The Koren Tenakh is nearly without competitor in Israel. It is distributed in schools and among the Zahal troops.
This position among the religious bookmarket was not the consequence of fortunate circumstances but the result of persistent effort of an individual named Elijah Korngold, who emigrated from Nuremberg, Germany, to Eretz Israel (then Palestine) in 1933.
In 1962 he published the first Koren Tenakh. It is said that this Tenakh was the first after 500 years which had been edited and printed by Jews and the first which was created in the modern state of Israel. In 2012 the 50th anniversary of its publication was commemorated on an Israeli stamp.
Yet, Eliyahu Koren, as he called himself after his aliyah, had not primarily intended to do pure business. He rather was a perfectionist. Nothing went to the printers before he wasn't convinced that it could not have been accomplished better. Fast solutions weren't his aim and he didn't care whether or not a project was demanding a long time as long as he was content with the results. With eagerness he laboured on his own new Hebrew script typeface for the Tenakh; as a German Jew he had a very up-to-date sensitivity for asthetics. The new layout was much different to the typeface which had been in use until then, as the majority of printers didn't have any consideration for asthetics.
Besides the Tenakh also Siddurim (prayerbooks for weekdays & sabbaths) are printed, followed by a Machsor for Yom Kippur (prayerbook for the Day of Atonement).
The English translation is not essentially new; it is rather a thoroughly corrected, modernized, and revised version of the Anglo-Jewish Bibles which have long been accepted for home and synagogue use throughout the English-speaking world. As a basis for this edition, the 'Jewish Family Bible" of M. Friedlander, published with the sanction of the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, Dr. N. M. Adler in 1881 was selected. … In addition to the text of Friedlander, a comparison was made with the interesting nineteenth century Jewish Bible of Isaac Leeser, and with other later translations. (from the Preface)The English text was revised and edited by Harold Fisch.
Click here for sample verses from the Koren Tanakh.
Jerusalem Bible / Tanakh, 3- vol. 1989 ed.
Tora
Title: תורה נבאים כתובים ✡ The Holy Scriptures
[Vol. 1:] Tora ✡ תורה
The English text revised and edited by Harold Fisch
Date: Ⓒ 1989 - תשמ’’ט
Publisher: Jerusalem (Israel): Koren Publishers - הוצאת קורן ירושלים
Contents: ּBereshit / Genesis - Shemot / Exodus - Vayyiqra / Leviticus - Bemidbar / Numbers - Devarim / Deuteronomy
Language: Hebrew and English
References:
Images: Title page
Location: Collection Bibelarchiv–Birnbaum. Karlsruhe/ Baden, Germany
Comments: Boxed Hardcover 32mo, sewn binding. (7), 255 double & (10) pp. Torah text in single column. Hebrew as English text always on selfsame page & verso (changed in the 2010 ed.). English translation without extras, verse numbering in the margin. Four pages explain »In what does he Koren Tenakh differ from all others?«; the main differences being a completely revised Hebrew typeface with textual modifications concerning accents and vowel printing, corrected “Ketiv“ [= written] and “Qeri“ [= read] impressions; the Tetragrammaton יהוה unpunctuated (no nikkud- printing) to prevent forbidden reading, modified text divisions etc.
Harold Fisch has compared his revision of the Michael Friedlander translation, which owes much of the dignity to the 1611 “Authorized Version“, with other Jewish editions like that of Isaac Leeser and older versions.
Prophets
Title: תורה נבאים כתובים ✡ The Holy Scriptures
[Vol. 2:] Prophets ✡ נביאים
The English text revised and edited by Harold Fisch
Date: Ⓒ 1989 - תשמ’’ט
Publisher: Jerusalem (Israel): Koren Publishers - הוצאת קורן ירושלים
Contents: Yehoshua יהושע to The Twelve שנים עסר
Language: Hebrew and English
References:
Images: Title page
Location: Collection Bibelarchiv–Birnbaum. Karlsruhe/ Baden, Germany
Comments: Boxed Hardcover 32mo, sewn binding. (7), 468 double & (16) pp. Prophets text in single column.
Hebrew as English text always an selfsame page & verso (changed in the 2010 ed.).
For the remainder see »Tora«.
Writings
Title: תורה נבאים כתובים ✡ The Holy Scriptures
[Vol. 3:] Writings ✡ כתובים
The English text revised and edited by Harold Fisch
Date: Ⓒ 1989 - תשמ’’ט
Publisher: Jerusalem (Israel): Koren Publishers - הוצאת קורן ירושלים
Contents: Tehillim / Psalms תהלים to Divre Hayyamim / Chronicles דברי הימים
Language: Hebrew and English
References:
Images: Title page
Location: Collection Bibelarchiv–Birnbaum. Karlsruhe/ Baden, Germany
Comments: Boxed Hardcover 32mo, sewn binding. (7), 302 double & (12) pp; two leaves of index correction due to misprint of pages- numbering. Writings text in single column. Hebrew as English text always an selfsame page & verso (changed in the 2010 ed.).
