Genesis : translation and commentary

The Book of Genesis is regarded as the bedrock of Western civilization and culture, its stories and language reverberating down the centuries. The author of this translation argues in his preface that English readers have not been well served by existing translations. While the "King James" version is a work of literature in its own right, which has greatly contributed to English literature, its translators did not know the Hebrew society and language well enough to be faithful to the original. Modern translations, on the other hand, tend to simplify the Bible, aiming above all to be easily understood, and thereby losing the ambiguities of the original and its music. This translation seeks to bring the great work to life; it has extensive footnotes which aim to throw light on the language and the world of Genesis. Whereas the "King James" version inevitably changed the ancient society of Genesis into an early English one, this translation tries to convey the subtle shades of its social and familial hierarchies. In it, the characters are portrayed as real human beings, complex and flawed, with bodies as well as voices. In capturing the cadences and meanings of the Hebrew Bible, the author attempts to convey its immense literary power. Genesis begins with the making of heaven and earth and all life, and ends with the image of a mummy - Joseph's - in a coffin. In between come many of the primal stories in Western culture: Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden of Eden, Cain's murder of Abel, Noah and the Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham's binding of Isaac, the covenant of God and Abraham, Isaac's blessing of Jacob in place of Esau, the saga of Joseph and his brothers. These are stories we attend to throughout our lives, for their literary power and beauty, their emotional resonance, their philosophical weight, and their sacredness. They connect us with one another and with generations past and future. . In Robert Alter's brilliant translation, these stories cohere in a powerful narrative of the tortuous relations between fathers and sons, husbands and wives, elder and younger brothers, God and his chosen people, the people of Israel and their neighbors. Alter's translation recovers the meanings, literary strategies, and eloquence of the ancient Hebrew and conveys them in striking literary English. The result is a Genesis with the continuity of theme and motif of a wholly conceived and fully realized book. Alter's translation is enhanced by his insightful, fully informed commentary, which illuminates the book in its many dimensions.

Robert Alter sets a new standard in the translation of this formative book of the Hebrew Bible.

Genesis begins with the making of heaven and earth and all life, and ends with the image of a mummy-Joseph's-in a coffin. In between come many of the primal stories in Western culture: Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden of Eden, Cain's murder of Abel, Noah and the Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham's binding of Isaac, the covenant of God and Abraham, Isaac's blessing of Jacob in place of Esau, the saga of Joseph and his brothers.

In Robert Alter's brilliant translation, these stories cohere in a powerful narrative of the tortuous relations between fathers and sons, husbands and wives, eldest and younger brothers, God and his chosen people, the people of Israel and their neighbors. Alter's translation honors the meanings and literary strategies of the ancient Hebrew and conveys them in fluent English prose. It recovers a Genesis with the continuity of theme and motif of a wholly conceived and fully realized book. His insightful, fully informed commentary illuminates the book in all its dimensions.

"[Here is] ?the ?Genesis for our generation and beyond."—Robert Fagles Genesis begins with the making of heaven and earth and all life, and ends with the image of a mummy—Joseph's—in a coffin. In between come many of the primal stories in Western culture: Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden of Eden, Cain's murder of Abel, Noah and the Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham's binding of Isaac, the covenant of God and Abraham, Isaac's blessing of Jacob in place of Esau, the saga of Joseph and his brothers. In Robert Alter's brilliant translation, these stories cohere in a powerful narrative of the tortuous relations between fathers and sons, husbands and wives, eldest and younger brothers, God and his chosen people, the people of Israel and their neighbors. Alter's translation honors the meanings and literary strategies of the ancient Hebrew and conveys them in fluent English prose. It recovers a Genesis with the continuity of theme and motif of a wholly conceived and fully realized book. His insightful, fully informed commentary illuminates the book in all its dimensions. When God began to create heaven and earth, and the earth then was welter and waste and darkness over the deep and God's breath hovering over the waters, God said, "Let there be light." Translation And Commentary, Robert Alter. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 307-308) And Index.