For Jews: Are these versions of the Tanakh correct?
Christian translations make alterations to support the idea that Jesus could be the Messiah. Christians are so used to seeing this that they tend to gloss over the changes and accept them as simple word choice. That’s not the case — they are theologically-motivated alterations. There are two different names used for G-d in the texts. One is Elohim, the other is the sacred name which we don’t pronounce. There’s an old convention of using LORD in block caps to indicate the sacred name (this comes from the practice of saying ‘Adonai’ instead (‘master’ or ‘lord’) when chanting Torah. Since ‘Lord’ has taken on such strong Christian connotations, some Jewish versions use GOD instead to indicate the Tetragrammaton.
I have found the JPS Tanakh to be a modern but generally reliable translation. I also enjoy reading the Artscroll/Mesorah Tanach, which is more orthodox. There is probably no perfect translation. We do not fully understand everything about biblical Hebrew today. Many Orthodox Jews use G-d because they consider “God” to be a divine name that should not be printed out in full on perishable materials like paper. GOD in block caps probably reflects the most sacred name of God, YHWH, which is not pronounced.
