“Genesis begins with the making of heaven and earth and all life, and ends with the image of a mummy—Joseph’s—in a coffin. But implicit in the end is a promise of more life to come.” —Robert Alter, “To the Reader,” page xlvi

alter’s translation is comprehensive and his commentary is wholly welcomed. i’m not a religious scholar by any means, but i had no issue reading through the footnotes and the exegesis. 

what reading this has firmly reminded me is that the bible is not simply just a religious text, but also a literary work rife with complex relationship dynamics and  its own conventions of writing. i might just read more of alter’s translations in the future!