Name: The Book of Psalms
ISBN: 9780393337044

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

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

Book Details

Authors: Robert Alter
Publisher: WW Norton
Published: September 22, 2009
Format: Print & ebook
Theme: Wisdom Literature (Bible) · Old Testament: Poetry & Wisdom
Reading lane: Wisdom Literature (Bible)

Affinity

Publisher Categories

Old Testament Interpretation

About 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. Alter’s The Book of Psalms captures the simplicity, the ph...

Read full description

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. 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.