The Jewish Study Bible

by Adele Berlin (Editor), Marc Zvi Brettler (Editor)

First published in 2004, The Jewish Study Bible is a landmark, one-volume resource tailored especially for the needs of students of the Hebrew Bible. It has won acclaim from readers in all religious traditions.
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.
This second edition includes revised annotations for nearly the entire Bible, as well as forty new and updated essays on many of the issues in Jewish interpretation, Jewish worship in the biblical and post-biblical periods, and the influence of the Hebrew Bible in the ancient world.
The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition, is an essential resource for anyone interested in the Hebrew Bible.

Genres: Religion, Judaism, Reference, Jewish, Judaica, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies

2400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the plot twists are phenomenal. Sometimes God gets angry, sometimes impatient, and sometimes people are killed. A talking donkey appears and some water is parted. A lot of kvetching.

[فؤاد · Rating 4 out of 5]

برای شرح و تفسیر کتب انبیا که هنوز پیروز سیار چاپ نکرده، اومدم سراغ این کتاب. با ترجمهٔ هزارهٔ نو می‌خوندم و حواشی رو از این می‌خوندم.

آخر کتاب هم یه سری مقاله داره که هنوز نخوندم اما می‌خوام کم کم بخونم.

[Nathan Kamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

As somebody intrigued by religious debate, I took it upon myself to read parts of the Old Testament this February. It has been an endeavor I’ve wanted to take on for a while, and I believed that it would improve my understanding of religion. It also has always been my belief that too often the Bible is misinterpreted as nothing more than a handbook for living. It is my belief that religious texts are worth much more. From what I had heard, the Bible seemed to eloquently pose profound questions about good and evil. I had heard that the descriptive language was luscious and that the characters in the stories were quite dynamic. It wanted to read the bible not as a handbook, but rather as a piece of literature.
The Jewish Study Bible greatly succeeds in satisfying this need. The vast expanses of footnotes, while at times overwhelming, do an excellent job at providing insight for religious subtext of dialogue and narration. The book also provides terrific insight into how Judaism interprets the Old Testament. While the book does demand quite a bit of discipline on the part of the reader, the editors should be satisfied with their work.
I am not a Christian. I am not part of an organized religion, but I strongly believe that it is in my best interests to be well-educated on the Bible. The Old Testament is one of the most controversial stories of all time, and has shaped the way that humans treat each other and themselves for the last two millenniums. Today, so much political debate in America is based on ideologies prompted by this text, and it is necessary for more people to understand where it comes from. The Jewish Study Bible does an excellent job of embellishing the engaging moral conflicts presented, and finding the deeper meaning of a text that so many take for granted.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! It is truly a STUDY bible. The TANAKH translation is the best, of course. And the footnotes and the commentaries are fantastic. This is not an easy read, but it isn't meant to be. It is meant to savored and contemplated. This book will be right beside me every day for many, many years to come. I would not recommend it as an in introduction to Jewish thought or scripture, but for Jews, and certain Christians, too, I think this could end up being an invaluable source for their spiritual journey to be taken on a daily basis.

[Peyton]

Not going to rate this bc it seems odd to rate a religious text but good reading experience!

[Nick Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous, tremendous, tremendous and beautiful resource. I’m a United Methodist preacher, and this is great for personal devotion, semi-academic work, and preaching. It’s especially good for understanding Jewish liturgical life, calendar, worship, and interpretation history, including for those committed to anti-anti-Semitism, especially in light of Christian history. All the thumbs up.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2017 my wife read this book. We are studying the Old Testament in church in 2022, so I started to read it also. By the time I got through the introductory material, there were so many things that I wanted to highlight that I bought my own Kindle edition of it.

Why The Jewish Study Bible instead of Christian resources?
Each Christian translation has biases. For example, the King James, which is the one most used in our church, is biased toward Kingship. The Jewish Study Bible I expect to have only one principal bias, and I am fine with that. Instead of it having an axe to grind, I find in it a deeper study of what the text means.

This book uses the proposal that the books of the Hebrew Bible are composed as a composite of four sources:
J — Yahveh, Jahwe (German)
E — Elohim God
P — Priestly
D — Duteronomist

The essays make it clear that Jewish interpretation of the Bible changed dramatically over the centuries and describes the competing schools with their attempts to harmonize discrepancies. There are nearly essays at the back of the book. I did not find them as interesting as the Biblical text and notes.

