This was a replacement for my original Complete Jewish Bible. This is however, more in depth since it is a Study Bible also. I love the footnotes and study notes with this Bible. In the Old Testament, it is in the order of the Tanakh not the traditional order. We are used to or grew up learning the Names of the Bible or even put it in song form; well, you can forget that order beyond the Pentateuch (First 5 Books)!!! I love the Introduction to each book: Gives an outline through the whole book written from a Jewish perspective. Love that! If you are new to learning about the Jewish roots of our faith, the Introduction to this Bible is a MUST read! Great explanations; the whys and the wherefores are explained in detail. If you are an old hat like I am when it comes to embracing the Jewish roots and perhaps you even celebrate the Feasts as we do; then simply skim the introduction. I was surprised by new information and learning more about the Jewish customs (Biblical customs), applying the time and the laws at that time that scripture was written. In Hebrew, the language is very emotional. When it gets translated into English, it loses some sort of meaning and can cause some confusion. This Bible clears up that confusion. This Bible also outlines important articles throughout the Bible: From Anti-Jewish Scriptural Interpretations leading to anti-Semitism traced back to simply misinterpretations. This Bible highlights the Four Covenants and in great detail presenting they are all dependent on each other. Great read, check it out! Many, many other themed articles throughout the Bible from: Jewish-Gentile Relations, Messianic Prophecy, The Names of God, The Shabbat, Salvation and Atonement, The Holy Days of Israel, The Land of Israel, and the Mishkan (Tabernacle). There are quite a bit of footnotes and study notes on the bottom of each page to help us readers understand the Jewish-ness of the text. There is also a Brief Summary of Rabbinic Literature, Topical/Theme Article Indexes, Biographies of Rabbis and Sages and also references for other literature for further reading. If there is a particular special meaning to a verse in the Jewish custom or law, there is a box with a look inside for further reading included on the page. At the back of my Bible there is a Glossary of Hebrew Words with Pronunciations into English. LOVE this. After the Glossary there is an Index of the Tanakh passages cited in the B'rit Hadashah. This is Awesome!!!!! This gives the Tanakh passage then a cross-reference to the New Testament! Awesome, huh?!!! Just beyond that is an appendix that include Scripture readings for Shabbat and Festivals, Feasts and Fasts. The last part of the Bible are the colorful maps. This Bible is High Quality, great value and surpasses all of my expectations of this Bible. Again, I had one, I loaned it out and never returned. Years later, I decided I really missed it and needed to replace it. So very glad I did! May you fall in love with scripture as it comes to life as you read it in a different version and from a different view. Sometimes, it is all in the view and perspective. Enjoy!!!

Stern, David H., and Barry A. Rubin, eds. The Complete Jewish Study Bible: Insights for Jews &

Christians: Illuminating the Jewishness of God's Word. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Bibles, 2016. 1728 pp. Hardback $49.95.

Editors David H. Stern and Barry A. Rubin have given us a unique study Bible that is unlike anything else out on the study Bible market these days.

Stern earned a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University and is a former professor of economics at UCLA. After coming to faith in Christ in 1975, he set out to learn more about both Judaism as well as Christianity. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, continued to do graduate work at the University of Judaism, and was active in the Messianic Jewish movement. In 1979, Stern immigrated to Israel and currently lives in Jerusalem. He is also known for his translation of the New Testament, The Jewish New Testament, and then of the whole Bible, The Complete Jewish Bible, done in 1998, as well as the companion commentary, The Jewish New Testament Commentary.

Rubin is the rabbi of Emmanuel Messianic Jewish Congregation in Clarksville, Maryland which is the oldest extant Messianic congregation in the world. He has earned a Master of Arts in Communications from Ohio University. In 1988, he became director of The Lederer Foundation (now Messianic Jewish Publishers and Resources), a sixty-year-old organization in Clarksville, Maryland, and serves on several boards and has been a leader in the Messianic Judaism movement since the 1970s.

The Complete Jewish Study Bible (CJSB) is a revision of Stern's previously published Complete Jewish Bible, with notes by over twenty-five scholars, both Christian and Jewish. It seems that its primary purpose is to be a Bible designed to be used by Messianic Jewish congregations. As such, it has many helps with that constituency in mind. The books of the Bible are in the order of the Hebrew Scriptures but it contains three helpful tables of contents, so that someone not familiar with that format can find the book for which they are looking. The various parashoth of the Torah are marked along with appropriate readings from the New Testament.

