The Book of Psalms
A Translation With Commentary
WW Norton · Print & ebook · September 22, 2009
One of Newsweek’s Best Books of the Year and winner of the Robert Kirsch Award for Lifetime Achievement.
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- Who it’s for
- These ancient poems bring solace and joy through vivid language, rhythmic force, and illuminating commentary.
- Themes
- Scriptural poetry, Solace and joy, Hebrew poetic language
- Genres
- Old Testament: Poetry & Wisdom, Jewish Scriptures, Old Testament Interpretation
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Start with this bookAbout this book
One of Newsweek’s Best Books of the Year and winner of the Robert Kirsch Award for Lifetime Achievement. A cornerstone of the scriptural canon, the Book of Psalms has been a source of solace and joy for countless readers over millennia. This timeless poetry is beautifully wrought by a scholar whose translation of the Five Books of Moses was hailed as a “godsend” by Seamus Heaney and a “masterpiece” by Robert Fagles.
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Alter’s The Book of Psalms captures the simplicity, the physicality, and the coiled rhythmic power of the Hebrew, restoring the remarkable eloquence of these ancient poems. His learned and insightful commentary illuminates the obscurities of the text.
Poetry with Pulse
These ancient poems bring solace and joy through vivid language, rhythmic force, and illuminating commentary.
Come here for
- Hebrew poetry rendered with attention to its physicality and rhythm
- Commentary that helps clarify obscurities in the text
Expect
- A translation attentive to the poems’ eloquence
- Learned notes alongside a cornerstone of scripture
Where it sits
| Old Testament: Poetry & Wisdom | 38% |
|---|---|
| Jewish Scriptures | 36% |
| Old Testament Interpretation | 17% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Old Testament Interpretation
- Authors
- Robert Alter
- Publisher
- WW Norton
- Published
- September 22, 2009
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Scriptural poetry · Solace and joy · Hebrew poetic language
- Reading lane
- Old Testament Interpretation