- “The first set of essays, “Jewish Interpretation of the Bible,” surveys, in chronological order, Jewish biblical interpretation in various periods, from earliest times to the present.
- The second set of essays, “Biblical Ideas and Institutions,” surveys various concepts that stand behind the biblical text.
- The third set of essays, “The Bible in Jewish Life,” gives some intimation of the importance of the Bible for Judaism and the Jewish community, an importance that cannot be overstated.
- The fourth set of essays, “Backgrounds for Reading the Bible,” provides contemporary scholarly background material for understanding the Bible.
- The fifth and last set of essays, “The Hebrew Bible in Other Scriptures” recognizes that the authors of both the New Testament and the Qur’an knew and were influenced by the Hebrew Bible, in different ways and to different extents. The two essays juxtapose the uses of Hebrew Scriptures in emerging Christianity and early Islam.”

I did not care for some of the essays
- The Bible in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Seemed to dodge their meaning and instead talked a lot about their classification.
- Classical Rabinic Interpretation: Lots of fussing about fine points, disputations and justifications.

Essays I liked:
- Medieval Jewish Interpretation
- The Bible in the Jewish Philosophical Tradition
- Jewish interpretation of the bible
- Many philosophers and their interpretation of the Bible


“On the other hand, prophecy as a living phenomenon was discouraged. Future prophets had to prove they were “true” and not “false” by producing prophecies that came true before their messages would be heeded (Deut. 18.21), a tautologous condition that effectively abolished prophecy as a living institution after the 5th c. bce, at least in “official” religion. No future revelation could compete with Moses or amend what he had said.” (86%)

Although I have not finished all of the roughly 50 essays at the end of the book, it is time to mark this book as read and move on to New Testament study.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me quite a while to make it all the way through this but it was worth it. I am a Christian but one who doesn't just want to blindly follow my church leaders. I like to study about the scriptures and the history of my faith.

This book is wonderful. It gives background and context to the Scriptures. I loved it so much I am now reading the follow-up The Jewish Annotated New Testament.

Things I learned:

- the Hebrews loved puns and apparently littered the Bible with them.
- the Heberews were more feminist than today's Christians
- Esther is considered to be fictional

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Bible.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 Thought, and Backgrounds for Reading the Bible. This is a treasure trove for the lay reader.

[Steven Schwarzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jewish Study Bible combines the new JPS translation (okay, as I mentioned in my review of the JPS Tanakh, the Torah part of that translation goes back to the 1960s) with a wonderful Jewish and scholarly running commentary in the margins.

This is (surprisingly, perhaps) a real breakthrough. Until the Jewish Study Bible, you had to choose between traditional commentaries and scholarly ones. This gives you both, and as the title indicates, it is aimed at being both scholarly and sympathetic to Judaism. That's not something to take for granted, because modern Bible research began in the 1800s with German protestant scholars for whom the "Old Testament" was dry and cultic, i.e. fit to be "replaced" by a newer one.

The Jewish Study Bible gives you both traditional understandings and the results of modern archaelogy and other research. It should be in every English-speaking Jewish home.

[Sabrina Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what it says, and does a great job as an introduction to a variety of schools of Jewish thought. I'm planning on buying this and would want it simply for the new connections it makes between different passages. Studied through Genesis and Exodus using this in the beginning of the year and learned so many new things.

The one drawback is that there are a number if viewpoints represented here. Be discerning in your use of the study notes. Allow them to make you think, but there's definitely chaff in here with the wheat. There were many times when I didn't agree with viewpoints represented - but it was good to have a brief explanation of them, nonetheless.

[Joel Kleehammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most awesome book ever. What more can I say. I have this edition on my nightstand, and I read it almost every day. I use the Seder ha-Mishmarah cycle so that I read the entire Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim every year.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great study bible. Very helpful footnotes, and is a very well done translation. Every Judeo-Christian household should have a copy of this.

[Michael Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have several study Bibles at home. Each of these study Bibles seems to have its unique focus with some providing commentary and articles based on a specific theological perspective with others simply providing a plethora of background study material such as maps, charts, and tables. Given the great expense involved with purchasing a Bible (even more if you go for the leather bound option), deciding what to invest in and what to take a pass on can be quite important.

Recently I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of the second edition of The Jewish Study Bible which is based on the Jewish Publication Society’s TANAKH translation. Some may ask, especially Christians as to why there would be a need to have a Jewish Study Bible as after all, will not any commentary provided be devoid of a focus on the gospel and on Jesus? This is a valid question and concern. In fact, the Jewish Study Bible of course does not contain the 27 books of the New Testament. What it does contain are the Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament), the Nevi’im (the prophets), and the Kethuvim (the writings). The arrangement of these books is provided in the traditional manner and will be a bit foreign to those more familiar with the usual order found in most Christian Bibles, unless of course you are utilizing a chronological bible.

