This new 2019 volume is a Hebrew and English high quality large family Bible of 2200 pages produced with the Bible Society in Israel, containing both the Old and New Testaments with restoration of original names and meanings, copiously illustrated with some 250 pieces of art by Elhanan ben-Avraham, a Jewish artist living in the Holy Land.
It may be purchased online directly from www.biblesocietyinisrael.com and Amazon.com, (pre-order $100+shipping; retail $120+shipping) or hopefully soon at your local Bible book store.
ENDORSEMENTS
For more than three decades I have highly valued the artistic expression of Elhanan ben-Abraham, an Israeli of strong biblical faith. That he has contributed his magnificent artistic abilities in co-labor with the Bible Society of Israel to produce such a beautifully graphic display of the full revelation of God’s Word, should thrill every serious Bible student, congregational leader and academic professor. Elhanan’s depictions of biblical events are astounding in both their clarity and correctness of the biblical message. Every professor, pastor and parent will celebrate the ongoing vividness this Illustrated Bible offers those wanting to fully digest and take true energy from the Word of God- Genesis to Revelation.
Raymond L. Gannon, Ph.D. Messianic Jewish Bible Institute, Academic Dean
The new Jerusalem Illustrated Bible is an amazing product. There is the improved translation. Then there is the amazing art work by Elhanan ben-Avraham, truly beautiful and authentic. This will be the standard Bible in Hebrew and English for many years!
-Daniel Juster, Th. D., Restoration from Zion of Tikkun Global
Masterfully done! The layout of this inter-columnal Hebrew-English Bible is beautiful, as is the compelling artwork of Elhanan ben-Avraham. This should be the family Bible on the coffee table in the home of every sincere believer, readily available for their family devotions.
–William C. Watson, MDiv MA PhD, Professor, Colorado Christian University
The Book, this is the meaning of the word BIBLE. Books are galore. THE BOOK is only one commonly called the Bible. This new Bible that is published by the Bible Society and illustrated by a master artist Elhanan ben-Avraham is truly THE BOOK! What makes this Bible special are the hundreds of illustrations in pen, pencil, and brush. The illustrations are a modern form of illustration and a commentary at the same time. This Bible has added some important small diamonds in the interpretation of a few key passages that relay on an understanding of both the Hebrew and Greek seen from a first century Jewish perspective. Read it and enjoy the Word of God with the beautiful illustrations and drink the pure waters of the Holy Spirit that flow to bring you glow to your life now and eternally.
-Joseph Shulam, Director, Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministries, Jerusalem
I just received a copy of the Jerusalem Illustrated Bible to review. It is, in a word, “Breathtaking!” The Hebrew text and the English translation is laid out in an easy to read, side by side format, and the illustrations are done by one of the finest artists I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Elhanan’s rendering of the various scenes described in the Word of God bring those narratives to life. This Bible is a work of art, and one that you and your family will cherish.
-Rabbi Burt Yellin– Congregation Roeh Israel, Denver, Colorado; former Vice President and General Secretary of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations.
Elhanan’s illustrations are a unique genre of his own making. As one of the first and pioneer artists in the Messianic community in Jerusalem, his art seeks not only to portray the story line involved, but also the heart and spirit of the events and personalities involved. In this sense his drawings are “illustrations” in the deepest sense of the word: illuminating the picture. (I recall visiting Elhanan in the mid 1990’s as he worked on the giant and impressive mural painting of “The Garden of Eden” at the Jerusalem Youth Center.) It would be worth taking notice of the facial expressions, surroundings, clothing and many other details, all worked out with the detail-conscious eye of the artist. Of course, Elhanan is a master at bringing out the Jewish psyche, culture and environment of his subjects. The feel from his pictures is that they bring out not only the universal meaning but also the struggle and passion of the individual’s soul in each portrait.
-Asher Intrater– Tikkun Ministries, leader of Kehilat Ahavat Yeshua, Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Illustrated Bible is an illustrated Bible like no other. Its brightness and accessibility will open up the sacred text for family reading. Serious students of Scripture, who might assume that an illustrated version is for someone else, will discover a treasure as well. These illustrations draw the reader into the drama, nuance, and impact of the text itself, and at the same time are rich works of art on their own terms. Artist Elhanan ben-Avraham brings decades of life in Israel and in the words of Scripture—and a gifted artistic imagination—to his interpretation of the Bible, and readers of all varieties will benefit.
-Rabbi Russ Resnik- Rabbinic Counsel, Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations.
There is always room for one new Bible with authentic biblical illustrations. That Bible has been produced by the Bible Society in Israel. The Jerusalem Illustrated Bible combines the Hebrew with the English translation and weds it with fresh illustrations by known and accomplished Israeli artist Elhanan ben-Avraham. The result is a family friendly Bible that enhances understanding through the true to life artistic renderings of the people, the places and the scenes of the biblical stories. The original illustrations alone are worth the price of this Bible.
-Elliot Klayman– Executive Director, Messianic Literature Outreach
So glad to see a Bible, both Testaments, come from Israel and illustrated by a true son of Abraham, Elhanan ben-Avraham. The art is great and the Hebrew and English together will be treat for those who know the language and even for those who don’t. Glad to see something like this . . . and coming from Israel as well! Something unique, for sure.
-Clifford Goldstein, Editor, Adventist Adult Bible Study Guide.
In my junior high school art class in 1958 there was an artistic prodigy, a kid who could really draw. I and his other classmates were shocked that someone so young could be so good. I befriended that boy a few years later, and have had the privilege of watching him develop into an artistic talent of rare ability. During the past sixty years he has added writing – essays, stories, and most importantly, poems to his repertoire of drawing, painting, and sculpture. I was also able to keep track of his pursuit of a quest, a drive that took him to France, where he lived for years, and then to Brazil, where he lived for more years. In Brazil he had a very powerful experience, one so powerful that it directed him to Israel, where he found and married his soul mate, raised a beautiful family, and embarked upon on a four-decade exploration of the message encoded in the Holy Bible. His expression of that message, as he understands it, resulted in what I believe is his finest prose, poetry, and images.
The images reproduced in this Illustrated Bible took him forty years to create, and I believe they represent the culmination, at least so far, of the quest he began during the Kennedy administration. But I am sure there is much more to come.
Dr. James E. Spar– professor of psychiatry, UCLA medical Center, Neuropsychiatric Institute.
I heartily recommend the Jerusalem Illustrated Bible to all–old and young, Jew and Gentile.
This Bible creates a first-century Jewish and Land of Israel-based background to the narratives. This is helpful in understanding the written text, and brings us closer to the world in which the events of Scripture occurred.
I love the emotion and the intensity that is captured in the illustrations of Elhanan ben Avraham. The hope as reflected in Genesis chapter 12’s promises to Abraham; the courage and the odds faced by David when squaring off to the death against Goliath; the range of emotions present at the Akeda (Genesis 22); the peace and calming effect of Yeshua on his students as he addresses them from the shores of the sea; the incredible, indescribable and grateful feelings of receiving the dead back to life; all of these are communicated as the artwork brings to life what a simple reading of the narrative by itself does not often do.
Families that read the Bible together will enjoy this version, and it will make a wonderful gift for all occasions.
David Friedman, PhD, Director, Bet Midrash Heart of Zion, Jerusalem, Israel