Currently Reading | Robert Alter's Hebrew Bible

Happy 2021, everyone! Starting the year by discussing Robert Alter's landmark 2019 full translation of the Hebrew Bible into English :)
You can find this full edition of the Hebrew Bible here:
US: bookshop.org/a/11533/97803932...
UK: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
The Art of Biblical Narrative:
US: bookshop.org/a/11533/97804650...
UK: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Wisdom Books:
US: bookshop.org/a/11533/97803933...
UK: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
The Five Books of Moses:
US: bookshop.org/a/11533/97803933...
UK: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
[Note: These are affiliate links. No pressure at all to buy from these sources (or to buy books in the first place), but if you do choose to buy from these links, I'll receive a small portion of the sale with no extra cost to you.]
Find me on Twitter: / insertlitpun
Find me on Goodreads: / jennifer-insert-lit-pun
This is not a sponsored video, and unless otherwise stated, I bought these books myself.

[@mmayer1558]

I ordered this online yesterday. Read Alter's "The Art of Biblical Narrative" and was so impressed with his insight. I'm most surprised by the covers; the artwork is not what I'd expect for one of his publications. It's reminiscent of Salvador Dali's art work for the Jerusalem bible

[@BrandonCSullivan]

I love Alter's translation of the Hebrew Bible. It opens such a world of meaning.

[@Sionedrox453]

So many nuggets of joy and knowledge to this video. I'd love to see more as you journey through these texts!

[@mitchelaxler7656]

What a wonderful way to start the new year. Yes, please continue your journey and share it with us.

[@DrHurd-bg4kr]

I purchased this set based upon your video. :) I started reading it, and I am in LOVE with it. Thank you for the recommendation.

[@TheREADhead]

Wow those are beautiful! I'd love to hear you review more of the texts in the future, I'm very intrigued!

[@joest.eggbenedictus1896]

Its such a beautiful work. I hot it yesterday, and so happy to have it. Thank you, i was not aware of some of that background in Alter. Im going to link up this video to my review later today, it really fills in the blanks.

[@jkatew]

Yes please! I would love to hear a lot more. The word “sustainer” has greater depth to me. I look forward to learning more. Happy New Year ✨✨✨

[@bxrprimetime1]

David later uses the same word and calls God his “sustainer” later on. Sustainer is a good thing whereas “helpmate” or “helper” sounds subclass.

[@xgrayvision]

I echo the Wow of other commenters and am definitely interested in more videos on this subject. What an awesome gift and I hope 2021 continues giving you this level of joy.

[@originoflogos]

I got Alter’s “Hebrew Bible” translation for Christmas back when it was published! It’s one of my absolute treasures! Alter’s translation and his commentary are sublime and superior to pretty much every preceding translation (even though the KJV is my second preferred translation which would not have existed without the other sublime original English translation of the Bible by William Tyndale!). I’ve read Alter’s translation three times in chronological order (not joking!!) I hope you enjoy it! 😊 P.s. I understand your reasoning for referring the “Christian Old Testament” as the Hebrew Bible. I refer to it as the “Tanakh,” in order to maintain a sense of respect and honesty to Judaic listeners and people in general. P.p.s. My favorite books of the Tanakh-one from each section-are Genesis from the Torah (same reasons as you, because the stories are memorable and morally ambiguous) The Book of Samuel from the Former Prophets (the ascensions of Saul and David are some of the best narratives ever penned) Isaiah from the Major Prophets (some of the best poetry) Jonah from the Minor Prophets (easily the most powerful short narrative in the Tanakh) and Qohelet from the Writings (wisdom always comes with a juxtaposition.)

[@hesterdunlop7948]

I bought this translation recently too and am blown away with it ...it's so beautiful , a labour of love and a work of genius and the commentary is so stimulating ...I read A History of the Bible / John Barton last year which helped me understand how the Bible has been written , shaped , translated and interpreted . Certainly interested in more videos / readalongs / discussions

[@samantha.irenes]

This is a tempting way to spend my holiday gift cards....

[@gentleall]

I just discovered these books a day ago. I will be ordering soon!

[@GinaStanyerBooks]

I’d love to see more videos on this, it sounds so interesting!