So what is this Jewish Study Bible all about? The editors comment that “If anything marks Jewish biblical interpretation, it is the diversity of approaches employed and the multiplicity of meanings produced. This is expressed in the famous rabbinic saying; “There are seventy faces to the Torah” (Num. Rab. 13.15 and parallels), meaning that biblical texts are open to seventy different interpretations, seventy symbolizing a large and complete number.” They go to note they “hope that Jewish readers will use this book as a resource to better understand the multiple traditions that have informed, and continue to inform, their tradition.” The hope is also stated that the “Jewish Study Bible will serve as a compelling introduction for students of the Bible from other backgrounds and traditions, who are curious about contemporary academic Jewish biblical interpretation.”

Where the real strength and area of interest lies for this study bible is in the copious amount of essays it provides on a number of valuable areas such as Midrash and Jewish Exegesis, Concepts of Purity in the Bible, Daily Life in Biblical Times, Biblical Calendars, Biblical Festivals and Fast Days, Jewish Customs, The History of Israel in the Biblical Period, Languages of the Bible, Reading Biblical Poetry, Reading Biblical Narrative, and Reading Biblical Law. These are just a snippet of the many essays provided. In addition to these informative essays are a number of tables, charts, and maps that are of benefit.

I am not familiar with the background of all the essay contributors; however, after doing a quick search on several of them, in particular the editors, they are all accomplished in their respective fields/areas of study and that becomes apparent in their essay contributions. I particularly appreciated Marc Zvi Brettler’s discussion of the meaning of the term Torah, in particular its broader application in the Bible outside of how it is typically understood, namely the mistaken idea that Torah speaks only of what is contained in the Mosaic Law. He aptly notes, “the Torah should not be typified as a book of law. The Hebrew term torah also means “instruction” or “teaching” as in Proverbs 1.8, “My son, heed the discipline of your father, / And do not forsake the instruction [Heb torah] of our mother.” Teaching is not confined to law; indeed narratives or stores are as effective a medium of instruction.”

As one who has studied of late the Feasts of the Lord, I found the essay provided by Baruch Levine to be of interest. This essay walks the reader through the Sabbath, the New Moon, the Annual Festivals and Pilgrimages, and the Annual Fast Days. Despite studying these subjects in great depth over recent months, Levine provided some additional points of insight that will prove to be invaluable as I continue to explore the importance of these appointed times of the Lord and how they apply to believers today.

There is much to enjoy in this study Bible. For Christians who might shy away from such a study Bible, I would encourage them to set aside any preconceived ideas one might have of this work being of no relevance. There certainly are points of discussion to which Christians will have disagreement. This is after all a study bible that does not contain the rest of the story, namely the coming and the work of the Messiah. However, there is a great deal of helpful information that will serve to inform the Christian’s study of Scripture, in particular the helpful historical and cultural information as well as gaining an understanding of various points of language and application, such as the aforementioned perspective on how the word Torah is defined and used in the Old Testament. I know this is a study Bible that I will find highly useful and it is one I can definitely recommend.

I received this for free from Oxford University Press and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Stacy Croushorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good interpretation.

[Tanya Spackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great way to figure out the Old Testament.

[Louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden gem Lowkey✨✨✨

[John Engelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I am a Christian who admires Jews, respects Judaism, and loves Israel. I believe that God inspired the Bible, but He did not dictate it. The Old Testament, which I shall call “The Jewish Bible,” and the Apocrypha were written by Jews. All or most of the New Testament was written by people we would recognize as Messianic Jews. Anyone who has known and liked as many Jews as I have, knows that they love to argue, and often disagree. I am intrigued by contradictions in the Bible. They do not disturb my faith.

The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition, includes a modern translation of the Jewish Bible, and extensive commentary. Indeed, the commentary is at least twice as long as the Jewish Bible itself. There are introductions to each Biblical book, side commentary to each book, and essays following the Jewish Bible.

I have read all of the side commentary, but you do not really need to. Do read the introductory essays, and the essays that follow the Jewish Bible.

The essays occasionally mention the Documentary Hypothesis without really explaining it. The Documentary Hypothesis claims that the first five books of the Bible, which the Jews call the Torah, were not written by Moses, as Fundamentalists believe; they were originally four other documents that were eventually combined, perhaps by Ezrah.

An excellent explanation of the Documentary Hypothesis can be found in Richard Elliott Friedman’s book Who Wrote The Bible.

