The Contemporary Torah: A Gender-Sensitive Adaptation of the JPS Translation (Jewish Publication Society, 2006; 424 pages). Rabbi David E. S. Stein, revising editor. Consulting editors: Adele Berlin, Ellen Frankel, Carol Meyers.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

PREFACE: the need for a gender-sensitive version; strengths and limitations of the base translation (NJPS); the adaptation methodology. (31 pp, 6" x 9" format; PDF file designed for online viewing)

ERRATA (corrections and refinements) as of 29 June 2008 (5 pp. PDF; 124 KB; includes a replacement p. xxxi)

Supporting Documentation

• “The Grammar of Social Gender in Biblical Hebrew,” Hebrew Studies XLIX (2008): 7–26. Just published! When does the Hebrew Bible’s masculine or “male” wording allow for women to be in view? Look for the answers here.

• “On Beyond Gender: Representation of God in the Torah and in Three Recent Renditions into English,” Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues 15 (Spring 2008): 108–137. On ideas raised by this article, including a personal response, see the long (2-page) thread “Is the biblical God a persona beyond gender?” on Rev. John Hobbins’ Ancient Hebrew Poetry blog (19–27 Oct. 2008).

• “The Noun איש in Biblical Hebrew: A Term of Affiliation,” The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures Vol. 8, Art. 1 (Feb. 2008). Explains the philology behind the most innovative aspect of the CJPS translation. (24 pp. PDF; 556 KB)

• Translator’s Notes for the 2005 version (prior to my understanding of ’ish as a term of affiliation and of the gender-unspecified sense of “male” terminology when pointing to a class)

What Does It Mean to Be a “Man”?

The Noun ’ish in Biblical Hebrew: A Reconsideration

My 44,800-word memorandum for Bible scholars on how and why ’ish (איש) was handled in the new translation, going beyond the basic discussion in the book. The published articles above encapsulate much of this memo and—being more recent—should be read first.

THESIS: The Bible treats ’ish primarily as a term of affiliation, conveying social gender only in certain constructions; this understanding is superior to the conventional view that its primary sense is “adult male.” Hence rendering ’ish in English as “man” distorts the biblical text more than is usually recognized. (8.5" x 11" format)

Part I: The Initial Case for Reconsideration (7 pp. PDF; 140 KB; rev. 9 Aug ’06)

Part II: Evidence for Selected Senses (12 pp. PDF; 175 KB; rev. 10 Sep ’06)

Part III: Cultural and Semantic Logic (7 pp. PDF; 126 KB; rev. 15 Oct ’06)

Part IV: Disambiguation in Context (2 pp. PDF; 154 KB; 15 Oct. ’06)

Part V: Social Gender (10 pp. PDF; 245 KB; rev. 6 Jan. ’07)

Part VI: Contrasts in Noun Usage (11 pp. PDF; 244 KB; 19 Jan. ’07)

Part VII: Rendering as “Man” (16 pp. PDF; 260 KB; rev. 6 Jan. ’07)

Part VIII: Exegetical Implications (17 pp. PDF; 205 KB; 10 Apr. ’07)

“God’s Name in a Gender-Sensitive Jewish Translation,” my article in the online SBL Forum (Summer 2006).

Excursus on the gender of angels, on the “Better Bibles” blog (August 2007).

PUBLISHER’S WEB PAGE FOR THIS BOOK, which includes a Q&A interview with me.

HOME: Rabbi David E. S. Stein—Selected Publications Available Online

Updated 9 November 2008