The JPS 1917 is the Jewish Publication Society’s English translation of the Hebrew Bible, first published in 1917 and widely used by English-speaking Jewish readers and by Christian scholars who want a Jewish reading of the Old Testament. It is a translation of the Tanakh, not of the Christian Bible, and it follows the Masoretic Hebrew text with the Jewish interpretive tradition in view. Readers who want a Jewish voice in English, or a sober and literal rendering of the Hebrew, tend to find it useful. Readers who want a devotional or modern-idiom Bible may find its older feel more demanding.
Background
The Jewish Publication Society of America was founded in Philadelphia in 1888 to publish Jewish literature in English. The committee that produced this version included Jewish scholars working in the American academic and rabbinical world of the early twentieth century. Their stated aim was an English Bible faithful to the Hebrew that Jewish communities read in synagogue and at home.
The translation was revised in 1962 and the Society later issued a newer Tanakh translation in 1985. Many people still refer to the 1917 text by name because it became the standard English Jewish Bible for much of the twentieth century and remains in print in several editions.
Translation Method
The JPS 1917 is a fairly literal translation. The committee aimed to render the Hebrew closely, keeping important terms consistent and preserving the sentence rhythm of the original where English allows. Because of this, a reader can often see the structure of the Hebrew behind the English, which is helpful for studying repeated words and narrative patterns.
The trade-off is that a literal method can sound stiff. Some phrases that read naturally in Hebrew come across as awkward in English, and the reader has to pause and work through them. For study this is often an advantage, since it slows the reader down and prevents easy assumptions about meaning.
Reading Level and Style
The language is formal and somewhat archaic in places, with the grammar and diction of early twentieth-century English prose. It is not difficult to follow once you adjust to the style, but it is not conversational. Names and place names are given in the forms common to Jewish usage, which can differ from familiar Christian English spellings.
Poetic books such as Psalms and Isaiah show the translators’ care for parallelism and form. The lines are set out so that the balance of the Hebrew verse is visible on the page, which many readers find rewarding when they read aloud.
A Verse to Compare
Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.
(WEB)
This familiar verse shows the JPS 1917 approach clearly. Where many English Bibles soften the opening image into a smooth first-person sentence, the JPS keeps closer to the Hebrew wording and sentence shape. Readers who know the verse from memory may notice the older phrasing at once. Those who compare it with a modern paraphrase will see how much more literal the Jewish translation remains, leaving more of the interpretive work to the reader.
Who Should Use It
The JPS 1917 suits readers who want the Hebrew Scriptures in English as Jewish communities have traditionally read them, and it is a strong choice for close study of the Old Testament. Its literal method rewards careful reading and comparison with the Hebrew or with other translations.
Its limits are the ones that come with its age and method. The English can feel dated, and its literalism may frustrate readers looking for smooth devotional reading. For that purpose a modern translation written for general readers may serve better, with the JPS consulted alongside it when a passage needs a closer look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the JPS 1917 the same as the Jewish Study Bible?
No. The Jewish Study Bible is a separate work that includes a newer Tanakh translation with extensive commentary. The JPS 1917 is an older standalone translation of the Hebrew Bible.
Does the JPS 1917 include the New Testament?
No. It translates only the Hebrew Scriptures, which Jewish tradition calls the Tanakh and Christians call the Old Testament. It does not include the Christian New Testament.
Is the JPS 1917 good for Christian study?
Many Christian scholars and students use it for its literal rendering of the Hebrew and its Jewish perspective on the text. It works best alongside a Christian translation when studying passages with later Christian interpretations.