[@tobinmoffatt3075]

This sounds like such a good new year’s reading project! It can be a real self confidence boost to begin something daunting and find yourself (more or less) up to the task. --I’ve lately been daydreaming about carving out a full month of my TBR schedule for Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa as a 30th birthday present to myself.🤞

[@edwardgrabczewski]

I bought my copy today and I appreciate your comments before they arrive in the post! Thanks.

[@plumjam]

Fascinating video. Thank you. I'm going to buy this. The little bits of Hebrew I've learned have such power and richness to them.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

So cool! A few years ago a friend (who didn't grow up going to church / interacting with the Bible) asked for resources on how to read the Bible as a literary work, and I wish I had known about these then! Definitely going to check out The Art of Biblical Narration and would love to see more videos about your journey through Alter's translation :) Happy New Year, Jen! x

[@Liz86000]

Wow, that’s a great goal indeed, to read these books with a pertinent commentary. Good for you ! And Hello Cat !

[@aleksandradavidovic2456]

What a lovely and thoughtful gift! Happy New Year!

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

Thank you, happy 2021 to you as well!

[@newbooksmell9221]

I love everything about this video. hope you have a blast with it! :)

[@CuriousReader]

This was fascinating to hear about! I've yet to make my way through the King James bible although it's on my to-read list, but I enjoyed hearing your comments regarding the translation. I look forward to hearing more about your diving into these books.

[@alldbooks9165]

Would love to hear more in this series. ❤️

[@faithbooks7906]

New to your channel but great video. That is a marvelous gift! I just today started a podcast for 2021 to read the Bible in 365 days. And in the podcast they mention that the word ‘helper’ doesn’t really convey the original meaning and that the same word is used 19 other times (something like that) when people are calling on God in prayer for help! So the translation to ‘sustainer’ completely fits! I would love to hear more about Alter’s translation and analysis, please.

[@theredheadisreading2251]

This was so interesting to hear about! I don’t think I’ve heard of Alter before.

[@lyddie465]

just found a gift for my dad's birthday, thank you! would love videos on these

[@deblawrence8341]

So, you're awesome and this video is totally amazing! And I love it when your cat shows up in the videos ... so cute! I definitely want to check out his Wisdom Books book. I've never read anything by him and I also want to start reading more of the Bible, so with Alter by my side, I think it will be absolutely helpful. Happy New Year and thanks for sharing your thoughts with all of us. :)

[@StephanieJCohen]

What a wonderful gift. I have this on my TBR. I was going to just purchase the kindle version but after watching your video, I will have to eventually get the hard copy as it is gorgeous.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

I would love to hear your thoughts as you go through this translation!

[@abigailb5779]

I'm a pastoral major in college at the moment and I wish I had Bibles like this. I love these cool Bibles.

[@beautifullymade7]

U can buy it online

[@entropytango5348]

A lovely review. You sold me on buying this Tanahk. You have a wonderful style and enthusiasm.

[@GuiltyFeat]

There has long been a trend, at least in some strands of modern orthodox Judaism, of relating to the Bible as literature. This is not meant to detract from the divinity of it, but to enhance the deliberateness of repetition, recurring themes, similar words showing up in different contexts. Leaving the question of literary merit aside, all Jewish bible study includes commentary. From the moment the written Torah is given to Moses on Sinai, Jewish tradition holds that the Oral Law was also given to be handed down through through the generations. Hundreds of years later that Oral Law was argued over and compiled into the Talmud. I love seeing people engage with this text whether from a position of faith or literary merit. Some of the stories here are tremendous and tremendously human. Time and again people with the highest levels of divine access prove themselves to be flawed, insecure, proud, uncertain in ways that remain relatable and, therefore, reassuring. When you study the Bible in the original, even if it isn't your first language, the translation into English naturally becomes less important. The Hebrew phrase translated as helpmeet/sustainer is עֵזֶר, כְּנֶגְדּוֹ. It carries its own resonance for many couples and is often referenced at Jewish weddings. For me it has always signified equality or two halves of a whole. I really enjoyed this video and would happily watch more of these. Thanks.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

I've studied some sections of the Talmud, and definitely didn't mean to imply that Alter was unique in providing biblical commentary! More that I find him to be both rigorous and broadly readable as a commenter in a way that would appeal to many people. But I'd greatly appreciate any insights you have to these texts; you seem to have a wealth of knowledge on the subject, and the general Booktube understanding of them is rather shallow (myself included)

[@FlyingElectra]

What a beautiful gift ! I grew up in a non religious home. Both my parents went into Catholic schools and I also did (with Nuns) but I never felt religious. But I am very curious about it and had no idea that it was called the Hebrew Bible. I am looking forward to watching your reviews about them and to learn more about theses books ! Lila is such a cutie. And yes it’s her throne !

