The JPS TANAKH, published in 1985, is a modern Jewish translation of Hebrew Scripture into English.
This translation emerged from the collaborative efforts of an interdenominational team of Jewish scholars and rabbis working together over a thirty-year period. These translators based their translation on the original masoretic Hebrew text, and consistently strove for a faithful, idiomatic rendering of the original scriptural language.
History
The
New Jewish Publication Society translation of the
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
ish
BibleThe Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
(i.e. the
Hebrew BibleThe Hebrew Bible is a term referring to the books of the Jewish Bible as originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic...
or
TanakhThe Tanakh is a name for the Bible used in Rabbinic Judaism, also known as the Masoretic Text. The name "Tanakh" is a Hebrew acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
, referred to by Christians as the
Old TestamentIn Christianity, the Old Testament is the collection of books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. These works correspond to the Hebrew Bible , with some variations and additions. In the Eastern Orthodox Church the comparable texts are known as the Septuagint, from the...
) is the second translation published by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), superseding its 1917 Jewish Publication Society of America translation. It is a completely fresh translation into modern English, independent of the earlier translation or any other existing one. Current editions of this version refer to it as
The Jewish Publication Society TanakhThe Tanakh is a name for the Bible used in Rabbinic Judaism, also known as the Masoretic Text. The name "Tanakh" is a Hebrew acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
Translation. Originally known by the abbreviation “NJV” (New Jewish Version), it is now styled as “NJPS.”
The translation follows the
HebrewHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Culturally, it is considered a Jewish language. Hebrew in its modern form is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel while Classical Hebrew has been used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world for over...
or
Masoretic textThe Masoretic Text is a Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible . It defines not just the books of the Jewish canon, but also the precise letter-text of the biblical books in Judaism, as well as their vocalization and accentuation for both public reading and private study...
scrupulously, taking a conservative approach regarding conjectural emendations: It avoids them completely for the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
, but mentions them occasionally in footnotes for
Nevi'imNevi'im is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. It falls between the Torah and Ketuvim .Nevi'im is traditionally divided into two parts:...
and
KetuvimKetuvim is the third and final section of the Tanakh , after Torah and Nevi'im . In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually entitled "Writings" or "Hagiographa." The Ketuvim are believed to have been written under the Ruach HaKodesh, a level less than that of prophecy.In...
. Attested variants from other ancient versions are also mentioned in footnotes, even for the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
, in places where the editors thought they might shed light on difficult passages in the masoretic text.
The order of the books is as found in published Hebrew bibles, rather than that of common English bibles. In particular, it follows the traditional Jewish division into
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
(the five books of
MosesMoses was, according to biblical texts, a religious leader, lawgiver, and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbeinu in Hebrew Moses was, according to biblical texts, a...
),
Nevi'imNevi'im is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. It falls between the Torah and Ketuvim .Nevi'im is traditionally divided into two parts:...
(Prophets) and
KetuvimKetuvim is the third and final section of the Tanakh , after Torah and Nevi'im . In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually entitled "Writings" or "Hagiographa." The Ketuvim are believed to have been written under the Ruach HaKodesh, a level less than that of prophecy.In...
(Writings). Furthermore, the division into chapters follows the conventions established by printers of the Hebrew text, which occasionally differs from English Bibles. In the
PsalmsPsalms is a book of the Hebrew Bible , included in the collected works known as the "Writings" or Ketuvim.-Etymology:...
, for instance, the titles are often counted as the first verse, causing a difference of one in verse numbering for these
psalmsPsalms is a book of the Hebrew Bible , included in the collected works known as the "Writings" or Ketuvim.-Etymology:...
with respect to other English Bibles.
The editor in chief of the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
was
Harry OrlinskyHarry Orlinsky was a scholar and translator of the Hebrew Bible. He was born in Owen Sound, Ontario.He graduated from the University of Toronto and then later earned a Ph.D. from Dropsie College in Philadelphia...
, who had been a translator of the
Revised Standard VersionThe Revised Standard Version is an English translation of the Bible published in the mid-20th century. It traces its history to William Tyndale's New Testament translation of 1525...
and would become the only translator of that version to work also on the
New Revised Standard VersionThe New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, released in 1989, is a thorough revision of the Revised Standard Version .There are three editions of the NRSV:...
. The other editors were E. A. Speiser and H. L. Ginsberg. It appeared in 1962, with a second edition in 1967.
