I’m been a huge fan of Alter’s work since I read his translation of Genesis. I own his new three volume complete set of the Hebrew Bible. Alter has been working on this translation/commentary for the past 25 years. It has won numerous awards and has been received very favorably. His introductions to the books and notes are brilliant. However if you don’t want to make the total investment immediately – it’s fairly pricey – all of his translations except for the prophets (included only in the complete set) exist as standalone volumes. Try ** you do not have permission to see this link ** (my favorite) first. Both of these and others can be found in easily available (and cheap) used paperback versions. If you like them then spring for the large edition.
post-scriptum:
Aside from being a Hebrew scholar Alter has spent much of his career writing first rate literary criticism. This serves him well in his translations. His notes provide enough information to enhance the readers’ appreciation of the narrative without getting bogged down in minutiae of interest only to other scholars. It’s clear Alter intended his work to be read by literate non-specialists. Like, uh, me.
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