[@theliteraryexpat9852]

I first heard of Robert Alter when he did an interview on a podcast called The Bible for Normal People. My husband and I were so fascinated and knew we had to own this collection. So great to see someone talking about it on book tube.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

Now I definitely need to investigate this podcast! Thanks for watching and I hope you're having a good start to your year

[@MinestroneChad]

I've never heard of Robert Alter before and now I don't know how I'll go without. Even literary analysis of the bible? That sounds life changing. Thank you so much for sharing; what a beautiful gift! The passages you shared brought so much out of the text and I'm a little in awe. I'll have to see about investing in that or The Wisdom Books myself, because I'm blown away, and I hope to be picking up The Art of Biblical Narrative soon. 💛

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

Molly! I love hearing from you and hope you're doing as well as possible!

[@MinestroneChad]

@@InsertLiteraryPunHere Dips in health, but as well as possible. I hope stress eases and you're doing well too!

[@melissam.3436]

The notes are gold. And the translation, for what it sets out to do, is great, especially for a one man translation.

[@irajones9583]

I received Robert Alter’s, “The Five Books of Moses” and, “The Wisdom Books”. The introduction to “The Five Books of Moses” was like an invitation to a new, fuller exposition of a familiar “friend”! Just began Genesis! Your presentation was excellent! Good job!

[@paulkennedy5514]

What a great gift and as you say one you'll keep going back to always. :) I read through the King James bible once and struggled quite a bit, but with a commentary like that and insights to the text I would normally miss, I think it would breathe whole new life into it for me.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

I fully expected to be able to read the King James version comfortably because I'd been exposed to it so much growing up, but I admit I find Alter's versions much more digestible. Add it to the list of things that made me a Bad Catholic

[@robertflower1160]

Wonderful video!😊

[@llo4213]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@jamesduggan7200]

Happy New Year (only just seeing this now). In the first five my favorites are Genesis and Exodus; in the Prophets I most enjoy Jonah, Daniel and Job, and in the writings I guess Judges and Samuel are my favorites. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have.

[@mikemorrisonmusic]

I’m looking at this on my desk right now. :)

[@kneegroe03]

I am intrigued by this translation. I am analyzing my way thru the Genesis using different translations and I love that he includes the thought process of choosing the word he did. Thank you for reading it! I DEFINITELY want to add this to my collection of Bibles.

[@aidenavi5976]

you all prolly dont care but does someone know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account?? I stupidly lost my password. I would love any tips you can offer me

[@victordrake6013]

@Aiden Avi instablaster =)

[@aidenavi5976]

@Victor Drake Thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm trying it out atm. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@aidenavi5976]

@Victor Drake It worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy! Thanks so much, you saved my ass :D

[@victordrake6013]

@Aiden Avi happy to help :)

[@aspatzle827]

This translation sounds great.Your video reminded me that I want to find a Bible translation to German with a similar approach.

[@stephonolomax7749]

Thanks so much!

[@desiraeriddick3005]

This is so exciting!

[@bili8617]

I'm sorry you didn't do more videos on this. We are interested.

[@007shlomo]

Thanks fantastic review

[@Xenu]

Happy New Year!! The Book of Samuel is one of my all-time favorite books. Saul is one of the great characters of antiquity. I cannot read Hebrew but love the Alter translations. I felt like some of the commentary was a little too intrusive when it comes to interpretation (rather than when he talks about the nuance of the vocabulary, which is great) but I am grateful for most of it. When reading "Genesis" I prefer to read the color-coded Richard Elliot Friedman edition since I think the J writer stands better by himself than when mixed in with the other authors in that chapter. Ruth and Jonah are favorites of mine, too. I've actually never read Esther.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

I wasn't aware of the Richard Elliot Friedman edition, thank you so much for mentioning it

