The Hebrew Bible: The Five Books of Moses

by Robert Alter

A masterpiece of deep learning and fine sensibility, Robert Alter’s translation of the Hebrew Bible, now complete, reanimates one of the formative works of our culture. Capturing its brilliantly compact poetry and finely wrought, purposeful prose, Alter renews the Old Testament as a source of literary power and spiritual inspiration. From the family frictions of Genesis and King David’s flawed humanity to the serene wisdom of Psalms and Job’s incendiary questioning of God’s ways, these magnificent works of world literature resonate with a startling immediacy. Featuring Alter’s generous commentary, which quietly alerts readers to the literary and historical dimensions of the text, this is the definitive edition of the Hebrew Bible.

Genres: Religion, Judaism

744 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2018

About the author

Robert Bernard Alter is an American professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967, and has published many acclaimed works on the Bible, literary modernism, and contemporary Hebrew literature.

Reviews

[Russell Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read Robert Alter's translation of the Five Books of Moses before, but this year I received as a gift his completed translation of the Hebrew Bible (his previous, separately published translations hadn't included the later, major or minor prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.), and so I decided to begin again at the beginning. What can I say about this magisterial translation--or, probably more importantly, the deeply incisive commentary which comes along with it? While I was basically familiar with arguments about the Old Testament's documentary history, and the whole long debate over the Documentary Hypothesis, Alter's leadership through the Torah made clearer to me than ever before just what it means, in terms of history and literature and even (though for the secular Jewish Alter, this last one is entirely my own contribution) faith, to understand the roots of most of the whole Western world's worldview in this layered, contradictory, surprising, shifting, sometimes horrifying and sometimes inspiring text. I loved being able to see, in these ancient words and ancient editorial insertions and changes, the move from myth to something else: something that I would call the movement of God through the faulty perspective of fallen human beings. A must read for everyone, I say.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alter's translation and commentary on the Torah is commendable for seeking to honor the literary artistry, socio-political context, and authorial intent of the text. Although he occasionally wanders into speculations related to the Documentary Hypothesis, by and large I appreciated his focus on how these ancient books are often much smarter and deeper than modern readers assume. For the Christian layman like myself, I can feel free to learn from Alter's observations, someone who does not seem bound by a checking certain theological boxes. This work helps challenge and equip those who seek to read the Scriptures more like an originalist and less like a 21st Century westerner.

[Erik Rostad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Robert Alter's translation and commentary of the Torah was an incredible experience. I read all of the commentary for Genesis and then referenced it as needed for Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. I loved how Alter pointed out the presence of poetry in Numbers, similar Hebrew words across these books, and connections to other Near Eastern beliefs and texts. I learned so much. What I'd like to do is to take one book a year going forward and read all of Alter's commentary for that particular book. I highly recommend Alter's commentary.

[Tyler Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The unacknowledged heresy underlying most modern English versions of the Bible is the use of translation as vehicle for explaining the Bible instead of representing it in another language..." (xv).

Robert Alter's translation of the Hebrew Bible is meant to work along these lines; that is, he sets out to represent rather than explain the text. I have found his translation helpful in working with the Hebrew text myself but my Hebrew is not at a level where I can evaluate the success of his project. My review is more focused on his notes.

I found the general introduction here (which stands for all three volumes of his translation) to be quite a stimulating read. This emphasis stands out for me:

“Literature in general, and the narrative prose of the Hebrew Bible in particular, cultivates certain profound and haunting enigmas, delights in leaving its audiences guessing about motives and connections, and above all, loves to set ambiguities of word choice and image against one another in an endless interplay that resists neat resolution. In polar contrast, the impulse of the philologist is - here a barbarous term nicely catches the tenor of the activity - ‘to disambiguate’ the terms of the text. The general result when applied to transition is to reduce, simplify, and denature the Bible.” (xv)

These were good reminders for someone like myself who is doing what he calls "philological" work but I was left with two questions. First, doesn't framing the choice as standing between "explaining" and "representing" the text oversimplify matters? I am not sure that Alter could clearly identify when one has crossed that line. Second, is "representing" the text really the ultimate, exclusive goal of translation? Despite my reservations, I believe Alter provides a very good place to think about these issues.