The Five Megilloth (Five Scrolls) and
JonahThe Book of Jonah is a book in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. It tells the story of an Hebrew prophet named Jonah ben Amittai who is sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission. Set in the reign of Jeroboam II , it was probably written in the...
appeared in 1969, the
Book of IsaiahThe Book of Isaiah is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived in the second half of the 8th century BC. In the first 39 chapters, Isaiah prophesies doom for a sinful Judah and for all the nations of the world that oppose God. The last 27 chapters prophesy the...
in 1973 and the
Book of JeremiahThe Book of Jeremiah, or Jeremiah , is part of the Hebrew Bible, Judaism's Tanakh, and later became a part of Christianity's Old Testament...
in 1974. Revised versions of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Jonah appeared in
Nevi'imNevi'im is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. It falls between the Torah and Ketuvim .Nevi'im is traditionally divided into two parts:...
(1978), edited by Professor Ginsberg assisted by Professor Orlinsky.
A separate committee was set up in 1966 to translate
KetuvimKetuvim is the third and final section of the Tanakh , after Torah and Nevi'im . In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually entitled "Writings" or "Hagiographa." The Ketuvim are believed to have been written under the Ruach HaKodesh, a level less than that of prophecy.In...
. It consisted of
Moshe GreenbergMoshe Greenberg is an American Jewish Bible scholar and professor emeritus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.-Biography:...
, Jonas Greenfield and Nahum Sarna. The Psalms appeared in 1973 and the
Book of JobThe Book of Job is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his theological discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, and finally a response from God...
in 1980. Revised versions of both, and the Megilloth, appeared in the complete
KetuvimKetuvim is the third and final section of the Tanakh , after Torah and Nevi'im . In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually entitled "Writings" or "Hagiographa." The Ketuvim are believed to have been written under the Ruach HaKodesh, a level less than that of prophecy.In...
in 1982. The 1985 edition listed the Ketuvim translation team as also including Saul Leeman,
Chaim PotokChaim Potok was an American Jewish author and rabbi.-Biography:Herman Harold Potok was born in the Bronx to Benjamin Max and Mollie Potok , Jewish immigrants from Poland. His Hebrew name was Chaim Tzvi. He received an Orthodox Jewish education...
, Martin Rozenberg, and
David ShapiroDavid Shapiro may refer to:*David I. Shapiro, attorney*David Shapiro *David Shapiro *Dr. Cat , president, co-founder, executive producer and creative director of Dragon's Eye Production...
.
Revisions of the NJPS translation
- The first one-volume edition of the NJPS translation of the entire Hebrew Bible was published in 1985 under the title Tanakh. It incorporates a thorough revision of the translation’s sections previously issued individually.
- A third edition of The Torah (the first section of the NJPS Tanakh) was published in 1992.
- A bilingual Hebrew-English edition of the full Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term referring to the books of the Jewish Bible as originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic...
, in facing columns, was published in 1999. It includes the second edition of the NJPS Tanakh translation (which supersedes the 1992 Torah) and the masoreticThe Masoretic Text is a Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible . It defines not just the books of the Jewish canon, but also the precise letter-text of the biblical books in Judaism, as well as their vocalization and accentuation for both public reading and private study...
Hebrew text as found in the Leningrad CodexThe Leningrad Codex is one of the oldest manuscripts of the complete Hebrew Bible produced according to the Tiberian mesorah; it is dated 1008 according to its colophon...
.
- The recent series of JPS Bible commentaries all use the NJPS translation.
- The Jewish Study Bible, published in 2003, contains the NJPS translation in one volume with introductions, notes, and supplementary material. Oxford University Press
Oxford house Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. they are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as OUP's...
, ISBN 0-19-529754-7
- The Contemporary Torah: A Gender-Sensitive Adaptation of the JPS Translation, published in 2006, includes the Five Books of Moses and a supplementary “Dictionary of Gender in the Torah.” Its version of NJPS, which goes by the abbreviation CJPS, is “contemporary” in its use of gendered language only where germane, and in its drawing upon recent scholarship about gender roles in the ancient Near East. With regard to human beings, the CJPS adaptation sets out to represent the gender implications of the Torah’s language as its composer(s) counted on the original audience to receive them, given the gender assumptions of that time and place. With regard to God
God is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
, the CJPS adaptation employs gender-neutral language except where certain poetic passages invoke gendered imageryImagery is used in literature to refer to descriptive language that evokes sensory experience.-Forms of imagery:Imagery can be in many forms, such as metaphors and similes....
