Nahum Sarna, the Dora Golding Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Brandeis and a world renowned biblical scholar, died June 23 in Boca Raton at the age of 82. Sarna, father of Prof. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS), is best known for editing a modern collection of commentaries on the Bible and helping to translate Kethuvim, a book of religious writings for the Jewish Publication Society.

His book Understanding Genesis won the 1966 National Jewish Book Award and his four other books on the Bible and the Psalms received critical acclaim. He also wrote over 100 scholarly articles.

Through his career, Professor Sarna focused his scholarship on the books of Genesis, Exodus, Psalms and Job. Aside from his research, he received great joy from his interactions with students.

Students and colleagues recall his zest for his students and subject. Professor Sarna deeply valued the interchange of ideas in the classroom, they say. He was known to incorporate the ideas of former students, written on note cards, in his lectures and discussions.

Many of Professor Sarna's students went on to become scholars in their fields.

Near Eastern and Judaic studies chair Marc Brettler, who was a student of Professor Sarna's in 1975, remembers his ability to "impart the best of scholarship in a clear and engaging fashion."

Other former students, including Michael Fishbane and Prof. Jeffrey Tigay admired Sarna's teaching style and unique approach to research. Fishbane, a professor of Jewish studies at the University of Chicago, recalled Professor Sarna as "urbane and witty, always liking to make a pun if he could, and he demonstrated that Judaic Studies was part and parcel of the humanities in every respect."

Sarna felt that a mutual respect between professor and student was of the utmost importance.

"For him, knowledge could only be passed on and acquired in an atmosphere of respect and love, and this is how he wanted us to relate to our colleagues and students," said Lawrence Shiffman, a former student of Sarna's who is now a professor of Hebrew studies at New York University.

Born in England in 1923, Prof. Sarna received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of London. He was ordained as a rabbi at the Jews' College in London and earned his Ph.D. in biblical studies and Semitic languages from Dropsie College in Philadelphia.

Before coming to Brandeis in 1965, Professor Sarna taught at Gratz College in Philadelphia in 1951 and at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 1957.

As a professor in NEJS and the head of the department for seven years, he nurtured the next generation of scholars in that field.

Sarna also helped found and later direct the Association for Jewish Studies.

In 1985, Sarna left Brandeis to teach at Columbia, Yale and finally Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, all the while publishing books and articles about interpretations of the Bible and close reading of texts.

His son, Prof. Jonathan Sarna, who specializes in American Jewish history, calls his father "a great expert in how to read text and a true biblical scholar."

Since his father's death, Jonathan Sarna has received hundreds of letters from former students telling of the impact his father had on their lives. "Dad was always gratified to see university teaching's impact on people," he said.

Sarna is survived by his wife Helen Horowitz, 58, sons Jonathan and David and five grandchildren.