Books of the Hebrew Bible

Names, Abbreviations, and Versification

Names of the books of the Hebrew Bible and their standard abbreviations appear on page xii. The versification of the biblical text may vary between Jewish translations of the Hebrew Bible and Christian translations as, for example, the King James Version. In this book I use only Jewish translations of the Hebrew Bible, my primary references being works by the Jewish Publication Society, Judaica Press, and ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications. Please refer to the appendix for the publication details of these sources. The appendix also contains lists of post-biblical writings from both rabbinic and nonrabbinic sources, brief sketches of some of the most important contributors to the field, and a bibliography representing more than 2,000 years of creative interaction with the Hebrew Bible.