Having had a copy of the first CJB for years, I was happy to hear it had been revised and was now in a study edition. However, the revision (such as it is) continues to take extreme liberties with the text -- especially in the New Testament. Since I also have David Stern's Jewish New Testament Commentary, I am able to read his explanations for many of these unusual translation choices he has made, but I honestly had hoped the main text would have been revised in this edition. It is a false impression to suggest that Dr. Stern's personal translation choices represent the thinking of the Messianic Jewish community as a whole, much less a correct Jewish-Christian view of the New Testament.

In the Old Testament the text continues to be Stern's paraphrase (to use his own description) and tweaking of the 1917 JPS Tanakh. Any revision done here for this current study Bible is negligible. The other area of major disappointment is the relatively few study notes in the Old Testament. Many of them, perhaps even the majority, are simply citations from Jewish sages which are, in fact, often questionable.

The upshot of all this for me is that I will recommend the TLV (Tree of Life) version for those who desire an edition of Scripture from a Jewish perspective, as the one which is closer to the underlying Hebrew and Greek.

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.

As I received the Complete Jewish Study Bible, I got a very good feeling right off the bat. Its cover has an amazing design that I believe it reflects the "theme" within. The edition I have is the hardback (there are two other options; blue flexisoft and black genuine calfskin leather). This hardback is quality! Very well put together. The spine is sewn as opposed to glued. This will give to this Bible larger longevity. The paper is just right, not too heavy and not too thin, and it does have a bit of show-through due to this but not distracting in my eyes so I am happy with it.

The amount of articles and insights is huge. I did create a review video where I go in-depth with the details of such articles and even the commentaries on the text that I believe are excellent. I do not agree 100% with all the commentaries, but that happens with any study Bible where men place their own views, insights, understanding, personal research, etc.

I do value the fact that this edition shares the contextual frame that the Mishnah, Talmud and other Jewish writings bring to help better understand certain passages of the Holy Bible such as why Peter had an issue with his vision in Acts 10 or why he had a problem with sharing with Gentiles when his fellow Jews were present. Understanding the differences between the Torah (God's Law) and the Law of the Jews (man-made traditions that were placed by religious leaders) is key to better interpret New Testament difficult accounts that unfortunately, many have misinterpreted in the Christian world for a lack of knowledge and contextual understanding. This Complete Jewish Study Bible does a great job in fixing many of these problematic instances.

The biblical text used is the well-known CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) by David Stern, a Messianic Jewish translation.

This bible also is packed with excellent articles about Jewish customs that can definitely help to expand your personal study of the Bible. They are all framed in different coloured blocks to clearly differentiate them from the actual biblical text. I am very pleased with the graphic design work done in full colour throughout this edition.

Every book has titles, chapters and commentaries headings highlighted in a very tasteful blue, and lines in a gold (sort of) shade that separate the biblical text from the commentary placed below.

One small critique is its ultrathin ribbons. For such a bigger Bible, I would have recommended three or four 10mm double-faced satin ribbons.

I love how this study bible uses Hebrew transliterations instead of English translations of the original Hebrew names. It does contain an excellent Glossary of Hebrew words and a Glossary of English words into Hebrew (with pronunciation).

Like the original Jewish Bible and others this is good for gaining insights into the Jewish faith and history--the culture of the times; however, many bibles today are paraphrases that, naturally, reflect the editor's biases and this can be dangerous. Of course, the same is true for all "Study" bibles because about 30-40% of their comments/notes re incorrect; I've discovered over many years of studying different translations that many of these editors are "educated beyond their intellect" and many, especially all who reflect Cessationist Theology, have difficulty with many of the texts. Unfortunately, it's actually worse today than when I was at the University and then Seminary--liberal theologians rule most of the thinking of new pastors and thus hinder their ability to have a true relationship with the Lord. In addition, the Holy Spirit is often left out and we must always remember that the Spirit and the Word agree so if you leave out the Spirit then you are often merely reflecting a religious spirit and fulfilling Paul's admonition: "The letter killeth ..." My recommendation for actual Bible study and meditation is to use (and alternate each year between translations) a more literal translation such as NKJV, ESV or NASB or Amplified. However, the KJV is also a very accurate translation, just that the wording has changed but I grew up on it and still use it today. Shalom.