Bibles - Bible Versions, Scriptures & Rabbinical Literature - Judaism, Bibles - Bible Stories & Individual Books of the Bible
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Overview
READ THE PSALMS AGAIN FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. In most English translations, the Psalms sound smooth and polished. Elizabethan rhythms and style dominate. As literature, they are beyond compare. But as prayer-God-directed expressions of anger, praise, and lament-most English translations miss something vital. "Prayer is elemental, not advanced, language," writes biblical languages scholar Eugene H. Peterson. "It is the means by which our language becomes honest, true, and personal. In the original Hebrew, the Psalms are not genteel-they're earthy and rough. They are not the prayers of nice people, couched in cultured language. But they have an immense range of gut-level honesty and passion that provides them with terrific energy. "In Psalms, Peterson brings these ancient prayers to life for modern readers by translating the rhythm and idiom of the original Hebrew into contemporary English-all the while maintaining the song-like meter and lyrical quality of your favorite translations. If this is your introduction to the Psalms, you will understand them instantly. And if you are a long-time student of the Word of God, we invite you to read the Psalms again-for the very first time.Editorials
Library Journal
The writer, whose The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English (NavPress, 1993) is a paraphrase of the New Testament, now applies the same method to the Old Testament book of Psalms. In a few places, the technique works; some of the rougher passages recover their harshness in the contemporary idiom, and the act of paraphrasing itself underscores the devotional value of putting the Psalms in one's own words. But too often Peterson uses paraphrase for its own sake, as when Psalm 19 turns ``gold'' and ``honey'' into ``diamonds'' and ``strawberries,'' as though the former terms were unclear to the reader. He also imposes Christian categories on what is patently a Hebrew text. The writer's lack of skill at reproducing the poetry of the Psalms is evident everywhere; Stephen Mitchell's A Book of Psalms (LJ 6/1/93) is far preferable to this volume. The whole endeavor makes one understand why some people long for the days of the King James version. A marginal purchase.-W. Alan Froggatt, Bridgewater, Ct.Book Details
Published
December 31, 1994
Publisher
Colorado Springs, Colo. : NavPress, c1994.
Pages
263
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780891097884