About the Book
Save 40% off this volume; use promotion code 6AF23.
Save 50% off when you purchase 10 or more copies, use promotion code 6RJPS50.
October 2023
The first Jewish gender-sensitive translation of the full Hebrew Bible, THE JPS TANAKH: Gender-Sensitive Edition (RJPS or Revised JPS edition) renews and revises the iconic Jewish Publication Society Bible translation (NJPS or 1985 New JPS edition) to reflect advances in scholarship and changes in English while maintaining utmost fidelity to the original Hebrew.
The Gender-Sensitive Edition offers gender-inclusive renderings where appropriate and gendered ones when called for historically and linguistically, incorporating the best of contemporary research into Israelite history and religion, literary studies, philology, linguistics, and the social sciences to offer a faithful and accurate translation. References to persons are gender-sensitive yet consistent with ancient gender norms, and the translation strives for inclusive language when referring broadly to people, ancestors, and humankind. References to God are typically gender neutral and generally avoid grammatically masculine pronouns and labels, with careful examination of each context yielding the most appropriate rendering. To enable the tetragrammaton (God’s four-letter name) to be encountered as a name and without masculine connotations, the edition typically translates it as “GOD” (in small capitals) rather than “the Lord.”
Revising the venerable JPS translation, the Gender-Sensitive Edition empowers readers to experience Scripture with all the power of the original Hebrew. It is sure to become the new Bible translation of choice for readers who embrace biblical scholarship with reverence for tradition, and for communities and individuals who adopt an inclusive, egalitarian perspective in today’s world.
Praise
“This gender-sensitive translation will transform our understanding of the Tanakh, and our place within it. It invites the reader to envision the Divine and the main actors of the Bible in a more expansive way.” – Rabbi Angela W. Buchdahl, Central Synagogue, NYC
“This gender-sensitive translation will transform our understanding of the Tanakh, and our place within it. It invites the reader to envision the Divine and the main actors of the Bible in a more expansive way.” – Rabbi Angela W. Buchdahl, Central Synagogue, NYC
“This revised translation is not only gender-sensitive; it is also gender-sensible. Every decision regarding gender has been carefully considered to produce a faithful rendering of the Bible that is finely tuned to contemporary sensibilities. The explanations of the principles that direct these decisions are a welcome bonus; they enhance our understanding of the workings of biblical Hebrew and modern English.” – Adele Berlin, Robert H. Smith Professor Emerita of Biblical Studies at the University of Maryland
“As we strive for the utmost fidelity in how we render the eternal words of Tanakh, greater gender inclusivity in how we talk about people, and greater gender sensitivity in how we speak about God, JPS’s new gender-sensitive translation offers us a momentous contribution to biblical study—a massive and crucial step forward. A must for every Jewish library and for every contemporary student of Torah.” – Rabbi Shai Held, president and dean of Hadar
“Gender norms have so dramatically changed since the completion of the JPS Tanakh translation in 1985 that it is both a necessity and a pleasure to have this new translation that pays deliberate and careful attention to issues of gender. Because this is gender-sensitive rather than gender-inclusive, it does not simply paper over the ways in which the text assumes male dominance, but tries to discern whether particular usages of male pronouns and terms were meant to be inclusive or not. In so doing, the translation both enlightens and disturbs, challenging many fixed assumptions and allowing readers to come to the Tanakh with fresh eyes.” – Judith Plaskow, author of Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism From a Feminist Perspective
“Mining advances in ancient Near Eastern scholarship, rooted authentically in Jewish exegetical traditions, and paying exceptionally fine-tuned attention to contemporary English-language usage, this gender-sensitive translation is startling, thought-provoking, and equally well situated for the synagogue, the traditional classroom, and community adult education programs, among other settings.” – Leonard Greenspoon, Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization, Creighton University
“The rabbis of the Talmud taught that ‘the Torah speaks in human terms,’ but this can only be the case if the Tanakh is translated and re-translated to reflect shifts in our manner of speaking. THE JPS TANAKH: Gender-Sensitive Edition allows all of us to see ourselves created in the image of God and reflected in the Bible’s teachings.” – Ilana Kurshan, author of If All the Seas Were Ink
Sefaria Partnership
A ground-breaking partnership with Sefaria, the Gender-Sensitive Edition is now available online, along with the Preface to the translation, more extensive Notes on Gender in Translation, and sample passages comparing this new translation to the 1985 JPS version.
A ground-breaking partnership with Sefaria, the Gender-Sensitive Edition is now available online, along with the Preface to the translation, more extensive Notes on Gender in Translation, and sample passages comparing this new translation to the 1985 JPS version.
If ordering outside of North America, please call Combined Academic Publishers in the United Kingdom at +44 (0) 1423 526350.
The Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License has been applied to all content in RJPS.
