Customer Reviews

JPS Hebrew-English TANAKH, Student Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

JPS has produced the best known, non-Christian, translations of the Bible. (There is no such thing as an Old Testament-just a Bible as opposed to a Christian Bible!!) The relatively famous JPS Tanakh (acronym of Torah, Nevi'im/Prophets, and Ketuvim/Writings and spelled various ways--TN'K, Tanach, Tenach)is fine for an English translation and carried out by acknowledged experts. But let's be frank. You don't have a Bible if you do not have the original Hebrew next to the translation.

If you really study Bible you do or will come to realize this, and will never be satisfied with just the vernacular. The English (our vernacular language) is just an attempt to convey the meaning of the Hebrew. So it makes sense to have both, side by side.

There are a number of Bibles that include both, Christian and Judaic products, most notably one of my favorites the Koren Jerusalem Bible.

But here is what you need for a useful tool after you have both Hebrew and English:
*The Hebrew Text should include as much of the Masoretic structure and features as possible (can't go into "Masoretic" here). DOn't expect it to include the Masoretic notation (Mp, Mm)[You'll need a BHS, Aleppo, Leningrad MS in Hebrew for this type of thing and Okla v'Okla]. But it MUST have the parshas (weekly readings for the Torah all Jews worldwide read together). Included in the Masoretic Text are some interesting features like enlarged letters, text written with spaces to appear like stacked brick (song of the Sea Shemot/Exodus 15) for example. There's too many beauties of the Hebrew to describe---but make sure yours get in as many of them as possible!!!!

*Typeface is very important. You are used to English and your mind can "recontruct" words in a bad English font. But Hebrew is a different matter. The Hebrew should be large and clear, especially the niqqudim (vowel-points and accent marks some of the others mention--btw, most Hebrew primary religious texts will show vowel-points). A small Hebrew type can be a disaster (I have to use a magnifying glass and reading glasses to read some of my books like Jastrow's Sefer Millim).

*Personal pref- I like a Bible that tries to bring across Hebrew names instead of Anglicizations (ex., Moshe rather than Moses; Yerushalayim> over <Jerusalem)and a minimum ofeth thine oldeth Englisheth languageth. The Bible did not come from merry old England and the Globe Theatre!!

*binding

So how does JPS H/E Tanakh stack up here? Typography excellent!!! Masoretic features-parshas, no Masoretic notes really, and all is shoved in a column for sake of page layout instead of MT format. JPS uses the anglicizations ;-( but is in modern language ;-)

The JPS H/E Tanakh comes in several bindings. I have the "leatherish" thick, flexible, industrial strength plastic and I think it will hold up. It has a ribbon marker insertd in the binding. In other words, this binding (and paper)is similar to the binding on Christian Bibles. (You could walk down the street with it and not be missionized!!!! ;-)

Get it. It is well worth $... The Koren Bible I mentioned differs in that it keeps much more MT format, but its typography is tooo small, but it does not anglicize proper nouns and even symbolizes Het and Tsade (whch I can't do here). So if you must choose one, choose the one you can see all the text with the naked eye--JPS H/E.

This book was required for my Modern Judaism class. University bookstore wanted 53 + tax!!!!! Saved ove $20 and even though I ordered it on the 21st of december I got it before Christmas!!!!!!

This JPS translation with parallel columns of Hebrew text is a godsend. A few years ago, I bought the large deluxe hardback edition which is beautifully produced but rather bulky to take to class. Since I am a graduate student in Hebrew bible, the pocket edition is extremely useful since it is small enough to fit into a large pocket. The font is small, but surprisingly readable, even the Hebrew cantillation marks.

The student edition had a gutter problem (i.e., the text tended to run right into the binding of the text making it very difficult to read without cracking the binding itself. This is not much of a problem with the pocket edition, though the gutter margin could still be bigger.

Christian readers should note that, since this is a Jewish production, the order of the books as well as the versification (and in a few cases, even the chapters) are different from what you will find in the Christian Old Testament.

The one drawback of this edition (hence only four stars) is the english translation. It is too loose to be satisfactory. Some of the most egregious deviations from the text are noted in the footnotes, but not most. I would liken it to the NIV in terms of its faithfulness to the text; i.e., not very. Still, since the Hebrew is right there, you can easily check it for yourself.

I own several copies of the "New" JPS translation (it has been around for a few decades now). I own the original three volume edition, the full-size and the pocket size with and without Hebrew text. And despite the fact that I have a few other bibles (including the Judaica Press edition of various books and the entire Soncino Bible) this is the one that I refer to the most.

