Everett Fox
Encyclopedia
Everett Fox is a scholar and translator
of the Hebrew Bible
, a graduate of Brandeis University
. He is currently the Allen M. Glick Professor of Judaic and Biblical Studies and director of the program in Jewish Studies at Clark University
.
Fox is perhaps best known for his translation into English
of the Torah
. His translation is heavily influenced by the principles of Martin Buber
and Franz Rosenzweig
. Buber in 1962 completed their translation of the Hebrew Bible
into German
. Fox translated their Scripture and Translation into English (Weissbort and Eysteinsson 562). The main guiding principle of the work is that the sound of the Hebrew text should be translated as closely as possible. Instances of word play
, pun
s, word repetition, alliteration
, and other literary devices of sound are reproduced in English.
Fox's translation of the Torah was published in 1995 by Schocken Books (a division of Random House
) as The Five Books of Moses. Fox continues to translate, and in 1999 published Give Us a King!, a translation of the books of Samuel
.
Fox served as a religious consultant on the making of the film Prince of Egypt.
Fox is the husband of Jewish educator Rabbi Cherie Koller-Fox and father of three children, Akiva Fox, Leora Koller-Fox, and Ezra Fox.
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
, a graduate of Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. He is currently the Allen M. Glick Professor of Judaic and Biblical Studies and director of the program in Jewish Studies at Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
.
Fox is perhaps best known for his translation into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
of the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. His translation is heavily influenced by the principles of Martin Buber
Martin Buber
Martin Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of religious existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship....
and Franz Rosenzweig
Franz Rosenzweig
Franz Rosenzweig was an influential Jewish theologian and philosopher.-Early life:Franz Rosenzweig was born in Kassel, Germany to a middle-class, minimally observant Jewish family...
. Buber in 1962 completed their translation of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. Fox translated their Scripture and Translation into English (Weissbort and Eysteinsson 562). The main guiding principle of the work is that the sound of the Hebrew text should be translated as closely as possible. Instances of word play
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
, pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s, word repetition, alliteration
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
, and other literary devices of sound are reproduced in English.
Fox's translation of the Torah was published in 1995 by Schocken Books (a division of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
) as The Five Books of Moses. Fox continues to translate, and in 1999 published Give Us a King!, a translation of the books of Samuel
Books of Samuel
The Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
.
Fox served as a religious consultant on the making of the film Prince of Egypt.
Fox is the husband of Jewish educator Rabbi Cherie Koller-Fox and father of three children, Akiva Fox, Leora Koller-Fox, and Ezra Fox.
Selected publications
- Give Us a King!: A New English Translation of the Book of Samuel, 1999 ISBN 0805241604
- The Five Books of Moses: (The Schocken Bible, Volume 1) A New English Translation with Commentary and Notes, 1995 ISBN 0805211195
- Scripture and Translation (translation of Buber and Rosenzweig, Die Schrift und ihre Verdeutschung) -- introduction, co-editor and co-translator with Lawrence Rosenwald. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 1994.
- Stalking the Younger Brother: Some Models for Understanding a Biblical Motif. Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentJournal for the Study of the Old TestamentThe Journal for the Study of the Old Testament is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers five times a year in the field of Biblical Studies. The journal's editors are John Jarick and Keith Whitelam...
18:45-68. 1993. - The Bible and Its World," in Barry Holtz, ed., The Schocken Guide to Jewish Books. New York: Schocken Books. 1992.