[@cowboys846]

one of the things that I live abt your videos is that not only are you just so incredibly smart, you get me excited to read things like the Iliad or Middle March or even the Bible because you take such a step by step, one foot in front of the other approach to this kind of thing. i feel like that’s a lot of what being a smart or thoughtful person is. you take these big ideas or complex philosophies and just eat the elephant one bite at a time. its about allowing yourself to interpret, digest and understand one thing at a time, then move on to the next. you kind of inspire me to... be smart? that’s probably a very stupid thing to say, ironically enough. i’ve been watching your videos for a couple years now and now I’m halfway through my first semester of college and whenever i catch myself watching your videos it always reminds me that i’m kind of only limited by what i allow myself to learn, understand, or think about. idk if this sounds trite or something but this is the first comment i’ve left on one of your videos and I just want to make a good impression! sorry about how verbose I am (high school english teachers always talked to me abt my run on sentences and tangents) and for all of the spelling errors that i didn’t catch (I have dyslexia and am writing this all on my phone after not sleeping 😅) but this was a video that illustrated one of my favorite things about your reviews and how educational for me to just watch you think! i just had to let you know my thought. Love your videos! happy holidays and have a nice week

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

This might be the nicest comment I've ever received, thank you so much! And NO need to apologize for any verbosity. In high school English we read an article about how girls volunteer to speak less often than boys, and when we were asked to write an article response one of the guys in my class wrote, "Idk, Jenny is a chick and she talks a lot." Sooooo I guess I'm saving that one for my epitaph. Anyway, I love how you describe eating the elephant one bite at a time, that's absolutely how I approach all intimidating literary matters! Happy 2021 and best of luck in college :)

[@nocturnus009]

Gratitude for sharing, the perspective on reading & sharing perspectives gleamed from one’s read are important for AuthorTube & BookTube. This is the upwardly converging to infinity inflection point I have hoped when I watched your concerns about continuing this channel as you transitioned from university to working in the publishing industry. I imagine the potential sharing of perspective within AuthorTube & BookTube is the eventual next step for everyone’s platform. For example I am noticing many have read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic & there is a fascinating gradation of takes on how well the book is received. From, this speaks to my creative journey to this is too woo woo for me currently. I think how well the points in that book play into how receptive to abstraction & experimentation one is in their art. The challenge is moving the discussion into seeing inspiration and trusting it’s hand in the creative process. Last month I listened to Dr Brian Green’s The Fabric of the Cosmos & then N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became. The adult urban fantasy landed with my New Yorker instincts. But the Engineer in me connected the quantum theory from the Cosmos to this book in ways few could probably see. Happy New Year & Happy Reading!

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

Thank you Charles, happy 2021 to you also, and hope you find more good books this year!

[@Xanadu2025]

Thanks for this.

[@leon2385]

Great stuff!

[@thenubianreview]

Great gift

[@katherineburford7864]

Through the New York School of the Bible classes (available on zoom) I learned biblical Hebrew (I am rusty now). From there I went through the scriptures inspired by Robert Alters The Art of Biblical Narrative and put in the puns and figures of speech in my interlinear (English-Biblical Hebrew) bible. They also offer classes in biblical Greek. I added the Shakespeare verses that came from individual bible verses and the impact of particular verses on history. The result is a sense of the rhythm of the text an a sense of its storytelling quality. One can imagine sitting around the campfire with tribes listening for their tribal name as Numbers repeated verses. Modern editors often don't believe in showing the links between stories by allowing repetitions. Yet that rhythm gives us the heartbeat of the bible.

[@mitchellscott1843]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Alters translation/commentary on the Hebrew Bible I've been thinking about picking it up for awhile now. You might also like The Jewish Study Bible 2nd edition(Oxford Press) as it has plenty commentaries and essay's within. Also perfect font size.

[@AarmOZ84]

I always loved the Harper Collins Study Bible for pointing out the play on words in the original Hebrew that we never catch (like man is called 'Adam and the feminine version 'adamah literally means dirt or earth). However, Robert Alter's commentary and translation puts the Harper Collins study notes to shame as to how much literary devices there can be found in the Hebrew Scriptures. So glad you got such a beautiful treasure and may you enjoy it for years to come.

[@dimakauffman]

The best, I mean THE BEST Book I've ever bought.