The sacred tetragrammaton is translated as ADONAI in keeping with Jewish tradition for the reverence for the covenantal name of God. In the 270 times that the tetragrammaton occurs with the Hebrew title Adonai, then it is translated as Adonai ELOHIM. In the New Testament, the term kurios (Lord) is usually rendered as ADONAI, if it seems to refer to deity.

The translation of the Tanakh is taken from the Masoretic Text with very few textual deviations or emendations. The translation of the New Testament is primarily done from the United Bible Societies 3rd edition. The translation philosophy is self-described in the introduction as tending "toward the dynamically equivalent end of the scale."

More than with any other study Bible, it is absolutely imperative for the reader of the CJSB to read the lengthy forty-five-page introduction, in order to better understand the history, translation philosophy, and layout of the work. When one skips this, they can quickly become confused by many aspects of this Bible.

The CJSB contains a very helpful introductory summary of rabbinical literature to aid the uninformed reader in understanding the contributions of the Mishnah, the Tosefta and both the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, as well as other rabbinical writings.

Each biblical book is proceeded by a short section giving the introductory background of the book, including an abbreviated outline of that particular book.

One of the unique contributions of the CJSB is the collection of topical articles, and 117 theme articles, under twelve headings, such as "Covenants," Jewish Customs," Jewish-Gentile Relations," "Messianic Prophecy," "The Names of God," "The Sabbath," and other subjects related to the relationship of Judaism, Christianity, and Messianic Judaism. Almost each page includes notes that give light to various Bible stories that often are overlooked by other study Bibles. Both the translation as well as the notes show a high view of Scripture's inspiration and inerrancy, as well as its applicability to the present time and these assumptions are laid out very specifically in the introduction. With regards to eschatology, it seems to lean toward a literal and premillennial understanding of the fulfillment of the prophetic sections of the Tanakh,

What the CJSB claims to do, it does very well. It seeks to show the Jewish roots of both the Tanakh and the New Testament. Readers who neglect to read the introduction will no doubt be mystified by the different order, names, and number of books in both the Tanakh and the New Testament, and by the Jewish references and spellings of the proper names of both characters, groups, titles and places. The CJSB contains several appendices that will aid the reader in getting the most out of this translation, including a helpful glossary of the Hebrew words to help the reader understand what the various unfamiliar terms mean, along with their pronunciation, and a list of scriptures in the Tanakh that are quoted in the New Testament.

After reading the CJSB, one comes away with a greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the Jewish background of both testaments. Various indices are provided to help the reader find the information that is in this incredible work with a minimum of frustration. Also included are a series of eight maps that help the reader locate the places referred to in the CJSB.

This reviewer cannot help but highly recommend the CJSB to those who wish to gain an insight into the Jewish background of both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. As stated above, it seems to be designed as a Bible suited for Messianic Jewish congregations, but it also will have an appeal to anyone who has an interest in the Jewish backgrounds of both testaments of the Holy Scriptures. And so it fills a significant lacuna left by the plethora of other study Bibles out in today's Bible market.

My father was a Non-Denominational Preacher. My parents believed that the only true translation was the King James. I never read any other translation until I got my copy of the CJSB. When I started reading it I was blown away just reading the intro. I never realized what I was missing all these years. I never really thought much about the Jewishness of the Bible or how that relates to "Bible Belt" Christianity. It has caused me to see things in a different light.

Bought the hardcover version, which seems to be good quality and has a sewn binding. I must admit, I used my wife as a test pilot on this bible. She has an understanding of the bible far superior to my own, and after about the 15th time while reading it she would say, 'boy, I never understood this passage in this way' and then would explain it to me, After reviewing Romans 9-11, I had to order one myself.

Take the time to thoroughly research this bible, it is exactly as described. Although translated by one man, it was thoroughly vetted by top Rabbinical messianic scholars. As this bible states, the bible was written by Jews, to Jews, and for Jews and gentiles. So, this bible takes you into Jewish thought and customs to help you understand the scriptures in a way no other bible does. This is a one stop guide to a different language and unfamiliar customs, so it's an immersion experience. Learning how to follow it, both with reading scripture or looking up words or special insights takes a short time, but it's easy once you get used to working with the material. We have one copy of almost every reputable study bible, and this is a must have which I must say I'd place at the top of the list.

