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Bible Translation
(3,376 words)

Jewish Bible translations have been undertaken ever since antiquity in various historical contexts, as a result of the need to understand the text of the Bible on the part of Jewish communities who no longer knew the original languages (Hebrew and Aramaic), or did not know them well enough. The translations provide insight into the cultural and religious orientations both of the translator in question and of the Jewish readership for whom he was preparing the translation.

1. Antiquity and Middle Ages

The Hebrew letters (Alef-Bet)…

Cite this page
Greenspoon, Leonard, “Bible Translation”, in: Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture Online, Original German Language Edition: Enzyklopädie Jüdischer Geschichte und Kultur. Im Auftrag der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig herausgegeben von Dan Diner. © J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart/Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland 2011–2017. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2468-8894_ejhc_COM_0093>
First published online: 2017
First print edition: 20170409



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