Product Description

The JPS Hebrew-English TANAKH features the oldest-known complete Hebrew version of the Holy Scriptures, side by side with JPS's renowned English translation. Its well-designed format allows for ease of reading and features clear type, an engaging and efficient two-column format that enables readers to move quickly from one language to another, and an organization that contemporary readers will find familiar.

The Hebrew text of this TANAKH is based on the famed Leningrad Codex, the Masoretic text traceable to Aaron Ben Moses ben-Asher, c.930 c.e. Ben-Asher researched all available texts to compile an authoritative Bible manuscript. In 1010 c.e. his work was revised by Samuel ben Jacob, a scribe in Egypt. Lost for centuries, the manuscript was eventually discovered in the mid-nineteenth century and became known as the Leningrad Codex. This edition adapts the latest BHS edition of the Leningrad text by correcting errors and providing modern paragraphing.

The English text in this TANAKH is a slightly updated version of the acclaimed 1985 JPS translation. Wherever possible, the results of modern study of the languages and culture of the ancient Near East have been brought to bear on the biblical text, which allows for an English style reflective of the biblical spirit and language rather than of the era of the translation.

This edition also includes an informative preface that discusses the history of Bible translation, focusing on the latest JPS English translation of the Holy Scriptures. It is the result of a 30-year interdenominational collaboration of eminent Jewish Bible scholars. Readers are sure to appreciate one of the most intensive projects in the history of The Jewish Publication Society.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20156 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Imitation Leather
• 2040 pages

Review
"A landmark event." -- Cynthia Ozick

"What a wondrous combination-the highly praised JPS English translation of the Bible with the complete Masoretic Hebrew text. Add to this the elegant page design, easily readable type, sewn binding, and fine Bible paper-and you have an extraordinary lasting work." -- Chaim Potok

...we have come to appreciate this translation because it makes the Bible make sense and because it is a Bible that we can read and feel directly addressed by because it speaks in the language of our time. It belongs on the shelf of every person who wants to study the Bible for the first time or who wants to come to it afresh. -- Rabbi Jack Riemer, Book Review, 7/8/99

A gorgeous new Bible... real value comes from adding the Hebrew, paired with its translation in a dual column format on each page...a collaboration among eminent Bible scholars representing all perspectives within the Jewish community...following principles of contemporary critical scholarship and sensitivity to the cultural nuances of translation. -- Star Tribune, 7/24/99

From the Publisher
The JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh is available in a number of editions; paperback and hardcover, full-size and pocket editions, and in various cover colors and materials.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Hebrew-English Bible - Excellent Translation!
JPS' "Hebrew-English Tanakh: The Traditional Hebrew Text And The New JPS Translation" is the best Bible I have seen for the purpose of study. The translation is superior and when in doubt, the Hebrew text is right there, alongside the English, to compare. This edition was recommended to me when I began a two year course on Judaism and Jewish Life sponsored by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

This JPS edition of the Tanakh, composed of the Pentateuch, the Nevi'im (Prophets), and the Kethuvim (Writings), was translated from the original authoritative Hebrew text into the modern idiom of English in three stages, representing the collaboration of academic scholars with rabbis from the three major branches of organized Jewish life in America. The Torah was published in 1962, The Prophets in 1978, and the Writings in 1982. The text preceding the Preface, and the Preface itself, include an excellent history of the Hebrew text.

I have read this edition through, and find it to be a most rewarding experience. The English translation is the closest to the original Hebrew that I have seen. The print is clear and easy to read and the notes are superior. The Hebrew font is large enough to read without eye strain, and includes vowels - which is a plus for me. And the book is beautifully bound. I continue to refer to it almost daily for study purposes and for my own personal edification. I think this is one of the best book purchases I have ever made.
JANA

Essential - it fills a profound need
There are a number of excellent Hebrew-English editions of the Torah but until now I had been unable to find a suitable and concise Hebrew-English edition of the entire Tanakh. This new JPS edition is excellent. The others I have seen either use archaic translation (the old Jerusalem Bible) or are colored by the particular ideologies of their translators and sponsors (the Stone Edition Tanach, which is quite beautiful but whose value as a study bible is limited by its nonliteral translations -- see especially the Shir HaShirim --and because it includes only commentary from a traditional viewpoint). Unfortunately, there's no room for new commentary or annotations (other than technical translation notes, plus the traditional Masoretic notes), but you probably can't expect that in a single volume edition. At some point it would be nice to see, maybe, a 3-volume edition that leaves some room for commentaries from a variety of viewpoints, but for now the 1-volume edition is essential. It will make a good family bible or a convenient resource for study.

Also recommended for alternate viewpoints: Plaut, Torah A Modern Commentary and The Haftarah Commentary; The Stone Edition Chumash and Tanach; Everett Fox, The 5 Books of Moses; Ellen Frankel, The 5 Books of Miriam

Very readible translation, Hebrew and trop
The JPS edition of the Tanakh has been in print since 1985 at which time this modern English translation replaced JPS's "Shakespearean" style translation. This translation has been well respected and stand's with the translation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan of blessed memory, and the Artscroll translation known as the "Stone Edition." Originally, the JPS edition was published only in English but, they later added editions in Hebrew/English. What I like about this edition is that it is very usable if you wish to recite the trop (cantillations for chanting). This edition is large enough that the trop is easily visible. Often, a full Bible (Tanakh) or a Bible including just the Torah and Haftorah (Chumash) is compacted into a size that makes these trop symbols illegible. In using this edition, I am able to read the English in a comprehensible translation and also study the Hebrew using the trop. I can use it to recite a haftorah (but note, you have to find out of the full text the passages, which include the haftorah, since the haftorahs are not delineated as such).

I already have several other Tanakhs, including the hardcover English only edition of the JPS Tanakh. However, while I was away from home, I was reading a book on theology which required both a Jewish Bible and a Christian Bible for cross referencing. Wanting the Jewish Bible to be a translation done under Jewish auspices, rather than a Christian "Old Testament," I treated myself to this edition. As in the English only version, the text is footnoted with commentary. The footnotes are often cryptic, sometimes clarifying obscure or alternate meanings in the translation. However, I did not buy it for the commentary, but rather for a lucid translation from Jewish sources rather than a translation based on the Greek Septuagent (such as the Kings James Version).

Aestehetically, this edition looks like a Bible!! It has the biblical soft, bendible leatherlike cover and it has a rich, brown color. Therefore it looks great on the bookshelf, it is a good study aid if you wish to read the Tanakh in English, and it is an equally good study aid to read the Tanakh in Hebrew along with the trop. Although I bought it for the translation, I use the Hebrew text when I am studying parshot or haftorot. Because this is a very solid work, both in its substance, and in its physical presentation, this Tanakh serves as a wonderful gift for a bar/bat mitzvah or for anyone else who deserves a nice present. I also recommend the Living Torah by Kaplan (which only includes the haftorahs, not the entire Prophets and Writings) as well as the Stone Edition by Artscroll. All three are wonderful study aids and, I have used all three over the years. If commentary is your primary interest, I might lean slightly towards Artscroll or, the venerable Hertz Chumash. If you are interested more in the text than in commentary, all of these versions are supurb.