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What are the advantages of reading

the Bible in Hebrew instead of a
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Jonathan Orr-Stav · Follow

Hebrew-English translator, author of "Aleph
Through the Looking Glass" · Updated 5y

In broad terms, the advantages are three: accuracy,

form, and poetry.

Accuracy: As with all translations, the risk in

translation (particularly of a long text) is that the
original meaning is distorted or, at times, downright
wrong. The most infamous example is the
commandment lo tirtzaḥ, which has often been
misconstrued as Thou shalt not kill, when in fact it is
Thou shalt not murder (big difference).

But there are many other, lesser known examples,

such as:

‫ – ותחסרהו מעט מאלהים‬vateḥaserhu me’at me-elohim

(Ps. 8:5)

which is rendered (in King James version:)

For thou hast made him a little lower than the

angels

when in fact it says “For thou hast made him a little

lower than God”.

or:

‫ עת למות‬,‫ – עת ללדת‬et laledet, et lamut (Ecclesiastes

3:2)

which in translation is

A time to be born, a time to die

When in fact it means “A time to give birth, a time

to die”

(another crucial difference: one has no choice in

one’s birth, but one does have discretion in whether
or when to give birth—and, by the same token, in
avoiding premature death through foolish exploits)

==

Form: Due to its use of prefixes or suffixes to

denote prepositions, possessive forms, etc.,
Hebrew tends to be much more concise than
English and other languages. On another occasion, I
gave the well-known example (I Kings 20:21):

‫אל יתהלל חוגר כמפתח‬

—four words, which in English are sixteen:

Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast

himself as he that putteth it off

but it is true, almost to the same extent, of most of

the Hebrew Bible, e.g., Ecclesiastes 3:1:

‫ ועת לכל חפץ‬,‫לכל זמן‬

To every thing there is a season, and a time to

every purpose

==

Poetry: This is perhaps the least appreciated

deficiency, but is apparent during linguistic analysis
of the text. For example, the alliteration in a verse
such as

‫( טוב שם משמן טוב‬tov shem mishemen tov) (Eccles.

7:1)

is entirely lost in translation:

A good name is better than precious ointment

Similarly, the rhetorical emphasis from repeated use

of a certain root—e.g. ‫( נכ”נ‬n-k-n) in II Sam. 7—

‫הכ ִינֹתִי … וְכֹנ ַנְתִּי …וַתְּכוֹנ ֵן‬

ֲ ַ‫ו‬

(vehakhinoti… vekonanti… vatekonen)

which is lost in translation:

I will set up [...] and I will stablish [...] For thou

hast confirmed

Hope that helps…

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Moshe Hol · 5y
“‫ ”ותחסרהו מעט מאלהים‬- If you look at the
classical Bible commentaries, including
Rashi, Ibn Ezra and Radak, they say that in
this case ‫ אלהים‬translates as “angels.” Ibn
Ezra cites a proof text from the book of
Daniel to show a case where it clearly has
that meaning. It is clear from many places
in Tanakh that ‫ אלהים‬does not have to mean
“God,” though it usually does. In some
places it refers to judges. It is a word that
connotes power.

Which brings us to another reason to learn

the Bible in the original. Access to
subtleties and shades of meaning, subtle
allusions and the possibility of considering
multiple different translations on your own.
Reading in translation is nothing compared
to reading the original.
3 Reply

Jonathan Orr-Stav · 5y
Here we are entering the realm of
interpretation. The Jewish
commentators of the medieval period
were scandalised by the notion that
man could be just “a little” less than
God, so they hurried to explain that the
biblical author “didn’t really mean that”
here—when in virtually all other
instances they were quite happy to
understand it to mean “God” (including
the highly troubling plural collective
implicit in Gen. 1:26 “Let us make man
in our own image”). Remember that
“Elohim” (and “El”) are a vestige of the
Israelite (northern) religion that was
absorbed and assimilated into the
Judahite one under Hezekiah, which is
another issue that later editors and
commentators were at pains to gloss
over. In any event, as you say, the
ambiguity should have been preserved
in the translation, and it wasn’t.
2 Reply

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Alex Taller · Follow

The best fish is a sausage. The best sausage is a
pantyhose stuffed with money. · 5y

Being bilingual, I know for sure that every translation

is interpretation, which means there is at least a
theoretical possibility of a misinterpretation. If you
are reading the Bible in translation, there is a good
chance that you are reading a translation of a
translation of a translation. What are the chances
that the original meaning of the text is reaching you
unmolested by mistakes and agendas of multiple
translators?