[@aftonphilbrick9473]

This sounds so interesting. I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian religion, but my entire family and I left that religion about 6 years ago. I also grew up reading the King James version of the bible. While I am no longer religious myself or have any affiliation with any organized religions, I find the history of all the major religions of the world fascinating. I am particularly interested in the history of the Bible. In my own personal experience, leaving my religion has left me open to learning the full breadth and depth of the history and human experience surrounding different aspects of various religions without the constraints of being told what to think about them (sidenote: I'm not trying to belittle anyone else's experience of their religion, this was just my personal experience). I love what you said about analysis being a muscle. Critical thinking about literature is not something I have ever been very good at, but I'm really interested in growing that skill. I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts as you continue to read these books.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

It's fascinating to hear about your background and relationship to the Bible. I'm the same way - no longer personally religious, but more interested in religion as a concept than ever. And yes, I like to think of critical reading as something like skiing - if you've rarely skied, it wouldn't make any sense for someone to come up to you and say "well obviously you should be able to do this well already"

[@hassanmirza2392]

@@InsertLiteraryPunHere Maybe you should read New Testament too, David Bentley's translation is similar to Alters, it is more literary. But then later compare both with Oxford Quran, by Prof. Haleem.

[@brianmoore581]

@@hassanmirza2392 I believe it's David Bentley Hart. I personally don't like his translation because it is very rough, very crude, which he does purposefully, but which makes it a chore to read. There are many other translations that are superior. I would choose the ESV if I had to recommend only one translation to someone.

[@bxrprimetime1]

I love Alter. He was my favorite commenter on the Hebrew Bible that we read in seminary. All other commenters, Christian and Jewish, would refer to him. He is the best! I got this on sale on Amazon for a steal at $40.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

$40! Amazing find on your part. Happy New Year :)

[@michaelcover]

My wife bought me these books for my birthday, wonderful.

[@stardust5379]

There is a 1653 Hebrew Targum Cartwright commentary on Exodus Judaica on ebay. I have an 1870 Hebrew bible and a 1930s one. Superb jet black print. I also have an 1870 Brown's self interpreting bible which weighs 11 kg and measures 42 cm by 28 cm by 14 cm thick. I love your videos. A very Happy New Year. Have a safe 2021.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

Thank you, a very happy 2021 to you as well :)

[@nikkivenable3700]

HOLY HELL! What gorgeous books. I'm drooling! Can I use the words eye p*rn when talking about the Bible, no, probably not lol. Edit to add: Jordan Peterson has a Biblical series and goes through the book of Genesis...he opened my eyes to how that book came into being, and how it was put together and why it was structured as it is. He also loves the book of Exodus and that series will be forthcoming if he begins to feel better. I have a number of Bibles, but I REALLY want these as you are going deeper into your thoughts. I found the entire series fascinating and learned so much. I have some Christmas money, so these may be coming my way.

[@DarkBlood666]

having gone read many translations, I do agree with your opinions on Roberts version. I probably spent more time going through his commentary than the actual text. This was in my opinion the best translation of the Tanakh, next to the JPS.

[@julielynn86]

Hello! Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year. I love your Bible! I paused the video to say that as a Christian I by no means consider the New Testament to be improved upon the Old Testament. No way. No how. Not for one whit of a millisecond! The Old Testament is awesome and no less awesome than the New. My son is in Samuel right now and loving it so much. What a wonderful gift you have there. Okay, back to the video.

[@mel999.]

All pagan holidays. Follow God not culture

[@JohnVianneyPatron]

Alter now has a single volume Bible (3500 pages), which may be more popular to read. I studied Hebrew in seminary but now reading through Alters work is providing such new insights.

[@stevewatson9099]

Hi there, It would be great to hear your thoughts on reading Alter. I have been reading through this since June and have just finished 1 Samuel. It really is worth it. Enjoy!

[@JeannyMeyer]

Translations and especially Bible translations are so interesting. I grew up with Martin Luther’s translation into German and in 2020 I started to look into Bible translations a bit more. How the Lutherbibel compares to the King James Bible for example. I might read Alter’s book on translation, it sounds very helpful for my little personal research.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you do dip into this version. I'm always interested in the history of biblical translation - lately I've been reading essays by some authors who compare the Geneva Bible to the King James. But I know nothing about translations outside the English and Greek traditions

[@justinsankar1164]

Robert alter is such a legend

[@baptistboy2882]

I came across Robert Alters's ' The Prophets' at the Library in Nashville. I'd never heard of him or this Bible. Therefore, I'm learning about it. I have so many Bibles it's hard to justify purchasing another, but I'm thinking about it. My wife will think I'm mad if I ask for another, but the wisdom I collect through the articles in these Bibles is so rich. I'm curious what Robert has to say about Deuteronomy 32. When the Most High divided the nations among the sons of God and Israel was the LORD's portion.