A word of warning, if you're solidly behind replacement theology, this bible probably isn't the one you want,

(Disclaimer: Hendrickson Publishers provided me with a review copy of this Bible. I was not required to write a positive review but an honest one.)

Study Bibles have become a staple in Christian publications. We have Study Bibles for themes such as: Apologetics, Archaeology, Life Application, Hebrew-Greek Key Word Studies, and a slew of other interest-based thematic Bibles. We've had Bibles of every kind but in 1989, a new translation emerged that gained traction among those whose interest lay in Christianity's Jewish roots; namely, The Complete Jewish New Testament and, in 1998, The Complete Jewish Bible or CJB, as it is known today. For eighteen years, we had to bring resources alongside the CJB to help us in its study. Then in 2016, Hendrickson Publishers and Messianic Jewish Publishers & Resources came together to produce a new Study Bible, namely, The Complete Jewish Study Bible. If ever a new Study Bible were to be produced, I'm glad it was this one.

The subtitle says it all: Insights for Jew & Christians - Illuminating the Jewishness of God's Word. For far too long, Christians have wandered along not knowing just how Jewish their New Testament really is. We all know that every book in the NT (B'rit Hadashah) was written by a Jewish person (yes, Luke might have been Jewish too), not by Gentiles. What sometimes escapes us is relevant background info to make the most sense of passages that would otherwise sail right over our heads. Here's what so good about this Study Bible: it's less about cross-referencing and more about background understanding. Case in point: Matthew/Mattityahu 6:22-23. A different well-known Study Bible (whose name is withheld on purpose) insists that the emphasis of these verses is about a man's healthy spiritual sight (which is close in understanding but not exactly the point of the passage) when in fact, Jesus is quoting a common Jewish proverb and commenting on it. "Having a good eye" in the Judaism of Jesus' day meant being generous or looking at people positively (as stated in the study notes below the verses). Conversely, "having a bad eye" means being stingy or having a negative outlook toward others (also drawn from the study notes). A rabbi might say, "If a person gives a gift, let him give with a good eye, that is, generously." Everyone, of course, was expected to pay tithes (one-tenth of their increase).

The introductory material covers things like How the Complete Jewish Bible Expresses the B'rit Hadashah's Jewishness, Reasons for Certain B'rit Hadashah Renderings, Tanakh Prophecies Fulfilled by Yeshua the Messiah, Synagogue Usage of the Complete Jewish Bible, How to Pronounce the Hebrew Names and Terms, and Using the Complete Jewish Bible. If you are compelled to buy this wonderful Study Bible like I did, be careful to spend time in this introductory material. You'll get the most out of your CJSB by doing so.

Features unique to The Complete Jewish Study Bible include: introductions written from a Jewish perspective, study notes to help readers understand the deeper meanings behind the Jewish text, twenty-five top-notch contributors (both Jewish and Christian), and eight full color maps. In addition to the topical articles and detailed study notes, there are twelve themes running throughout the CJSB with 117 insightful articles. They are identified with titles and color-coding. You will be challenged and your understanding broadened by these articles alone.

I might mention for those who haven't picked up a Tanakh, the books appear in the same order as they would be found in a Tanakh under three sections: 1. TORAH (TEACHING, LAW) 2. NEVI'IM (PROPHETS) and 3. K'TUVIM (WRITINGS). This are the categories of books that Jesus would be familiar with (see Luke 24:44).

Finally, after the end of the B'rit Hadashah comes the useful Appendix. You'll find helpful Glossaries, Indexes, Scripture Readings for Shabbat and Festivals, Feasts & Fasts, Biographies of Rabbis and Sages, and other helpful features. You'll have the opportunity to learn the Hebrew names for our English counterparts in the New Testament including book titles.

All in all, this would make a wonderful addition to your resource library. Indeed, you could make this your primary Study Bible if you really mastered the content and learned to use it most effectively. I couldn't imagine studying the Scriptures without having it nearby. Order one today!