There is a reason why the Torah has been kept

unchanged to the letter for 2 thousand years: for
those who believe in God, it is the actual word of
God. For some inexplicable reason, God did not
speak English, or Greek, or Latin. He spoke Hebrew.
686 views · View 9 upvotes

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Ryan Speakman · 5y
Great answer! I’m studying Hebrew, but I
don’t expect to ever get good enough
(though I hope I do) to be able to fluently
read the Bible in its original language. But I
do quite a bit of cross-referencing with a
Hebrew Interlinear Bible. Not perfect, but it
definitely gives me better insight into God’s
intended meaning, I think. I’m a Christian,
so I’ll say that this is true with the New
Testament, too (though I have no intention
of ever actually studying Greek :) ).
1 Reply

Alex Taller · 5y
I know what could possibly help. There
are modern English translations of the
Torah that include multiple, detailed
commentaries explaining why a certain
Hebrew word in the original was
translated the way it was translated,
and what nuances of its meaning might
have been lost or changed as a result.
It’s awfully tedious, but one can trust it.
Reply

Ryan Speakman · 5y
Can you recommend any in
particular?
Reply

Alex Taller · 5y
When I get home from work.
Reply

Alex Taller · 5y
Ryan, here’s what I have on my
bookshelf:

TANAKH
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
The new JPS Translation
According to the Traditional
Hebrew Texts

The Jewish Publishing

Society
Philadelphia - New York
5748 - 1988

I am sure you can find it in a

library.
Reply

Ryan Speakman · 5y
Thank you so much! God
bless you, my friend!
1 Reply

Petter Häggholm · 5y
“If you are reading the Bible in translation,
there is a good chance that you are reading
a translation of a translation of a
translation.”

At least with English translations, that‘s

unlikely. Although I think there have been
translations of the Latin Vulgate, most
English translations are based on Hebrew,
Aramaic, and Greek original manuscripts.

“There is a reason why the Torah has been

kept unchanged to the letter for 2 thousand
years…”

But it hasn’t! The Masoretic text is not the

same as the Dead Sea text, and as far as I
know both differ from the Septuagint
translation, which suggests that there were
other Hebrew versions behind the
Septuagint. From the Masoretes on, Jewish
scribes had elaborate checks and error-
proofing practices, and since then the text
has been preserved with very great
precision—but that only means that it’s
been preserved more or less to the letter
for the last 1,400 years or so, not 2,000 (let
alone since the beginning, of course).
Reply

Alex Taller · 5y
To the best of my knowledge, the final
version of the Torah was established
around the time the Second Temple
was destroyed. The Torah scrolls have
been copied letter by letter ever since.
There is no Judaic authority entitled to
suggest an edit.

No Greek version of the Torah could

possibly be original. I don’t think that
the Dead Sea scrolls contain versions
of any of the five books of the Torah. If
you know otherwise, please provide
information.
Reply

Petter Häggholm · 5y
The Dead Sea scrolls contain
versions of all the five books of the
Torah; indeed of all the Hebrew
Bible, except for the book of
Esther. Some of them are
fragmentary, but 23 books of the
Tanakh are represented, among
other materials. You can even look
for yourself: The Dead Sea Scrolls
Digital Library .

Yes, I think it’s true that the Jewish

canon was established around the
time of the destruction of the
Second Temple, but we don’t have
any texts dating from then except
Christian ones. Until the discovery
of the Qumran material, I think the
oldest Jewish source for the canon
was about a thousand years
younger (Codex Leningradensis)),
so it’s significant.

As Wikipedia quotes the Oxford

Companion to Archæology,

“The biblical manuscripts from

Qumran, which include at least
fragments from every book of the
Old Testament, except perhaps for
the Book of Esther , provide a far
older cross section of scriptural
tradition than that available to
scholars before. While some of the
Qumran biblical manuscripts are
nearly identical to the Masoretic, or
traditional, Hebrew text of the Old
Testament, some manuscripts of
the books of Exodus and Samuel
found in Cave Four exhibit dramatic
differences in both language and
content. In their astonishing range
of textual variants, the Qumran
biblical discoveries have prompted
scholars to reconsider the once-
accepted theories of the
development of the modern biblical
text from only three manuscript
families: of the Masoretic text, of
the Hebrew original of the
Septuagint , and of the
Samaritan Pentateuch . It is now
becoming increasingly clear that
the Old Testament scripture was
extremely fluid until its
canonization around A.D. 100.”