[@wordsarehalo]

Still determining which Hebrew Bible to get But your review def makes me want to go back to review this 1

[@kevinrosero9723]

Count my vote too for more videos on this. Yes, "hovering" over the waters! What a great Christmas gift. I have the same set. I read Genesis some years back, and Koheleth recently. KJV: Life is "vanity." Alter: life is "herding the wind." Someday I'll check out what he did with Wisdom, and definitely Job. Just a marvelous translator and scholar. Yes more please!

[@bluellamaslearnbeyondthele2456]

Does he translate hevel as vanity?! I believe the idea is that everything is temporary, perisabil. Kohelet wasn't some emo hating life.

[@krosero]

@@bluellamaslearnbeyondthele2456 He translates "havel havalim" as "merest breath" (in KJV: "vanity of vanities"), so "havel" as "breath."

[@bluellamaslearnbeyondthele2456]

@@krosero breaths disperse and immediately replaced by the next one. So it's either temporary temporaries (whatever you want to call things with an expiry date) or its the fleeting fleets or... Merest breath is just showing him not reading what the text says but translating vanity into it, because he's influenced by what he read. Props though on him riding the word soul from hís translation...

[@spacecowboy3063]

Ive become quite taken by jewish mysticism and as such i have been looking for the best way to re-examine the hebrew bible that i grew up reading under the name 'the old testament' but to do it in a way that lends great favor to the orignal hebrew and jewish tradition. i believe this is the way. Proffesor Dan Matt (author/translator of the Pritzker Zohar) said that Robert Alter's translation is 'the best ever (english) translation of the hebrew bible'. Dans pretty smart when it comes to translation...

[@AlexSandro-mi5by]

Acabei de comprar a Arte da narrativa Bíblica, achei excelente. É uma pena que a obra citada no vídeo não tenha aqui nas lojas do Brasil.

[@rinceyreads]

Welp, now I know what to put on my wish list for next year (if I don't buy it for myself first)

[@snowadrian]

Thank you very much for discussing all that. You have renewed my interest in this translation. Would you be open to emailing me a snapshot of his translation of Daniel 9?

[@markfannin3975]

Now that the better part of a year has passed, how do you like Alter's translation? Your thoughts and opinon are very important. Thanks in advance.

[@jstaversky]

Love RA's corpus of work... have you ever read Thomas Mann's stories of Joseph (and Jacob)?... John E Woods translation... you'll freakin LOVE it/them 😊

[@jonotway7880]

Hi, glad I came across your video, just discovered Robert Altar and I’m looking to learn the history of the Hebrew bible. Would you recommend these books by Robert Altar?

[@alwaysamber4960]

I know this video is 3 years old and so you would have finished these by now. May I ask how you found them and perhaps for an updated review.

[@mikehochburns8740]

It’s also available on audible.

[@duromusabc]

I read the 1985 JPS Tanakh (blue softcover version)

[@sergiusomesan7120]

I wanted to send the file of a novel written by me - which is also available on Amazon, but I couldn't find an email :)

[@louistoledo7760]

Does this translation use "kill" or "murder" for the commandment? Always curious as to this particular word choice.

[@shelflife5213]

Thank you for the video! Does he comment on other popular English translations of the Bible other than KJ, like the ESV or NIV? My favorite books are probably Song of Songs, Psalms (of course), and Hosea. And yes, you know that if there's one creature in the world that would use the Hebrew Bible as a throne, it's gotta be The Cat.

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

He does reference some other translations - the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jewish Publication Society version, the Revised English Bible, the Tyndale Bible, E. A. Speiser's version, Everett Fox's. I don't recall him mentioning the ESV or NIV specifically, but I'm so much more attuned to any KJV mentions that it's possible I missed them!

