them to be properly framed in the environment and circumstances under which they were written, or as close as we can get to uncovering that. I want to read the books to understand why they were written and what the original author, or authors, meant by their text, and this Tanakh allows me to do that better than any other Bible I have seen.
Show Less
LibraryThing member linedog1848
Raised in the evangelical Christian tradition, I am a student of all faiths, and found the JPS Tanakh study version a phenomenal source for alternate translations and an eminently readable, invaluable addition to studies in the Abrahamic religions. This is my stand-by, and the version I refer to
Show More
whenever I find an insightful or unusual commentary on an "Old-Testament" text. This is my Gold Standard--alone amongst all other versions I've read in unbiased exploration of the hermeneutic history and alternative ideas of meaning, context, and translation. Show Less
LibraryThing member hjvanderklis
Originally published in 2004, the Second Edition of The Jewish Study Bible (2014) by Marc Zvi Brettle a revised version. I bought this 2,300 pages volume recently to enrich my collection of Bible translations, commentaries and Study bibles. As reference, the Jewish Publication Society translation
This treasury for lay readers has the full Tanakh: Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim, Law, Prophets, and Writings, with introductions to each book, footnotes and comments along the running text. True to Jewish tradition 42 essays are included on a plethora of themes categorized in Jewish interpretation of the Bible, Biblical ideas and institutions, and the Bible in Jewish life. Backgrounds for reading the Bible include history, geography, biblical languages, but also textual criticism, canonization of the Bible, and development of the Masoretic Bible. Only one essay is dedicated to the use of the Tanakh in de New Testament and one on use and exegesis in the Qur'an and Muslim Tradition.
It's important to understand that the notes, commentaries and essays reflect a Jewish point of view. It certainly can help Christian readers to re-think their - often exclusive - own interpretation. On the other hand this volume will not invite readers of the Tanakh to (re-)read the Jewish authors of New Testament gospels, letters and revelations.
Show More
of the Hebrew Tanakh (among Christians known as First or Old Testament) is used, the latest link in the chain of Jewish Bible Translations. It was made directly from the traditional Hebrew text into the idiom of modern English, searching for the meaning of words and phrases. That contrasts the close, literal method of Bible translation applied in the Greek Septuagint, and Targums, which were foundational and influential for translations like the Latin Vulgate (4th Century CE), and English King James Version (1611). The latter was used as source for e.g. Revised Version (1881-1885), and the American Standard Version (1901, revised in 1952).This treasury for lay readers has the full Tanakh: Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim, Law, Prophets, and Writings, with introductions to each book, footnotes and comments along the running text. True to Jewish tradition 42 essays are included on a plethora of themes categorized in Jewish interpretation of the Bible, Biblical ideas and institutions, and the Bible in Jewish life. Backgrounds for reading the Bible include history, geography, biblical languages, but also textual criticism, canonization of the Bible, and development of the Masoretic Bible. Only one essay is dedicated to the use of the Tanakh in de New Testament and one on use and exegesis in the Qur'an and Muslim Tradition.
It's important to understand that the notes, commentaries and essays reflect a Jewish point of view. It certainly can help Christian readers to re-think their - often exclusive - own interpretation. On the other hand this volume will not invite readers of the Tanakh to (re-)read the Jewish authors of New Testament gospels, letters and revelations.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nathanpile
A great Old Testament translation
LibraryThing member MaowangVater
The full Tanakh: Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim, Law, Prophets, and Writings, with scholarly running commentary, maps, chronological tables, a list of translations of primary sources and a wealth of essays following the translation. There are essays on interpretations, The Bible in Jewish Life and
Show More
Thought, and Backgrounds for Reading the Bible. This is a treasure trove for the lay reader. Show Less
ISBN
0199978468 / 9780199978465