JPS Tanakh (1917) JPS

Jewish
Old Testament source: Masoretic Hebrew
Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)
Formal (word for word)
1917
Public domain

At a glance

Language: English
Tradition: Jewish — The first English translation of the Hebrew Bible by a committee of Jews; a Jewish, not a Christian, Bible.
Church approval: No — Not applicable (Jewish publication).
Old Testament source: Masoretic Hebrew — 'According to the Masoretic Text'.
New Testament source: Hebrew Bible only.
Canon: Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)
Style: Formal (word for word)
Year: 1917.
Translators: Jewish Publication Society of America (committee of Jewish scholars)
Reading level: Formal, RV/ASV-like English.
Verse numbering: English (KJV-style)
Licence: Public domain
Text source: eBible.org (engjps)

Notes

Numbers like (22-2) in the text give the Hebrew verse numbering where it differs.

About

The 1917 Jewish Publication Society translation of the Hebrew Bible, made by Jewish scholars from the Masoretic text. It is valuable for seeing how Jewish tradition reads passages that Christians interpret of Christ.

Strengths

Authentic Jewish reading of the Hebrew text
Public domain

Things to know

Not a Christian Bible: Tanakh order, no New Testament
Differs from Christian renderings in key passages (Isaiah 7:14 'young woman', verified on eBible)

Profile checked 2026-10-17.

Books in this edition (39 books)

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

Not in this edition: Tobit, Judith, Esther (Greek), Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras (4 Ezra), Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151, Odes, Daniel (Greek)

Letters show which canons include a book: O Orthodox, C Catholic, P Protestant (in brackets: printed as Apocrypha or in an appendix).

Publisher's statement

JPS TaNaKH 1917
The Jewish Bible (Old Testament) in English, published by the Jewish Publication Society in 1917
Public Domain
Language: English
Dialect: American
Translation by: Jewish Publication Society
This copy of the Old JPS TaNaKH by the Jewish Publication Society is brought to you courtesy of eBible.org . For the new JPS TaNaKH (1972, 1978, 1980), please see jps.org .
2023-09-19

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