About the Book

August 2023

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The Jewish Publication Society’s highly acclaimed Bible Commentary series provides the Hebrew text of the Bible, the JPS English translation, and a line-by-line commentary. This volume presents commentary on Psalms 120–150, based on the most recent research on the language of the Bible, its literary forms, and the historical context that may have given rise to the psalms. The commentary pays special attention to the message of each psalm and to how the poetry shapes the message. At the same time, it draws on traditional Jewish interpretations of the meaning of the psalms.

“In this exemplary work Adele Berlin combines her exceptional insight and creative interpretative gift for understanding poetry with her scholarly expertise in ancient Jewish history and Hebrew language in a remarkably clear and accessible way. Berlin leaves no stone unturned with respect to the current innovations in scholarship on the psalms. Both nonspecialists and specialists will benefit from this invaluable commentary.”—Hindy Najman, Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, Oriel College, University of Oxford

“Writing with unsurpassed lucidity, Adele Berlin, one of the leading authorities on biblical Hebrew poetry, guides us through the literary and religious nature of the psalms, explaining what each passage likely meant to its author and his contemporaries and to later readers experiencing the psalms in the context of their own times.”—Jeffrey Tigay, A. M. Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania

“Throughout her career, Adele Berlin’s scholarship has been marked by a methodological precision that yields a rich reading of the biblical text, one that results in an even deeper appreciation of the same…This is no less true of her latest commentary in the JPS Bible Commentary series…. Berlin remains fully engaged with contemporary scholarship yet is fully attentive to and engaged with Jewish medieval exegesis…There are simply too many examples to list here where her keen attention to the literary features of the text yields a rich reading.”—Review of Biblical Literature (Society for Biblical Literature review)

“Clear, accessible…. Recommended for Judaic and academic libraries.”—Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews

“Berlin’s earlier works on Biblical Hebrew poetry and its reception situation her remarkably well for this mature reflection…A welcome feature of these volumes is the ‘sidebar’, provided in this volume by [Avigdor] Shinan and [Benjamin] Sommer (also the Psalms series editor) on Jewish ritual and liturgical uses of each psalm. These are usually brief, sometimes quite full, and add real value to the commentary. Readable and richly engaging, the volume is also beautifully produced.”—David J. Reimer for the Journal of the Study of the Old Testament Book List