Some of the books even differ

substantially in length between the
Masoretic and Qumran versions.

If you have access to Bart

Ehrman’s blog, cf. Are the Hebrew
Bible/Old Testament Manuscripts
Reliable?
Reply

Zeke Kornberg · Follow

Native Hebrew speaker, have studied the Hebrew
Bible a lot · 5y

The Biblical text is often ambiguous or unclear and

there are different traditions and interpretations
regarding many verses. A translation is forced to
take sides with a particular interpretation, thereby
losing the ambiguity of the text. This is true for
many ancient texts, and perhaps deep texts in
general.

Sometimes you even have interpretations based on

a translating choice which has nothing to do with
the original. I once read a sermon on the term “and
it came to pass,” which is a translation of ‫ ויהי‬in the
original. The whole sermon was based on the use of
“coming” and “passing” in the verse, which has
nothing to do with the original, which simply means
“and (it) was” or “and (it) happened.”

Another example I’ve seen is how people

understand “binding” and “loosening” in the New
Testament. The New Testament was written in
Greek but the terms “binding” and “loosening” are
common Hebrew Jewish terms whereby
binding=prohibiting and loosening=allowing. But if
you read the text without knowledge of Hebrew you
would never know that that’s what it means.

The Bible also includes many poetic texts and

translated poetry always loses a lot more than
translated regular prose. I love many of the books of
the Bible thanks to their poetic language and not
necessarily their substance. When I see those same
texts in an English translation they often seem dry
and boring.

In general, I prefer reading texts in the original

language if I can, just so that nothing gets lost in
translation, especially if it’s a poetic text. If the Bible
is an important book for you and you try to live your
life in its light, I think it is imperative to try to learn
the original languages that it was written in.
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Related questions (More answers below)

Could anyone who speaks Hebrew and

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Marisol Levi · Follow

Dual Citizen of USA and Israel · 5y

There are certain plays on words that occur in the

original Hebrew that are missed in translation.

These are delightful and, to me, deepen my faith in

their authenticity. They play on the Semitic root
system inherent in Hebrew, wherein a root
presented in different structures, evolves into a
completely different meaning, but you can still
follow the connection.

In fact all of Hebrew is delightful like that. Each

letter has its own meaning, and it's fun to watch the
building blocks.

A similar experience is reading translated poetry.

You'll get the gist, but the intricate plays between
alliteration and rhythm will be lost.

Hebrew letters also have numerical values, and

there's a branch of study called “g’matria,” or
numerology, available in the original Hebrew. I must
confess I'm not familiar with it though.
274 views · View 3 upvotes

Miguel Zapata · Follow

Has around 6 pairs of headphones for specific
tasks. · 5y

Even without having to mention the Bible, it can be

said that learning a new language is just like having
an automatic translation app in your head.

While there is the advantage of being able to put

things in a better context, you will still reference that
context with your primary language, because that’s
how you better understand the world. In other
words, assuming your primary language is English,
then learning Hebrew will help you find the right
English words to use so you can understand the text
in the way you best understand the world.

If we really wanted to be so accurate in reading the

Bible, then it would be written in so many languages,
and the only things that will be left in your
vernacular would probably be conjunctions and the
like. But of course, the message would be lost even
more if it stayed that way.

Where translations are concerned, learning Hebrew,

Greek, and whatever other languages are required
to understand the text in its original context is great,
if you’re a scholar. Other than that, if none of those
languages are your primary language or even an
interest, then it’s best to read translations because
the effort in getting to the right context will impede
in getting the right message, which is more
important, and of course, obviously, not everything
in the bible will be lost in translation, and in fact, the
biggest problem in reading the bible these days is
reading the wrong message from a perfectly fine
text (i.e. people are interpreting it wrong or putting
their own spin into it regardless of the accuracy of
the text).

Translations made with the most original text

available as reference are the best ones, because
you only get one level of “getting lost in translation”
as well as be able to use concepts that are
understandable by the intended audience,
especially with concepts very specific to culture like
rituals, sexuality, morals, etc..

Of course, some translations are better than others.

