Text in Us

You’ll be hard pressed to find a more refreshing translation of these ancient and holy scriptures than this podcast. Elle and George are fantastically faithful to the original Hebrew and the visual backbone beneath the flesh of it. Anyone could benefit from this translation. ALSO: don’t let the long run times fool you! Most of the time the actual translation is in the first 5-10 minutes of audio. What follows after is normally questions from George to Elle about individual word choices (especially when it deviates from most of the common translations) or the visual representations that underpin them. I strongly recommend this podcast to all of my brothers and sister in Christ who truly want to know what the words of the Eternal are. There is Life within these stories and this is an excellent place to start or renew your wrestling match with God. As soon as this translation is available in paper format I’ll buy multiple copies. Thank you Elle. Thank you George.

The show takes an interesting approach to translation. While Elle’s Hebrew is decent, it’s not expert-level, so I’d recommend using it alongside a professional translation, rather than relying solely on this podcast. That said, the only part of each episode worth listening to is the beginning. Once the hosts dive into their interpretations, the content takes a turn for the worse. Their insights are often misleading and reveal troubling racial and sexist biases. As someone who loves the Torah, it’s frustrating to hear echoes of antisemitic stereotypes, especially claims that Jewish scriptures are sexist, cruel, or oppressive—particularly towards women. Elle’s divisive racial and anti-Israel rhetoric, both on this podcast and as a guest on others, has pushed me past my breaking point. I believe in respecting everyone, so I cannot support a podcast that demonizes people based on race—especially those they label “White” (whether Jewish or Gentile)—justifies terrorist organizations, and blames “men” for the world’s problems. The Torah, though given to the Jewish people, is a blessing for all, not just for the groups these hosts favor. I don’t know whether the hosts intend to share these divisive views or just nonchalantly let them slip. But I certainly urge listeners to be cautious of any content that seeks to divide us against one another based on race, sex, or origin.

I’ve been exploring the Bible a little bit more in depth the older I get since I have learned that translations and interpretations are anything but black and white, cut and dry. This podcast is one of a handful that I listen to to help round out my understanding and to help me along this lovely life journey (that is sometimes incredibly confusing and bewildering).

Thank you both for the time and effort you put into this podcast. I always look forward to listening to the insights that you give. I love the format you chose. This translation is beautiful and thought provoking. Keep up the inspiring work!