[@juanmansillauribe4272]

excelente review, sin duda es un tremendo aporte a los estudiantes de la palabra de Dios, muchas gracias por tu opinion. Saludos desde Chile, espero poder comprar pronto, si Dios lo permite, la mejor traduccion al ingles del antiguo testamento (old testament) :D

[@Cb489]

I’m an older man, is the print font small

[@milwill14]

Those look awesome. I always was interested in the Jewish Bible, but I am a Christian.

[@Wkumar07]

Greetings from 2023. I've been thinking about buying this collection and you convinced me to pull the trigger on ordering it. Do you still feel strongly about this collection three years later?

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

Yes, I still think it's an amazingly rich collection to have, and think I will continue to return to it throughout my life!

[@Wkumar07]

@@InsertLiteraryPunHere I just listed to a podcast interview with Robert Alter where he explained the process behind the books. I'm more excited now to look at them.

[@gregorycarpenter]

Do you know whether Robert Alter believes in God as the great being in whom we are to have faith (in the way that Abraham had faith), or is his position on the Hebrew Scriptures purely literary?

[@arvindullano4463]

How I'd wish I can buy Alter's book(s) here in the Philippines 😭😭

[@babykaho]

Where you bought it??

[@benjaymatautia7909]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge as I’m a Samoan and don’t have proper understanding of English words. So are those three books the whole bible in Hebrew ancient words? Or just the Old Testament? I’m so confused lol forgive my confusion

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

It's what Christians would call the Old Testament!

[@Tensytheneedlesmith]

I couldn't get through an entire Shabbat service at the synagogue if it were not for the commentary. When the Torah readers get started on the readings in Hebrew from the bimah, I am quickly perusing the commentary which is often historically rich and full of interpretations of the Hebrew words, numerology, family history and so much more. Our conservative shul takes 3 years to read the whole Torah, so I have plenty of reading material. In 1995, Everett Fox published a new translation that was said to most closely mimic the cadence and poetry of the Torah as chanted in synagogues. Alter thought Fox limited his translation too much to the Hebrew at the cost of his English readers. I find it fascinating that one text can be interpreted in so many ways especially when translated into other languages. If you get a chance, go visit a synagogue on a Saturday so you get to hear the Torah readers as they chant the text. Although you won't understand any of it, you will understand why certain words are accented and why the prose seems clunky when read, but not when chanted. Believe me, it took my kids years to learn the tropes (how to chant the readings) when they prepared for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Hopefully, you will get someone who can chant well and not a Bar Mitzvah boy whose voice is changing and shreaks through most of it (insert my son as an example!).

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

Thank you for sharing this perspective, I love the idea of hearing the chants in person. Adding it to my post-pandemic list :)

[@ryandonagan2628]

I think Greek is more precise of a language than Hebrew, More like English in that way as well as in syntax.. I find Hebrew fascinating, As it is so different from Greek and English. I have the Robert Alter set too and it is just a beautiful set. I also have the Willis Barnstone New Testament translation and commentary which is a great, scholarly and very interesting volume as well. For anyone who might be interested! Thanks for the video!

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

Have you ever read Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff? I ask because there are sections where she discusses major differences between the feel of Greek and Latin, and why Cleopatra felt so much freer using the former over the latter. For some reason your thoughts about the precision of Greek reminded me of that! Anyway, hope you're having a good start to 2021

[@ryandonagan2628]

@@InsertLiteraryPunHere I haven’t but that is very interesting. I do own a copy of it and I was planning on reading it this year, I will pick it up soon! Thank you!

[@user-ik8vy1rg8f]

You have a nice smile.

[@RumAndWhiskey]

Oooooooh I want !!!

[@bookishshenanigans4769]

Excuse me, but why was the cat not in the thumbnail? She is the cutest little nugget!

[@InsertLiteraryPunHere]

She strongly agrees and has requested future thumbnails to make up for it!

[@Wolf.88]

I want it

[@truthboy3936]

The term 'New Testament' or 'Covenant' comes from ''The Hebrew Bible''...Jeremiah 31:31. Just saying

[@robertlotzer7627]

Whenever I hear people say the Bible is FULL of contradictions it always makes me think of people who criticize people in the 17th and 18th centuries who see everything backwards and aren’t enlightened as us modern people. C S Lewis rooted this way of thinking in “chronological snobbery” that our way is so much better than anything that came before.