Rating:  Summary: Very nice, with interesting commentary Review: My main purpose in purchasing this volume was to have the Hebrew text as an incentive to continue studying Hebrew. I was brought up as a Christian to love and respect the Hebrew Bible. It has been fascinating to read the English translation. It is slighly easier to read than the NKJV, although not quite as fluid as the NIV. I am not commenting on the accuracy of these other translations, as most people reading this will already have their own opinions about that. The greatest thing about this edition is the Jewish perspective: The introduction is beautifully written and very sensitive. The comments, while not overwhelming in quantity, convey the essence of Jewish thought over the centuries and certainly put many passages in perspective. I recommend this volume to anyone, Jewish or not, who wants a high quality, readable, well presented Jewish Bible. In particular, I recommend it to other Christians who realise the importance of the Tanach and want to get a slightly different perspective.
Rating:  Summary: Comprehensive and well translated Review: Not only are the Torah, Prophets and Writings fully translated in modern English, the Hebrew with the cantellations for chanting (trop) are legibly included. Therefore, if you take the time to search out where the haftorahs begin and end, you may use the Stone edition as a chumash. In fact, Artscroll publishes a Chumash but why not get every word of the Bible rather than just those parts of the Prophets which are included among the Haftorahs? The best feature of a good Bible is the use of commentaries which illuminate the text. Artscroll, as in all their publications, includes excellent commentaries. The comments are from a fundamentalist Orthodox viewpoint and are very illuminating. I also recommend the JPS Tanakh which is also a faithful translation of the original Hebrew but which may contain a slightly different viewpoint in the comments. However, the Stone edition, with the full Hebrew text including trop, all in one volume, is the best Bible published anywhere.
Rating:  Summary: biased narrowminded.... Review: Poor poor poor translation. elementary. very biased. very biased, narrowminded choice of commentary. how many ways can i say ICK! have you read their choice of allegorical translation/interpretation of Shir HaShirim? BUT...the hebrew font typeset is gorgeous. i would get it for the hebrew alone. but you want something straightforward? Koren Publishers THE JERUSALEM BIBLE right out of HaEretz. No apologies I am just so not impressed with this ArtScroll, but hey, I am no scholar. And for Chumash I prefer Cohen's Socino
Rating:  Summary: biased narrowminded.... Review: Poor poor poor translation. elementary. very biased. very biased, narrowminded choice of commentary. how many ways can i say ICK! have you read their choice of allegorical translation/interpretation of Shir HaShirim? BUT...the hebrew font typeset is gorgeous. i would get it for the hebrew alone. but you want something straightforward? Koren Publishers THE JERUSALEM BIBLE right out of HaEretz. No apologies I am just so not impressed with this ArtScroll, but hey, I am no scholar. And for Chumash I prefer Cohen's Socino
Rating:  Summary: needs more rabbinic commentary Review: real good text [hebrew] with translation[artscroll is always good] but it would be even better with aramaic targum along with it[jonathan ben uzziel's targum to the prophets]artscroll please publish tanach[or at least naviim with aramaic targum]
Rating:  Summary: A Bible for Study Review: Recently I've been revisiting my Jewish heritage. I have quite a few bibles, of different translations, since I like to compare versions. I suddenly realized that I had English, Latin, Greek, and even Aramaic available, but that I had no Hebrew bible. Anyone rambling about the web quickly discovers that The Stone Edition (so called because Irving I. Stone was its patron) commands much respect for it's Hebrew and English versions as well as a wealth of supporting material.I am not well equipped to evaluate the Hebrew text but I found the English translation endlessly fascinating. For example, Bereishis (Genesis) opens "In the beginning of God's creating the heavens and the earth -- when the earth was astonishingly empty...." Suddenly we are in the mind of narrator who feels quite different than the other voices that have been given to the Bible. It is a voice that is just a bit more like people than oratory or rhetoric. It was a difference I quickly came to like. I also found the commentary that runs with the text very useful often resolving questions and keeping the focus on the intent of the text. The Parashas are clearly marked in the Torah, as are the Haftaras elsewhere. The books are each provided with a short introduction that provides insight into the background and context of the writing. An overview of the Tanach is provided as well as the requisite blessings and guides to pronunciation. We are also given extensive tables for everything from Torah readings, to timelines, biblical genealogy to the construction of the Tabernacle. This is actually the richest and most informative bible I own, and is already providing me much to think about. While it is of most value to someone who is practicing Judaism, I thing it would repay the investment of many people who have an interest in the bible as spiritual history and inspiration. For the academic student, it is required reading. I chose to acquire the leather bound edition, for it's durability. To be honest, though, the lower priced editions available here are every bit as good in quality. There is no material missing from them so they actually represent an tremendous bargain.
