The Rational Bible: Genesis by Dennis Prager

just recevied the book, few people talked good about Dennis and even on my church some peole reads his book so I decided to buy it.

It is so clear and easy to read and understand. I’m loving and have ordered next one.

I started with Dennis Prager’s Exodus commentary a few months ago and couldn’t wait to read his Genesis commentary. This is by far the best book I’ve found to deepen my understanding of the Bible. I’ve attended church since birth and know many of the Bible stories, but have struggled to really understand who was who and what was happening. As a parent it has helped me feel confident as I teach our children.I’ve desired a book like this for years and I’m grateful to have found Dennis. I’m looking forward to reading the next three commentaries he writes. Now I desire to find something like this for every book of the Bible.This book will proudly be added to our library. Highly recommend reading this book and other books by Dennis Prager.

Exactly as expected! Happy with order

Very good, easy read, and insightful. I love the explanations of the Hebrew language.

Love having these in print. I have them on Kindle and Audible but I want to be able to highlight and make notes. There is just something about holding the Bible in your hands.

The bible print style makes it easy to read. I enjoy the study content it gives me information on the bible I have not gotten anywhere else.

I Love It!!!!! Thank you! Learning about Genesis has been such a Joy! Thank you, again!

Incredible book. God bless Dennis Prager for giving us this commentary. As someone who has struggled with faith my faith and the Bible in general (always believed in God but have wrestled deeply) this book has given me deep understanding and peace. I often feel bored with books but I can’t seem to put this down. It calls to me and I look forward to reading it daily.

Excellent!! Just waiting for one more volume to come out then I’ll have the whole law set. The quality is great!! Hope he makes more

Beautiful fact filled book on Genesis. Highly recommend.

We love Dennis Prager and anything he writes or speaks about! We found his series of the Rational Bible most valuable and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the Bible (the Old Testament) learning in simplistic terms! There are many who enjoy reading Bible stories & then again others who find comfort in reading the Bible. I highly recommend the series to anyone who enjoys Dennis Prager!

Fabulous! Amazing! Deep but understandable for the regular soul...Thanks Dennis!!! Praying you finish the all!!!

I picked this one up because I’ve recently started re-reading a Bible with commentaries from a Christian perspective, but I also wanted to read Prager’s commentaries on the first five books both because I was interested in the more detailed commentary one can get when one reads an entire volume dedicated to each book of the Bible/Torah but also because I wanted to make sure I also picked up on some Jewish perspectives in my study.This commentary contains the entire text of Genesis taken from the Jewish Publication Society, along with Prager’s commentaries offered verse by verse and line by line. Each story is fully explained, almost every line commented upon, and when necessary, alternative translations to certain passages are provided. It’s important to recognize that this isn’t the kind of scholarly work that traces each word or passage through history and provides an exhaustive list of potential interpretations. The interpretation you will receive here is the author’s. But the book does do a decent job of contextualizing certain difficult passages in history or in their original language. Where I think it really shines, though, is in helping the reader to draw nuggets of wisdom from Genesis and apply them to the moral, psychological, or social issues of modernity.One of the great lessons Prager repeatedly points out is that the Patriarchs, as described in Genesis, invariably come from dysfunctional families. They’re deeply flawed people with, adjusting for technological change, many of the same problems we face today. And I think that’s the real value in a book like Genesis and, questions of divine authorship aside, a big part of why we still study it all these thousands of years later.Of the entire Biblical corpus, I think Genesis has always been one of the greatest struggles for me to understand. I’m certainly not claiming to understand it even now, but I can say that my understanding at least has deepened thanks to Prager’s observations and commentaries. In his introduction, he explicitly states that he’s written this book not only for his fellow Jews but for Christians and indeed perhaps especially for non-religious readers. His contention is that a rational reading of the Bible will lead one to conclude it was divine in origin. From where I sit, I’m not sure his commentary will take a reader from atheism into religious observance, but it will at the very least give the reader a stronger sense of why religious people take the Bible so seriously and help to situate it within its historic and scholarly context.It should be noted, though, that Christians or those who want to understand the Christian interpretation of Genesis will require additional commentaries to fill in some gaps. I don’t think most Christians will take issue with much of what Prager has written, but there are certain omissions from his commentary that might help readers connect the Torah with the New Testament. For example, Prager views the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac in the context of God determining whether Abraham would do for the true God what many other human cultures have done for their false gods at a time when human sacrifice was common and to teach us that faith requires sacrifice. Fair enough. I think Christians and Jews alike can agree with that interpretation. However, the Christian reader would likely add an additional interpretive layer and argue that this episode anticipates Christ’s sacrifice. Similar distinctions between Christian and Jewish thinking can be found throughout this commentary. In large part, that adds to the value for me because I’m much more familiar with Christian thought so the different perspectives were useful in my own study.The style and tone is fairly conversational, which I think is what Prager does best, though serious scholars already intimately familiar with the subject might find some of its treatment a smidge on the superficial side or might want more linguistic scholarship in place of social commentary, though I for one welcomed it as a way to modernize an ancient document without sacrificing fidelity to the text.