I respect Jewish and Christian Fundamentalists. I think they have a better understanding of human nature than secular humanists. I am not a Fundamentalist, and approach the Bible with what can be called, for lack of a better term, “the higher criticism.” I believe in the Documentary Hypothesis; I believe in evolution. I do not believe that Jonah spent several days in the stomach of a large fish.

I have read the Bible eleven times in ten English translations. I previously read the Jewish Study Bible, First Edition.

Whenever I read a new translation of the Bible I notice different things. This time I noticed that Biblical Judaism, although many contemporary Jews disagree, does not assert posthumous rewards for good behavior. Every soul goes to Shoel after death. Shoel is described as a gloomy place, somewhat like a child’s image of an old, large, slightly run down, spooky cemetery that is full of ghosts.

In Shoel one is as likely to run into Adolf Hitler as to a Jewish philanthropist who attended synagogue services every Sabboth.

Nevertheless, morality is important for two reasons. First, if the Israelites collectively obey the laws in the Torah they will win victory over their enemies. Otherwise, they will not.

Second, good people become prosperous; bad people do not.

The high point of political Israel was the Empire pf David. Under King David’s leadership, the Israelites conquered the land promised to them in Genesis 15:18 “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying ‘To your offspring I assign this land, from the River of Egypt to the great river Euphrates’.” The River of Eghpt was not the Nile; it was a river that separated the Sinai Peninsula from Southern Israel.

The Israelites did not conquer the Philistines. They ended the possibility that the Philistines would conquer them. They did conquer Syria and three nations in what is now Jordan: the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the Edomites.

The Empire of David began to decline soon after his death. David’s son Solomon spent so much of the national wealth on his harem and his luxuries that the Israelite Army lacked the resources to continue the subjugation of Syria, which became independent.

David’s son Rehoboam make a foolish mistake that provoked the independence of the northern tribes. The Northern Kingdom and the Southern kingdom could not hold onto Ammon, Moab, and Edom. They became independent.

The Empire of Assyria conquered and displaced the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom and crushed a revolt lead by the king of the southern kingdom, Hezekiah.

The Assyrian Empire was destroyed by an alliance of Babylonia and Mede. The destruction of Assyria was celebrated in the Jewish Bible book of Nahum.

These celebrations were short lived, because Babylonia conquered the Southern Kingdom. In his prophetic book, Jerimiah wrote that the Israelites should accept Babylonian dominance. The Israelites revolted. The Babylonians crushed the revolt, destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem, and beginning the Babylonian captivity.

From a secular standpoint one can blame the decline and fall of David’s Empire on mistakes made by David’s successors. The time to fight Assyria was not when Assyrian power was strongest; it was to help Babylonia and Media when Asyria was vulnerable.

The prophets blamed three causes for the decline and fall of David’s Empire. First, the Israelites worshiped other gods than Yahweh, and they worshiped Yahweh improperly. The Law of Moses, also known as the Torah, decreed that animal sacrifices were only to be given in the Temple of Jerusalem.

Second, Israel’s rich were oppressing Israel’s poor. Third, many Israelites were unchaste.

Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonians, ended the Babylonian Captivity, and encouraged the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem. For this Cyrus gets much good ink in the Old Testament.

In his essay “Concepts of Purity in the Bible” Jonathan Klawans misses the main point about the difference between what is clean and unclean.

First, an unclean act can be any sexual activity other than between a husband and wife when the wife is most likely to conceive. This may not seem like a good idea now when the planet is over populated. Nevertheless, Israel was a small nation surrounded by enemies and frequently at war. Israel needed a high birth rate to make up for losses on the battlefield.

Second, an act is unclean if it can spread disease. This is most obvious in the prohibition against eating pigs. All carnivorous animals ae forbidden because they can get parasites from eating other carnivorous animals.

Those with skin disease are to keep away from everyone else. Human waste is to be deposited outside of the camp. People must wash their hands before eating.

Since the end of the Jewish Bible the Children of Israel have suffered many tragedies. Fortunately, they have outlived and out fought their enemies. Today the nation of Israel thrives. The Jews have become the most accomplished 0.2% of the human population.

I recommend The Jewish Study Bible Second Edition for anyone of any religious faith, or no religion at all, who wants a thorough education in the Jewish Bible and in Judaism.

[D.L. Teamor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this version for many years in preparing my sermons, however, there are much better translated versions (that are truer to the the original Biblical languages) that have been released since then.

[Kit]

How come the part where Samson lights 300 foxes on fire so they run around blazing up the philistines was never in veggie tales?!? Veggie tales writers: confirmed philistines.

The notes, essays and maps in this version are all excellent.