Rating:  Summary: A Bible for Study Review: Recently I've been revisiting my Jewish heritage. I have quite a few bibles, of different translations, since I like to compare versions. I suddenly realized that I had English, Latin, Greek, and even Aramaic available, but that I had no Hebrew bible. Anyone rambling about the web quickly discovers that The Stone Edition (so called because Irving I. Stone was its patron) commands much respect for it's Hebrew and English versions as well as a wealth of supporting material. I am not well equipped to evaluate the Hebrew text but I found the English translation endlessly fascinating. For example, Bereishis (Genesis) opens "In the beginning of God's creating the heavens and the earth -- when the earth was astonishingly empty...." Suddenly we are in the mind of narrator who feels quite different than the other voices that have been given to the Bible. It is a voice that is just a bit more like people than oratory or rhetoric. It was a difference I quickly came to like. I also found the commentary that runs with the text very useful often resolving questions and keeping the focus on the intent of the text. The Parashas are clearly marked in the Torah, as are the Haftaras elsewhere. The books are each provided with a short introduction that provides insight into the background and context of the writing. An overview of the Tanach is provided as well as the requisite blessings and guides to pronunciation. We are also given extensive tables for everything from Torah readings, to timelines, biblical genealogy to the construction of the Tabernacle. This is actually the richest and most informative bible I own, and is already providing me much to think about. While it is of most value to someone who is practicing Judaism, I thing it would repay the investment of many people who have an interest in the bible as spiritual history and inspiration. For the academic student, it is required reading. I chose to acquire the leather bound edition, for it's durability. To be honest, though, the lower priced editions available here are every bit as good in quality. There is no material missing from them so they actually represent an tremendous bargain.
Rating:  Summary: Beautiful Review: The Stone Edition Tanach includes the Hebrew text of the twenty four books of the Jewish Bible, Torah (Pentateuch), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Kethuvim (Writings), an English translation, brief commentary, timelines, charts, diagrams and maps, and relevant synagogue notes and readings. The Hebrew text is clearly pointed and easy to read. On the opposite page is the English translation. The translation is accurate, modern, clear and mellifluous. Beneath the Hebrew and English text is a very brief commentary drawn from important Jewish sources. Some reviewers seem very impressed by this commentary. While I have no problems with the commentary, it does not seem intended as the focus of this Tanakh. If you are looking for extensive traditional Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh in English from Artscroll, try the multi-volume Artscroll Tanach Series. There are also many, many other very good English translations of classical commentaries and anthologies of commentaries available. I also strongly recommend the Stone Edition Chumash, which includes a wonderful, anthologised commentary on the Torah (Pentateuch). The exception here is the Song of Songs. Artscroll here "translate" the book according to Rashi's allegorical commentary, and beneath this, in the commentary section, provide a literal, phrase-by-phrase translation of the Hebrew. This is very original and excellently done. Throughout the translation, with the exceptions of Ecclessiastes and Lamentations, it seems, marginal notes introduce, summarise and set the context. A nice introduction also prefaces each book, summarising some of its themes. If you need a Tanakh, with an English translation, this edition is beautiful and clear.
Rating:  Summary: This book is for anyone interested in studying Tanach. Review: This book is for anyone interested in studying Tanach, regardless of your prior knowledge in Jewish studies. It is in Hebrew and English. The commentaries make the pages come alive. In the back there is a number of charts and maps to help explain the book to a further extent. This is a great book by Artscroll.
Rating:  Summary: Best Translation I Have Ever Seen! Review: This is my favorite Hebrew/English translation of the Bible (Old Testament). Highly recommended. Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated
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