The translation itself is only part of the project. There are introductions for each section and each book of the Hebrew Bible as well as notes which often take up around half the page. In Alter's own words, the introductions and notes are aimed at “…the exploration of the Bible as a literary expression" (xlii). There are notes which explain historical items and difficulties but he mostly sticks to his main program of helping people read the Hebrew Bible as a piece of literature.

From what I understand, Alter does not make any claim to faith with regard to the Hebrew Bible but he has a catching enthusiasm for the text. He is probably strongest in a place like the Balaam stories (starting in Numbers 22). On the one hand he catches the "splendid comic possibilities" of the story and on the other comments on a particular phrase that the "reader should be warned that no one really knows what this phrase means." Alter is an honest and penetrating reader with insights that seem hard to come by in other places. His own reading partners are mostly medieval commentators and he amply shows that they are worth listening to.

Besides a better sense of how the Hebrew Bible works as literature, Alter's translation and notes have made me think more about what it means to read and communicate the Bible. He clearly writes for a "reader" of the text but that seems to often mean something different than writing for a "Bible-study-er," especially one in the Christian tradition. This has made me pause for thought and I will keep Alter on my shoulder as I continue to think this through.

The hefty price of the three volume set makes this harder to recommend, but Alter is a good voice to include in your Bible reading community. This is especially the case for people who are preaching these texts or have some background in biblical studies.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can be said about this book? A wonderful translation of the Torah by Robert Alter, a supreme scholar of the Hebrew Bible and the literature contained therein, this is an eminently readable rendition of the Five Books of Moses. Combined with the overall introduction, the introductions to each book, and the footnotes that serve as a broad biblical commentary (though more focused on translation for obvious issues it does delve into meaning enough that it serves the function of a commentary), this would enhance any student of the Hebrew Bible's study.

And I'm so much happier reading this than the KJV, which is the standard version for my Church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). While that remains a classic, it's good to read other translations occasionally, and I cannot recommend this one enough.

[Crystal Swafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bible is of course, a 5 star book. The best part about this particular translation was really all the explanation in the introduction text before the translation and also the introductory text preceding each “book”. Since I don’t know Hebrew, I appreciated understanding the context of these books from a literature point of view. I’ve certainly never heard such a good balance of very detailed nuance in a translated word coupled with a big picture view of what an entire book conveyed. The reason I rated 3 stars is that I’m not sure I gained much from the actual translation that I can’t get from a comparison of two common translations (like King James Version and NIV, my two favorites). Self admittedly, the author states that KJV is very good. I’m not sure the 5-10% better quality literature flow really improved my understanding but That’s why I really liked the upfront material best.

[Diana Kullman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me 11 months to finish the three volumes of THE HEBREW BIBLE. I read them in conjunction with Biblical classes so definitely not in order. The footnotes were quite interesting. I knew that Hebrew did not have vowels but now understand a little better how daunting the translation process was for the author. He would give several choices of what word he thought three Hebrew letters might mean.

[Emanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alters enmansöversättning försöker behålla så mycket som möjligt av originalets stil och poesi. Han förklarar sina översättningsval i en rejäl notapparat. Den bästa bibelöversättning jag läst - därför 5/5.

Annars är Toran en väldigt spretig och märklig bok som jag har massor av tankar om, som jag kanske kompletterar denna recension med efter hand.

[John Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong translation with very helpful commentary, sliding in an underserved spot on the shelf by offering more detail than a one-volume study Bible without being as extensive or hard to access as the Anchor Bible.

[Sarah Hui · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Assigned Genesis 1:1-2:25)