[Margaret Kolstad]

I have a question about this book (I don’t have it) - Does it use God’s traditional names such as Yahweh, Adonai, or Yeshua? Looking for a Hebrew version that uses the same wording as the original

[William Sariego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are a seminary student or just an amateur Biblical scholar, this volume should be in your library. Great reference work.

[Nate Bringhurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

This year my church has been focusing on the Old Testament. I've been taking more of a deep dive this year than usual and have been doing my reading (most of it, anyway) with a few different versions rather than my usual King James version. My man, Dan McClellan, who is the scripture translation supervisor for the LDS Church, recommended most of these. The other one Jeffrey R. Holland is reading this year (The New Oxford Annotated Bible), so I decided to grab a copy of that as well. My ratings are more on the commentary/translation rather than the bible itself. We all know that is 5 stars. They're ordered from favorite to least favorite.

NRSV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Hardcover, Comfort Print: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture : 5 stars. Straight cash, homies. Not only great commentary but really gives you the context of the scriptures by setting up historical settings, customs, etc. And pictures, charts, maps, etc. Not just at the beginning of the book. But has sections on certain topics as you read. Really liked that.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version : 5 stars. Enjoyed the commentary and also the historical context here as well. The best structure and really liked that they included the Apocrypha.

The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary : 4 stars. This one was too academic for my taste and over my head at times. I felt like understanding at least some basic Hebrew might have given me more of an appreciation of his commentary. And it did get pretty nit-picky at times.

The Jewish Study Bible: Featuring the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation : 4 stars. Pretty good commentary. Some of it left me confused. And a lot of it was more of a summary rather than commentary. But some good stuff here.

[Anne MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every few years, I read the whole Bible all the way through, and I don't usually rate it. This year, in addition to reading The New Testament and at my sister-in-law's suggestion, I read The Jewish Study Bible , including all the introductions, marginal notes, and essays.

Right from the Introduction, I was taken by the loving care and devotion these scholars put into the preparation of this edition. Considering thousands of years of rabbinic study and interpretation, the editors did not shy away from acknowledging pagan contributions to Jewish scripture or practices, contradictions within the Bible, or comparing Jewish interpretation to Christian views of significant passages. Their faith seems stronger to me because they do not look at the world through a narrow lens.

As a retired English teacher, I really appreciated the analysis of how technique reinforces meaning, and I learned quite a few terms, some for concepts I am familiar with but did not know there was a term for: homoioteleuton - a scribal error in which a phrase is omitted when an immediately following phrase ends with the same word, causing the scribe's eye to skip the phrase between the two occurrences of the word.

I finished reading a little early, so between now and the new year, I am going to review my notes and remove the many sticky tabs from my sister-in-law's copy of The Jewish Study Bible .

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scripture is not exactly rateable but this translation and edition is fantastic. Nearly every time I had a question about the text there was a note to explain it, or to explain why there is no clear answer to the question. Some words in the Hebrew only appear once in the entirety of the Bible and have no clear cognates so the translation is a guess based on context, and when that happens it is duly noted. The essays included as an appendix are also very helpful. I read this to accompany a course on the Hebrew Bible and it surpassed my expectations.

[Bubba · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christian Bible has the Old Testament, an offensive term towards Judaism, and the Jewish have the Tanaka/Hebrew of Jewish Bible which is a direct interpretation of the text form antiquity. It does help you understand as the Israelites understood the Tanaka/Hebrew Bible in their time and now. The footnotes explain the text and gives you a deeper understanding of the Scripture. A must have and read.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved perusing this book at random, and now have ordered my own copy. I have updated my reading progress by noting all the places that I left bookmarks behind so now I can begin again where I left off if I so choose. Now I am ready to surrender my current copy to the library where I borrowed it.

[Marilyn Letts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be my current reading for the rest of my life. I have always loved what I was brought up calling the "Old Testament." Both the translation and the commentary in this version are like hiking a trail you have only experienced in winter in the spring, summer and fall. Still beautiful and new things to discover each time.

[Marc Bulck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've got a copy of this on my bookshelf at the church. If I'm ever preaching from the Hebrew Bible (or the Old Testament, to Christians), I always try to make sure I've at least referenced the Jewish Study Bible at least once. This is not exactly relaxing bedside reading, of course, but its scholarship is rigorous, serious and fantastic.

[Cannon Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an insightful commentary. I enjoyed it because it is amusingly written and frequently humorous, concise in interpretation, and true to its hebrew colors while simultaneously circumspect and self-effacing with regard to the portentous rabbinic exegeses. I read this while I was living in Coroa Vermelha, Bahia, Brazil, on a Mormon religious mission.