While the original Biblical text was written from an Ancient Hebraic perspective, all modern translations of the Bible are written from our modern western perspective. This traditional approach to translation does allow for ease in reading but it erases the original Hebraic style and meaning of the text. In addition, translations take many liberties by removing, changing or adding words from the text in order to "fix" the text for the English reader. The Mechanical Translation is a new and unique style of translation that will reveal the Hebrew behind the English by translating the text very literally and faithfully to the original Hebrew text. A great tool for those interested in studying the Bible who have no Hebrew background as well as for those who are learning to read the Bible in its original Hebrew language.

Hendrickson Publishers now offers our new edition of the Hebrew Bible, The Biblia Hebraica Leningradensia, in parallel columns with the King James Version of the Bible resulting in a brand new Hebrew-English Bible that is ideally suited for students of the Bible. It is perfect for classroom work and is a valuable tool for biblical research. The clarity and readability of the Hebrew text alongside the time honored King James Version makes the Parallel Bible an important addition to the libraries of students, pastors, and biblical scholars.

Anyone who is learning Hebrew or is reading Hebrew must have a Bible in Hebrew. The structure, style and text of this Bible is easy to read. If you are reading Hebrew we recommend using a Bible all in Hebrew. This prevents the reader from going to the English translation to quickly with unknown words or sentence structure. It is better to read through the text as best as possible then looking up unknown words in a dictionary or lexicon. This process will allow for greater retention of the vocabulary and sentence structure.

One of the greatest Biblical discoveries occured in 1948 when 2,000 year old Hebrew scrolls of the Bible was discovered near the Dead Sea. Within these scrolls are texts from every Book in the Hebrew Bible, except the Book of Ester. While some portions were missing due to rot, a majority of the texts are represented. This book is an English translation of all the Biblical scrolls found. These scrolls are dated to the first century BCE. Until their discovery the oldest existing Hebrew copy of the Bible was 1,000 CE (Codex Leningrad). With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls we know have copies of the Hebrew Bible over 1,000 years older. While the Biblical books found within the Dead Sea Caves are very similar to the Bible we use today, their are differences. Since our Hebrew Bibles today are based on later copies, the Dead Sea Scroll Bible a more ancient versions. This translation is easy to read and is true to the Hebrew text. When more than one manuscript of a passage is included within the scrolls, this translation gives all of the differing variants of the passages so that the reader can be well informed. Passages that are missing are also noted.

Most Hebrew Interlinears are in four volumes and can be very expensive. This book contains the entire Tenach/Old Testament and at a very reasonable price. The Hebrew text is written in standard Hebrew fashion (right to left) with the English translation (based on the NIV translation) of each word directly under each Hebrew word. As the NIV is not a "literal" translation of the text, it is not the best translation for an interlinear but it does work. The translation under the Hebrew is not always consistent. For example, the Hebrew word "vayomer" may have the translation "and he said" under it, but at other times it might be "but he said", "and he spoke" or "now he said". But with that said, this is the best priced and "useable" interlinear for beginning Hebrew students, in fact this is the very book I used to teach myself Hebrew. Also at the side of each page is a complete English translation (NIV) so that the reader can read the passage in context which helps with reading the Hebrew.

Details the various manuscripts used in textual criticism such as the Masoretic texts, Septuagints, Samaritan Pentateuch, Targums, Dead Sea Scrolls and others. The book explains the various problems with textual transmission but does not give many examples with the exception of the chapter on the book Ruth. A full chapter views the differing textual traditions of some of the passages in the book of Ruth.

The Beriyt HaChadashah (New Testament) was written by Jewish men of the second temple period. These writer spoke Hebrew (and Aramaic) and thought like Jews. When reading their writings one must think as they do and this translation of the Bible helps in this endeavor. This Bible is translated from a pure Jewish perspective using many Hebrew names, phrases and terminology and restores restores the original Jewish culture, teachings, idioms and lifestyle.

Archeologically and linguistically it has been shown that the Greek book of Matthew is a translation of an earlier Hebrew text. The "Shem Tov" Matthew is an ancient copy of the book of Matthew in Hebrew. The text of this Hebrew book shows that it was not translated from Latin or Greek but is a copy of an earlier Hebrew text independent of the Greek Matthew. However, it is also clear that this Hebrew text has been revised in some places so it is not a perfect represenation of the original manuscript. With all of this said, it is a great resource for those who are interested in getting closer to the original words, teachings and history of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). The Hebrew text of Shem Tov and a translation are in this book. The author also includes many notes on the differences between the Greek and Shem Tov Hebrew text as well as differences with the Shem Tov Hebrew and other Hebrew texts of Matthew. There are some very interesting suprises for those who are interested in reading this book. For instance, in Matthew 3:11 the Greek says "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" but the Hebrew says "He will baptize you with the fire of the Holy Spirit."