Dennis Prager's *The Rational Bible* has ignited meaningful discussions about morality in the modern world, highlighting the relevance of biblical teachings in addressing today's moral and ethical dilemmas. Prager presents the Bible as a rational, practical guide, asserting that its principles offer clarity and direction in an increasingly secular society.One of the significant contributions of Prager's work is its ability to bridge the divide between religious and secular audiences. His rationalist approach appeals to those who might not typically engage with religious texts, fostering broader conversations about the foundation of morality and the influence of divine principles on ethical behavior.Moreover, Prager's commentary underscores the moral distinctions introduced by the Torah, such as the separation between good and evil, life and death, and sacred and profane. These distinctions challenge contemporary perspectives that often blur such lines, positioning his work at the center of debates on the necessity of objective morality.The hardcover editions of *The Rational Bible* are also highly regarded for their quality and presentation. With durable binding, clear print, and a polished appearance, they are well-suitbied for long-term use and study.

Dennis finally made the Old Testament interesting. Great read but it is still religious text which I feel like is never as good as a regular good book. I learned a lot though!

I'm not Jewish, but Christian, and I am doing a bible in a year reading plan with a group from church. We are in Exodus now, so I'm currently reading that one alongside the daily readings, but this book DEFINITELY helped with my Genesis reading. Prager isn't Christian, so there are times where he offers explanations to certain things and my explanation will be "That's Jesus" and he's clearly not going to say that... but this is a great book to read alongside and help understand the scripture. I'm going to be so lost when we move to Leviticus and I don't have Prager walking me through it.

Dennis Prager is a gift to mankind. A clear commentary that gives food for thought.

Among other things it has given me a more clear understanding of the evils to do with the latest Godless doctrine and philosophy of "Gender Affirming Care" and all that comes with it.

Read this book! You won’t regret having this on your bookshelf and to use as reference. DP is a phenomenal teacher of the word.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever touched. The cover, the inside pages and the fonts. The book is laid out strategically and very easy to read and follow. Dennis Prager did a fantastic job with explaining Genesis. I originally ordered the Kindle edition and later ordered a hard copy as a gift. If you have any interest at all in reading Genesis I would start here and then go to the Bible.

Ok

Love Dennis Prager's commentaries. Gives a very matter-of-fact approach, which I find refreshing. Easy font on the eyes and you read chapter after chapter without realizing it.

Whether you’re a person of faith, a skeptic or even an atheist, Dennis Prager’s commentary on Genesis will leave you with a deep respect and appreciation for the depth of the understanding of the human condition to be found in the first book of the Bible. Prager has an uncanny gift for analyzing the ancient stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau and others and extracting valuable life lessons as relevant today as they were more than three thousand years ago. His language is clear and engaging to the point where it is hard to put the book down. The tone is more conversational than erudite, though it is clear that Prager’s work is the product of years of careful study and thoughtful reflection. Drawing on sources ranging from Maimonides to Alan Dershowitz, Prager has created an inspirational gift to a world hungry for hope and meaning.

As always Dennis Prager has very excellent insight to Jewish history and law!

Dennis relates the Bible stories and Judeo -Christian value to our daily lives and politics. Though I disagree with his view that people today are superstitious in “science “ , (which these two terms contradict each other). Still, this book restates the necessity of Christian in our society.

Prager is brilliant. Great study on genisis