The translation is readable and accurate although not in the literal sense. When they stray from the literal meaning, it is included in a footnote, as good scholarship requires.

The Hebrew-English addition has the original text facing the translation, which is sometimes helpful if you want to improve your vocabulary, but only beware, the translations is not always word for word.

I was very disappointed with the print quality in the edition I bought. The print was GREY, not BLACK. This makes for difficult reading. I purchased the $24.50 edition, which was described as "Leather Bound." The reviews all stated that they described the "Leather Bound" edition, which were, however, linked to adds for a $52.50 edition of the book. I'm wondering if the more expensive edition has significantly better print. If it does, this should have been noted. I might have decided to put out the extra money for a better quality item. As things stand now, I am returning the disappointing GREY-printed edition.

Among the Bibles that contain the Masoretic Text and a translation, the JPS version definitely holds first place. The Hebrew text is ultra-clear, the English type is very attractive, and both the English and Hebrew are well-spaced for ease of reading. Notes are good. The Hebrew text occupies the right column of every page and verse numbers are in standard Arabic numerals. The student edition, listed above as paperback, is actually the same as the leatherbound version, but with a plastic, leather-textured cover. The JPS translation is almost compulsively readable, with some reservations. It is generally faithful to the sense, if not always the words, of the Hebrew text. YHWH is rendered as LORD, the bull of Jacob is still denatured into the mighty one, but at least Shaddai is Shaddai! And when the reader feels the translation has moved too far into the abstract, the Hebrew is right there for comparison and study. There is, however, a very peculiar aspect to the JPS translation. While the introduction calls this an idiomatic translation for our time, the English is peppered with archaic terminology more appropriate to the Elizabethan stage and difficult crossword puzzles than to ANY spoken or literary English of our time. I have to wonder in what circles "hark", "lo", "hither", "sojourn", "adjuration", "levir" and other goofy, but poetic, words constitute idiomatic language. "Levir" doesn't even rate its own entry in my Webster's collegiate dictionary. It appears as the Latin root of "levirate", an 18th century term, not exactly common parlance!

Not only does this edition of the Tanakh provide an excellent side-by-side translation, it is also a handsome book with a good, readable typeface.

Regarding the act of translation, the great Greek scholar and translator Robert Fagles has written: "It begins with attraction, then a kind of attack, and it ends, if you are lucky, with a strong impersonation of your author." (See Fagle's Foreward to his masterful translation of "The Oresteia" of Aeschylus). For those of us amateur and striving souls who yearn to read the Tanakh in the original tongue, a "strong impersonation" of the Word of God is never enough.

Having learned to savor Greek in Harvard's beautifully bound and highly servicable Loeb Classical Library editions, I am ecstatic to find a parallel Hebrew/English Tanakh to serve as my temporary crutch as I study the Hebrew. I say temporary, because I am anxious to pursue my lifetime studies of the Bible in the original Hebrew, as fast as I am able. (At that point I intend to abandon this lovely little crutch and rely solely thereafter on the definitive "Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.")

This edition is not only well bound and a joy to hold, but the Hebrew font is large and easily read. I am also pleased to see the poetical lines formatted as such -- much of the Bible text is, after all, a glorious Song.

I say, do not be satisfied with a "strong impersonation", but let the Tanakh speak for itself.

A great way to learn Hebrew and follow the Holy Scriptures. The vowels and accents are there too. Each page contains a column of Hebrew and a column of English. The verse number make it easy to find each word.

Although I am not Jewish, even as a devout Christian, I found this Hebrew-English Tanakh to be a great asset to my library, and for any Christian's library for that matter. The JPS translation is a bit different from the King James which most of us are used to but the Hebrew characters alongside the English, in addition to the concordance numbers makes this edition an unbeatable one. Sometime, in my life, I would like to learn Biblical Hebrew, but for now, this Tanakh has aroused my curiousity enough. What I thought was odd was how the order of the Old Testament books are arranged differently than in the Christian Bible. For example, the last two books are 1 and 2 Chronicles and all the of the prophets are grouped together. For somebody who is ignorant, this was a big shock. In addition, the Book of Genesis starts at the back instead of at the front. Odd but cool, in every respect! For the price, I was expecting a cheep paperback copy but I was surprised to find that this edition came in a durable, plastic, cardboard binding, which thus makes this a good deal!