For the remainder see »Tora«.
Other Images of the Koren Tanakh 1989 edition
From left: ❶ 1989 Box inscriptions: The Hebrew reads »tn"k« for Tanakh, ❷ 1989 and 2010 Editions
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Jerusalem Bible / Tanakh 1992 ed.
Title: תורה נבאים כתובים The Holy Scriptures
Date: 1992
Publisher: Koren Publishers Jerusalem, Ltd.: Jerusalem, Israel
Contents: Hebrew Bible
References: Taliaferro CN00248.
Images: Jacket, Title page
Comments: This should not be confused with the Jerusalem Bible which is a Catholic translation.
Comments: This is currently available as the The Koren Jerusalem Bible.
Koren Tanakh, revised 2010 ed.
Title: The Koren Tanakh ✡ תורה נבאים כתובים / Second Edition 2010
Date: (Hebrew) Koren Tanakh Font Ⓒ 1962. 1981. (Translation) Harold Fisch Ⓒ 1967, 2010
Publisher: Jerusalem (Israel): Koren Publishers
Contents: Hebrew Bible: Torah, Nevi´im, Ketuvim
Language: Hebrew and English
References:
Images: Title page, Cover, Binding
Location: Collection Bibelarchiv–Birnbaum. Karlsruhe/ Baden, Germany
Comments: Hardbound, crown octavo with sewn binding. XX & 2612 pp. Hebrew on right, translation on left side of double page. Plain English Scripture text in single column; the appendix contains these 80 pp of References: The Ten Commandements ● Textual Variants ● Torah Readings for Special Days, Special Shabbatot, and Festivals ● List of Haftarot ● Blessings Before and After Reading of the Torah ● Blessings Before and After Reading of the Haftara ● Cantillation Notes (Trop)● Index of Names in the Tanakh in Alphabetical Order ● Biblical Atlas (26 color plates) ● Genealogy Charts.
Matthew Miller, Publisher, writes in the Preface, dated Jerusalem 5770 (2010):
»This new edition of The Koren Tanakh is based upon the Koren Tanakh of 1962 and on the first translation of 1967. The English translation reflects the Hebrew text as closely as possible. Personal and place names are transliterated rather than translated (Moshe instead of Moses). The formal “thee“ and “thou“ are retained, not to convey an “old fashioned feel,“ but rather to maintain the grammatical difference between the second person singular (thee/ thou), and the second person plural (you). Modern English has lost this critical distinction, as have many translations, to their detriment.«
From left: ❶ Binding; ❷ Enlargement of Front Cover: The Hebrew of Yesha´yahu 2:3b translates, »For out of Ƶiyyon shall go forth Tora, and the word of the LORD from Yerushalayim.«
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The Koren Selected Sayings
Title: דברי קהלת בן—דוד מלך בירושלים
קהלת ₪ פסוקים נבחרים
Ecclesiastes ● Words of the Teacher Son of David / King of Jerusalem
Prediger ● Reden des Predigers des Sohnes Davids / Königs zu Jerusalem
Ecclesiaste ● Paroles de l'Ecclesiaste / Fils de David, Roi de Jerusalem.
Selected Sentences / Ethics and Wisdom for Life ● Ausgewählte Sprüche / Lebensweisheit und Moral ● Recueil de Proverbes Choisis
Graphics: Noah Ophir
Date: © 1993
Publisher: Jerusalem (Israel): Korén Publishers Jerusalem
Contents: 28 verses of Kohelet plus 9 vv on rear cover
Language: Hebrew, English, German and French
Images: Hebrew Title page, English / German / French Title page, Front Cover
Location: Collection Bibelarchiv-Birnbaum. Karlsruhe, Baden. Germany
Comments: Hardcover small octavo, sewn binding. 62 unpaginated pp. Both Hebrew texts are on the right, the translations on the left side of a double page. The Hebrew text is printed in form of the Masorah and additionally in coloured calligraphy.
One might assume that the English translation is taken from the Korén Bible, but this is not the case; instead it has been adopted from the New International Version (NIV) except ch. 5:4, where another rendering has been borrowed. The German translation is also not from a Jewish version, but from the 1984 Luther - Bible with the exception of three verses (chs. 5:14 , 7:1 & 5); nothing can be said about the French translation. This is kind of strange and there's no explanation for this policy as the publishers do not give any information about the translations they used for this booklet.
The introducing verses on the rear cover 1:1 and 3:1-8 are quoted mainly from the JPS 1917 version.
Other Images of the Koren Kohelet
From left: ❶ Back Cover; ❷ Sample page in Hebrew ❸ Sample page in English, German, and French
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