.
Adoption of the NJPS by Jewish denominations
The NJPS is the basis of the translation used in the official Torah commentaries of both
Reform JudaismReform Judaism refers to the spectrum of beliefs, practices and organizational infrastructure associated with Reform Judaism in North America and in the United Kingdom....
and
Conservative JudaismConservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.The principles of Conservative Judaism include:* A deliberately non-fundamentalist teaching of Jewish...
. Jews in
Reconstructionist JudaismReconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of Mordecai Kaplan . The movement views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. It originated as the radical left branch of Conservative Judaism before it splintered...
and the
ChavurahA chavurah or havurah is a small group of like-minded Jews who assemble for the purposes of facilitating Shabbat and holiday prayer services, sharing communal experiences such as lifecycle events, and Jewish learning...
movement also use both
ReformReform means beneficial change, or sometimes, more specifically, reversion to a pure original state.to reform somethingReform is generally distinguished from revolution. The latter means basic or radical change; whereas reform may be no more than fine tuning, or at most redressing serious wrongs...
and Conservative Torah commentaries, so the NJPS is effectively the primary translation for all forms of English-speaking Judaism outside of
Orthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism is a formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim.Orthodox...
. Orthodox Jews use a wider variety of translations, but many use the NJPS as well.
- The Torah: A Modern Commentary, the Humash
Chumash is one of the Hebrew names for the Five Books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch or Torah. The word comes from the Hebrew word for five, chamesh...
published by the Reform MovementReform Judaism refers to the spectrum of beliefs, practices and organizational infrastructure associated with Reform Judaism in North America and in the United Kingdom....
in 1974–1980, with a one-volume edition in 1981, includes the NJPS translation.
- A revised edition of this work was issued in 2005, which includes a version of the NJPS translation for the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy or Devarim is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament, and the fifth of five books of the Jewish Torah or Pentateuch....
, newly adapted for gender accuracy. (The translations of Genesis, and the prophetic books in this edition, come from a different source.)
- "Etz Hayim Humash
The Etz Hayim Humash, also known as Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, is a humash published and used by the Conservative Jewish movement. Its production involved the collaboration of the Rabbinical Assembly, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and the Jewish Publication...
," the HumashChumash is one of the Hebrew names for the Five Books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch or Torah. The word comes from the Hebrew word for five, chamesh...
published by the Conservative MovementConservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.The principles of Conservative Judaism include:* A deliberately non-fundamentalist teaching of Jewish...
in 2001, incorporates the NJPS translation (with minor modifications).
It should be noted that all of these
Jewish denominationsSeveral groups, sometimes called "denominations", "branches," or "movements", have developed among Jews of the modern era, especially Ashkenazi Jews living in anglophone countries...
use their respective Torah commentaries non-exclusively. Within their
synagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer....
libraries, and in use in their adult education classes, one also may find a wide variety of other Torah commentaries, including many from
OrthodoxOrthodox may refer to anything taken to be in accordance with a doctrine. Specifically it may refer to:-In religion:Orthodox in Christianity may refer to:...
Jewish authors and editors.
Facts About the JPS Torah and the JPS Tanakh
• The JPS Torah Translation and excerpts from Prophets is used in the Plaut Humash, the Commentary of the
Reform MovementA reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society rather than rapid or fundamental changes. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary movements.Reformists' ideas are often...
.
• The JPS Torah Translation, excerpts from Prophets, and an edited version of its 5-volume Torah and 1-volume Haftorah Commentaries are used in the Etz Hayim, the Commentary of the
Conservative MovementConservative movement may refer to:*Conservatism - Political philosophy*Conservative Judaism - A Jewish denomination, unrelated to political ideology....
.
• The JPS TANAKH Translation is used in the
Oxford University PressOxford house Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. they are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as OUP's...
Jewish Study Bible.
• The JPS TANAKH has been selected as the official Bible for the International Bible Contest.
• The JPS TANAKH has been selected as the official Jewish version to be used in its “Bible as Literature” curriculum for American public schools as well as its Jewish Bible website.
• The JPS TANAKH was selected by Quality Paperback Book Club for its “Old Testament” edition in its 5-volume Sacred Writings Series.
• The JPS Torah and TANAKH have been the gifts of choice for b’nai mitzvah, confirmations, and graduations in hundreds of synagogues in the United States.