Ancient Israel: The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings: A Translation with Commentary

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This translation of the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, and 2 Samuel is great at explaining and clarifying some of the biblical quirks and questions that are part of the modern reader's approach to these ancient texts. Of course the footnotes are the most valuable part, as the were in Alter's The Five Books of Moses. 1 and 2 Chronicles are referenced in the translation of Samuel but are not explored on their own, as so much of the material in them is redundant to Samuel. Alter is a fine scholar, and I look forward to reading his additional translations. He tries very hard not to impose his theology on the reader. Nevertheless, he gets tripped up by any suggestion that God could have a body or look like a human being (scriptural references that "anthropomorphize" God are treated as purely symbolic) and he often dismisses the idea that God could speak directly to His prophets, trying instead to explain how a prophesy must have been received through a series of yes and no answers as the result of questions to an oracle. But we all have our limits and Alter is brilliant in his cross-referencing, explanations of most things, and identification of themes, as well as bringing in the best of the work of other biblical scholars.

Robert Alter, an award winning author, has many skills including knowing Hebrew, understanding the Bible, and writing well. He translated and commented on many biblical books. He translates and comments upon "The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings" in this volume. Ancient Judaism divided the Hebrew Bible into three parts: Torah (the Five Books of Moses), Neviim (the prophetical books - books derived by prophecy), and Ketuvim (writings - inspired books). The entire collection is called Tanach, which is an acronym made up of the names of the three parts. Later scholars divided the second section Neviim into two parts, the former and later prophets. Actually, the "former Prophets" are not books of prophecy, but historical books.Alter does not attempt to give his readers an extensive commentary on the four books. However he does introduce each with about a half dozen pages in which he explains the history and contents of the book. He also places about half a page of commentary on each page of each book.Alter's translation is much clearer than many others. For example, just a simple sentence in the Art Scroll edition of I Samuel 11:1 translates: "Then Nahash the Ammonite sent up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the people of Jabesh said to Nahash, `Seal a covenant with us, and we will serve you.'" Alter has: "And Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh-Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, `Make a pact with us, and we shall be subject to you.'" In more than half a page under this sentence, Alter explains what the Ammonite kingdom is, its relationship to King Saul and King David, what is the settlement of Jabesh-Gilead, its relationship to Saul, what was found in Cave 4 of Qumran in the twentieth century that throws light on this episode.

By and large, Alter's work is a milestone in the art of translation and is in and of itself an instructive resource for students of the Bible in general, and students of Hebrew in particular. Typically, the practice of translation is viewed through the lens of a false dichotomy: either translations are mechanical, wooden, and "literal" or they are dynamic, thought-for-thought, or otherwise paraphrastic. Alter demonstrates cogently and forcefully that translation is not a game of viewing words as equations to be solved, nor is it the practice of grabbing what the author was trying to say and rendering it in an "abridged" kind of way (see his article in his "Five Books of Moses" entitled, "On the Heresy of Explanation").As a Hebraist I was immediately gripped by Alter's command of the Hebrew, and stunned by his grasp of the subtle distinctions between literary expressions in the Hebrew text. It goes without saying that what the author has done in this volume and the others of his series is to demonstrate that translation is as much of an art as it is a science; biblical literature often makes sudden and abrupt changes from prose to poetry, and not to mention careful and calculating choices in vocabulary and diction. Translation is just as much about translating art as it is about saying, "this word means this, and that word means that..." Unfortunately the artistry of the text is usually compromised in many English translations because of false assumptions about "literal" versus "dynamic" and paraphrastic translations of the text.In so many ways, Robert Alter is changing the way that scholars and layman alike are viewing the art of translation, especially among those that know Hebrew and Aramaic. If you have never picked up Alter's translations before, perhaps now would be a good time. His commentary alone is provocative enough, but his translation alone is worth the price of this volume.My ONLY complaint about this volume has to do with the absence of the section that is typically at the end of his works entitled, "For Further Reading." I contacted him about this and he insists that the bibliography would have been too cumbersome and not particularly helpful for readers. In his volume, "The David Story," there is a run-down of the characters in the narrative of 1 and 2 Samuel as well as a brief list of some of the resources that he consulted in the production of that translation that are absent in this one. While I wish that those appendices would have been included in the present volume, I understand his decision, and I am not deterred in recommending his work in the slightest.Hebrew Bible translation is moving into a new age in a BIG and GREAT way. Check out this volume and others of his translations to see some of where Bible translation is heading and you might just find some insightful surprises along the way; passages that were once obscure are now clear, passages that translators flattened into clarity by way of the heresy of explanation stand ambiguous as they were in the Hebrew. Altogether, this work is extremely readable, powerfully insightful, and a sober challenge to the excuses of translators past.Happy reading!

This is a masterful Translation of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings.Alter seems to be motivated by a love both the hebrew and english languages for only such a dual love could produce such a work.I find that Alter is at his best when translating Prose, and in this volume his translation of the david story in the books of Samuel is second to none.If all I was getting was the translation, that alone would make me a happy man, but I find the linguistic commentary even better than the translation it is a commentary upon. His highlighting of particular or repeated use of words and phrases casts new light on entire works(his mention of the repeating motif of the cloak in samuel is but one example) and is a fresh approach to biblical exegesis.I really cannot highlight this work and biblical translations by him highly enough.All biblical translations should be thus 'Altered'

No need for me to offer another review of this excellent translation. Instead, I only want to say a few things about the quality of the book itself. The cover and paper are lower quality than the Psalms and Five Books of Moses. However, the paperback will lay open on a desk, which is handy.

Excellent history of the Jewish people

I am hoping that Robert Alter will eventually complete his translation of the entire Tanakh/Bible -- it is elegant, scholarly, and above all goes a long way in capturing the flavour of the original. A real translator's translation -- the commentary explores the process and problems of translating such an important text, and is always illuminating Keep 'em coming, Professor Alter -- only the Latter Prophets and a bit of Ketuvim to go....!!!

Alter really knows his stuff when it comes to the Old Testament. Most of what he writes is pure gold, but I was left wanting more...