Hebrew Bible / Old Testament

BibleGateway offers the ability to view different versions of a biblical passage in parallel so that you can compare translation differences. To access this function, do the following (note the screenshot below):

• Enter the passage you want to compare into the search box and set the drop-down menu to the first version you want to see.
• Click on the "add parallel" button
• Set the drop-down menu for the version you desire to view in parallel to the first
• You can view up to 5 texts in parallel at once

Here is a list of recommended online English translations of the Bible when studying the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible:

• The Jewish Study Bible (JPS) [Online]
  • This is the 1st edition (2004).  The 2nd edition (2014) is available in print at the TML. 
• The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV) [Online]
  • This is the 3rd edition (2007).  The 5th edition (2018) is available in print at the TML.
• The Jewish Annotated New Testament (NRSV) [Online]
  • This is the 2nd edition (2017).
• New American Bible (NAB) [Online]
  • This is the New American Bible Revised Edition (2020), see The Catholic Study Bible available in print at the TML.

For students looking to read the original language of a text, these online resources may be helpful:

• Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) [Online]
  • Also known as the BHS, this is a printing of the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible in the original Hebrew. This is the 1st edition (1977) of the BHS, and the 4th edition (1997) is available in print at the BC Libraries.  The 5th edition, Biblia Hebraica Quinta, is currently being published in 20 volumes and is also available in print. 
• Sefaria [Online]
  • A non-profit website dedicated to publishing a complete digital library of Hebrew sacred texts, including the Hebrew Bible, Midrash, Talmud, and Mishnah.  Most texts provide an English translation and the original Hebrew text with excellent search and comparison features.  
• Hebrew-English Tanakh (JPS)
  • 2nd edition (1999).  The Masoretic text is presented in the original Hebrew with a parallel English translation.  
• Septuagint (LXX) [Online]
  • Rahlf's 2nd edition Greek text, courtesy of the German Bible Society.  

These resources will help define and explore the history of specific Hebrew and Aramaic words:

• The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament [Online]
  • Considered by many scholars as the "gold standard" for dictionaries for the Hebrew Bible, this electronic version of the HALOT provides not only the full text but also several useful search tools.  Students can search for entries either by the original Hebrew word, English translation, or search for words based on chapter and verse.
• Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon [Online]
  • "The CAL is a text base of the Aramaic texts in all dialects from the earliest (9th Century BCE) through the 13th Century CE, currently with a database of approximately 3 million lexically parsed words, and an associated set of electronic tools for analyzing and manipulating the data, whose ultimate goal is the creation of a complete lexicon of the language."