Bible Review

Reading Genesis 4:17 thus: “and Cain knew his wife and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch, and he became the (first) city-builder, and he—that is, Enoch—called the name of the city after the name of his son,” on the analogy of Genesis 4:1–2.

The Talmud is a collection of Jewish law and teachings, comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara, a commentary on the Mishnah. It exists in two versions: the Palestinian or Jerusalem Talmud, compiled around 400 A.D., and the Babylonian Talmud, compiled around 500 A.D.

Bible translations follow the New Jewish Version, except as noted.

Delilah was his second Philistine wife. He never learned.

For another powerful critique of the traditional translation of ‘ezer k^e-negdo, see R. David Freedman, “Woman, A Power Equal To Man,” BAR 09:01. Freedman argues that the phrase should be translated “a power equal to man.”

Eisegesis refers to the practice of reading into a text what is not actually there. It stands in contrast to the practice of exegesis, the critical interpretation that reads meaning out of the text itself, the practice used by Bible scholars.

The Apostolic Decree is a set of minimal ritual requirements imposed upon Gentile Christians by an “Apostolic Council” held in Jerusalem, according to Acts 15:1–29.

Together with Chaim Potok as literary editor, I am producing a new series of commentaries on the Torah, Genesis and Exodus written by myself, with Baruch Levine, Jacob Milgrom, and Jeffrey Tigay, respectively, commenting on the other three books.

A one-volume condensation in English of the first seven volumes of the eight-volume Hebrew edition is now available under the title, The Religion of Israel, translated and abridged by Moshe Greenberg (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1960).—Ed.