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windingpath17's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This translation of Genesis really drums in how foreign the culture and society of the Ancient Middle East is compared with the society we currently live in. Genesis is one of my favorite books of the Bible, and a book which I've read through multiple times, but this translation makes it feel fresh and like I'm reading it for the first time again. Don't skip the notes, as they're one of the best parts, since they provide a lot of historical context and insight into the text.
historyczna's review
5.0
Disclaimer: I can't remember ever actually reading another translation of Genesis in whole so this is my first real experience with it.
Firstly, reading through the introduction is an adventure and almost a necessity when reading this book. Alter gives a huge amount of insight into the world of translating religious texts. There, he gives an explanation as to why his translation is unlike most of the other translations (spoiler: its because he likes to translate things literally). However, his insights don't stop there. I swear this book is more footnotes than actual text but that's perfectly fine and even what makes this book so amazing. It's wonderful to see the struggles Alter had when translating the text and he brings up many things that would not have come to my knowledge without them. They allowed me to read Genesis as a work of literature that can be appreciated for its own existence without context.
Tl;dr: Wonderful translation that I enjoyed very much. I look forward to reading the rest of the Hebrew Bible in his words.
Firstly, reading through the introduction is an adventure and almost a necessity when reading this book. Alter gives a huge amount of insight into the world of translating religious texts. There, he gives an explanation as to why his translation is unlike most of the other translations (spoiler: its because he likes to translate things literally). However, his insights don't stop there. I swear this book is more footnotes than actual text but that's perfectly fine and even what makes this book so amazing. It's wonderful to see the struggles Alter had when translating the text and he brings up many things that would not have come to my knowledge without them. They allowed me to read Genesis as a work of literature that can be appreciated for its own existence without context.
Tl;dr: Wonderful translation that I enjoyed very much. I look forward to reading the rest of the Hebrew Bible in his words.
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