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Lore & Background

The term 'Tanakh' is an acronym derived from the first Hebrew letter of each of the Masoretic Text's three traditional divisions: Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. The three-part division is well attested in Rabbinic literature dating from the Masoretic period, though the term 'Tanakh' was not used then; the proper title was Mikra or Miqra. The acronym Tanakh first appears in medieval Jewish sources and later entered broader Jewish use via the responsa of Rabbi Shlomo ben Avraham ibn Aderet.

Reader's Guide

The Hebrew Bible includes small portions in Biblical Aramaic (mostly in the books of Daniel and Ezra), written and printed in Aramaic square-script, which was adopted as the Hebrew alphabet after the Babylonian captivity.

Did You Know?

• The Masoretic Text is a medieval version, compiled by Jewish scribes and scholars of the early Middle Ages.
• The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible produced by Hellenized Greek-speaking Jews of Alexandria.
• The Samaritan Pentateuch is a version of the Torah produced by the Samaritans.
• The Dead Sea Scrolls are among the sources used by modern biblical scholars.