In fact, other bibles aren’t even translations but
paraphrased texts, and these are the stuff you
actually want to avoid. This is why King James
Version is regarded as the best reference bible for
most English speakers who want to read the bible as
close as it is to the original text while being able to
understand it in the English world view.
1.3K views · View 2 upvotes

ER Mikulincer · Follow
Learning Hebrew · 5y

"And God called the light Day, and the

darkness he called Night. And there was
evening and there was morning, one day."
Genesis 1:5

In Hebrew, you would see that a better translation

would be “And there was chaos and order” that it’s
not just morning and evening, but an actual hymn of
creation.

7 2

Clarence Uhrich · Follow

Former Manager,Teacher,Speaker, currently aBible
student · 3y

If you can read Hebrew of course. Especially the Old

Testament. It will give you insight not available in
translations.

Barry Austern · Follow

Studied Chemistry & Religion at Columbia
University (Graduated 1963) · Updated 2y

Related How much of the true Hebrew Bible is

lost to translation?
I can give you this example. Deborah is introduced
in the book of Judges. It starts out by saying she
was the wife of Lappidot. We never hear of Lappidot
again. Now, Hebrew, like French, uses “woman” for
“wife,” so you might say that she is the woman of
Lappidot. However, Hebrew has a way of turning
nouns into adjectives. English does that too, as in
Hardware Store. In Hebrew, though, the adjective
comes after the noun, so we might say she was a
Lappidot woman. Lappidot, though, means torches,
so maybe we should translate it as not the wife of
Lappidot but a fiery woman.
Continue Reading
Deborah was a co-judge

320 11

Yechiel Kaye · Follow

Biblical student · 5y

This question is partially answered by me here:

Yechiel Kaye (‫')יחיאל קיי‬s answer to Could anyone

who speaks Hebrew and English confirm that the
English Bible is an exact translation from its original
text?

Dan Galilee · Follow

Knows Hebrew · 3y

Any translation, whether done by Jews or Gentiles,

is, at best, no more than an indication of what the
Tanakh is saying. The translations leave out all or
most of the Hebrew Bible's accompanying oral
tradition, its traditional musical chant (cantillation,
which provides punctuation and emotion), and the
fact that many verses teach us a number of things.

Link: More about the Hebrew Bible

John Clark · Follow

Studied at University of California, San Diego · 5y

The following is for any one who is not a native user

of a language... there will most likely never be the
state where one will read a text in the original
language and fully understand the context so
completely as that of a 'native' speaker. 'near'
nativity can be approached as the years of use go
on... but on one's death bed... one will revert to
one's 'native' tongue in most cases...

Hence a non-native speaker is always operating via

some form of 'translation'.

In the case of Hebrew for reading scriptural works,

years of study in Continue
school/shul is required to develop
Reading
the near 'native' use of the

Yerachmiel HaLevi · Follow

Studied at Hadar HaTorah Rabbinical College · 10mo

Is it possible to read the Bible in

Related
Hebrew?
Tanach the Only Testament is best understood in
Hebrew beware of KJV,NIV & other Christian
translations which deliberately manipulate,corrupt &
mistranslate in order to fit a Christian narrative. If
you truely wish to understand it either learn Hebrew
or at least use an accurate translation that
translates according to the true intent & translated
by those who actually know Hebrew & all its
linguistic nuances such as Artscroll Stone
Edition,Feldheim,Koren or Judaiaca Press!!!
Furthermore Jewish translators translate with
absolutely no agenda & only to be accurate the its
original intent!!!!

5 16

Pamela B. Zohar · Follow

I read a lot and studied - and I take Judaism
seriously. · 3y

RelatedWhich version of the Hebrew Bible

should I be reading?
Which version? Do you mean which translation is a
reliable one?

There is only one VERSION, which is (of course) in

Hebrew. There are various translations, most of the
ones I know of (by Jewish translators) are
reasonably good. I use - primarily - the new JPS
(Jewish Publication Society) translation from the
1980’s (mostly). It is widely available and not at all
pricey (unless you want the lovely Hebrew - English
leather bound edition).

The Oxford Jewish Study Bible uses the JPS

translation. You don’t get the Hebrew but you DO
get some footnotes and a Reading
Continue little bit of commentary. It
is a nice introd

6 2

Marc Lipshitz · Follow

Been involved in counter missionary work for 20+
years · 4y

RelatedHow valuable can it be to know

Classical Hebrew for the understanding of the
Bible?
From the
9 Jewish POV we view2 it as essential.
Hebrew is a context sensitive language which
means that translators bias has a huge influence on
how itnis translated. We also see some very