Robert Alter is a professor of Hebrew at the University of California, Berkeley. His well known book, The Art of Biblical Narrative encourages people to treat scripture as literature, using literary tools to explore the riches of the biblical text.

Over the years, Alter has published a number of translations of the Biblical text. In 2019, he completed the entire Hebrew Bible. This three volume work (The Five Books of Moses, Prophets, and The Writings) is full of translation notes that highlight his literary approach.

The actual translation is rich. Alter eschews modern translations for their tendency to explain the text rather than translate it. Alter’s English is terse and evocative, just like the Hebrew source text. Take a few famous passages, for example:

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 saaid, “Let there be light.” (Genesis 1:1–2)

It was told of you, man, what is good
And what the Lord demands of you—
only doing justice and loving kindness
and walking humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
In grass meadows He makes me lie down,
by quiet waters guides me.
My life He brings back.
He leads me on pathways of justice for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:1–3)

Alter has a way of re-enchanting the familiar in a way that elevates rather than simplifies the text. His translation notes are valuable. Not only does he explain why he made certain decisions, he regularly points out allusions and literary features opaque to English readers.

I spent my mornings from Advent 2021–22 reading Alter’s translation alongside his notes. I would highly recommend this practice to anyone who seeks a renewed passion for the Hebrew Bible.

Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. 3 vols. W. W. Norton and Company, 2019.