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A Literary Bible: An Original Translation
A stunning new translation—“the best in a century, without a doubt”—of the Hebrew Bible that restores the creativity and poetry of the original text (New Republic).
Whether rendering the Bible as wondrous or as strangely familiar, David Rosenberg’s “brilliant” and “truly fresh” translation forces us to ask again—and at last in literary terms—why the Bible remains a crucial foundation of our culture (Booklist).
Until today, translators have presented a homogeneous Bible in uniform style—even as the various books within it were written by different authors, in diverse genres and periods, stretching over many centuries. Now, Rosenbergs artful translation restores what has been left the essence of imaginative creation in the Bible.
In A Literary Bible, Rosenberg presents for the first time a synthesis of the literary aspects of the Hebrew Bible—restoring a sense of the original authors and providing a literary revelation for the contemporary reader.
Rosenberg himself brings a finely tuned ear to the original text. His penetrating scholarship allows the reader to encounter inspired biblical prose and verse, and to experience each book as if it were written for our time.
Whether rendering the Bible as wondrous or as strangely familiar, David Rosenberg’s “brilliant” and “truly fresh” translation forces us to ask again—and at last in literary terms—why the Bible remains a crucial foundation of our culture (Booklist).
Until today, translators have presented a homogeneous Bible in uniform style—even as the various books within it were written by different authors, in diverse genres and periods, stretching over many centuries. Now, Rosenbergs artful translation restores what has been left the essence of imaginative creation in the Bible.
In A Literary Bible, Rosenberg presents for the first time a synthesis of the literary aspects of the Hebrew Bible—restoring a sense of the original authors and providing a literary revelation for the contemporary reader.
Rosenberg himself brings a finely tuned ear to the original text. His penetrating scholarship allows the reader to encounter inspired biblical prose and verse, and to experience each book as if it were written for our time.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
David Rosenberg
233 books5 followersDavid Rosenberg is an American poet, biblical translator, editor, and educator. He is best known for The Book of J (with Harold Bloom) and A Poet's Bible, which earned PEN Translation Prize in 1992. The Book of J stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for many weeks.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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September 13, 2026Short thoughts on each work translated here. Ultimately, Rosenberg's biggest goal was to represent the diversity of the Biblical authors through his translations while openly taking creative liberties. I like this, but some of the creative decisions just end up rubbing me the wrong way through sheer diversity and variety. E.g., it will always be weird to me for Ecclesiastes to mention 'muzak'.
Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Numbers): Great, the most inspired translation in here. This is the same material for the most part as is covered in The Book of J.
Prophets:
•2 Samuel: the only extended prose translation. Good but not so different from other translations
•Isaiah: Taking selections from different 'Isaiahs' to represent the books diversity and longtime communal writing process is great. Another standout.
•Jeremiah, Zechariah: enjoyable but fragmentary and insubstantial. I am a big fan of Jeremiah so that was a little disappointing
•Jonah: honestly one of the preferred translations I have read but ultimately Jonah doesn't have a lot of wiggle room creatively and is pretty much a masterpiece in any translation.
Writings:
•Psalms: only about 20 are translated but they are all great. There are less 'modern' allusions but more wouldn't even be bad, the format of the Psalms is better for contemporary language than many other, more narrative books
•Lamentations, Song of Songs, Daniel, Ezra/Nehemiah: All relatively fragmentary and short translations of portions of each of these books, okay but not overly impactful
•Job: another highlight, but only Job's speeches are translated, turning a (loosely) narrative and quite philosophical book into more of an extended poetic lament. It is quite interesting but I'm not a huge fan of the translation overall
•Ecclesiastes: Excellent but only portions are translated. This and Job are the most bothersome to me with references to things like Mercedes-Benz, Stalin, Hollywood, etc
•Ruth, Esther, Judith: besides the Torah books here these are my favorite translations, but they seem to me also some of the more creatively conservative as well. Ruth is here in full (yay), while Esther and Judith are fragmentary, but they all seem to brim with the original authors' creative power in the way that I feel the entire book desires to and doesn't always manage.
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Overall, good to greatish, if you are interested in it you'll probably find something in here to love, but I can only recommend this as a supplement to something like the JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh for plain accuracy, or the KJV for sublime phrasing and historical value. Or to get a taste of Rosenberg's translation peak, try starting with The Book of J.
Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Numbers): Great, the most inspired translation in here. This is the same material for the most part as is covered in The Book of J.
Prophets:
•2 Samuel: the only extended prose translation. Good but not so different from other translations
•Isaiah: Taking selections from different 'Isaiahs' to represent the books diversity and longtime communal writing process is great. Another standout.
•Jeremiah, Zechariah: enjoyable but fragmentary and insubstantial. I am a big fan of Jeremiah so that was a little disappointing
•Jonah: honestly one of the preferred translations I have read but ultimately Jonah doesn't have a lot of wiggle room creatively and is pretty much a masterpiece in any translation.
Writings:
•Psalms: only about 20 are translated but they are all great. There are less 'modern' allusions but more wouldn't even be bad, the format of the Psalms is better for contemporary language than many other, more narrative books
•Lamentations, Song of Songs, Daniel, Ezra/Nehemiah: All relatively fragmentary and short translations of portions of each of these books, okay but not overly impactful
•Job: another highlight, but only Job's speeches are translated, turning a (loosely) narrative and quite philosophical book into more of an extended poetic lament. It is quite interesting but I'm not a huge fan of the translation overall
•Ecclesiastes: Excellent but only portions are translated. This and Job are the most bothersome to me with references to things like Mercedes-Benz, Stalin, Hollywood, etc
•Ruth, Esther, Judith: besides the Torah books here these are my favorite translations, but they seem to me also some of the more creatively conservative as well. Ruth is here in full (yay), while Esther and Judith are fragmentary, but they all seem to brim with the original authors' creative power in the way that I feel the entire book desires to and doesn't always manage.
---
Overall, good to greatish, if you are interested in it you'll probably find something in here to love, but I can only recommend this as a supplement to something like the JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh for plain accuracy, or the KJV for sublime phrasing and historical value. Or to get a taste of Rosenberg's translation peak, try starting with The Book of J.
July 21, 2025
I had been in a Bible reading rut when I found this book in a little free library. It was something that my late friend Rabbi Aimee had suggested I read a few years back, and I hadn't gotten around to it. This incredible translation of the Hebrew Bible that is gorgeous, thoroughly researched and translated, and alive with the Holy Spirit. I will be returning to this again and again.
January 17, 2010
This book opened up the text is very exciting ways. No matter how often I have read the Bible this was new and refreshing especially Rosenberg's take on Psalm 19.
I have recommended this book to many.
August 20, 2011
This gave me a different perspective on what the texts of the bible might have been intended to be. I can't judge how "accurate" it is but the author'a explanations of the Hebrew literary style of the time was pretty compelling. Now I only I could remember where I put it...
November 4, 2019
Very poor translation
It is one man's ungodly translation. I find it interesting that a person with a Jewish heritage denies the very God that that created life.
It is one man's ungodly translation. I find it interesting that a person with a Jewish heritage denies the very God that that created life.
October 1, 2022
Read this book from cover to cover! That is a sentence written in the imperative mood, present not past tense :)
to-read-fiction
December 5, 2009One of my favorite Christmas presents! Going to start tonight :)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews