It was established in 1961 by Eliyahu Koren, with the aim of publishing the first Hebrew Bible designed, edited, printed, and bound by Jews in nearly 500 years.

Koren Publishers Jerusalem later introduced a Hebrew/English edition of the Bible with a translation by Biblical and literary scholar Professor Harold Fisch.

The layout features side-by-side English/Aramaic translation, maps, diagrams and explanatory notes based on Rabbi Steinsaltz's original Hebrew commentary on the Talmud.

The project was hailed by Commentary Magazine as "a landmark in making the text accessible to the millions of Jews whose native (and often only) tongue is English.

In May 2014, Koren, along with Yeshiva University, announced the launch of a new series of siddurim with "a new approach to tefilla (prayer) education in the school, home, and synagogue.

"[11] The Maggid Studies in Tanakh series explores the texts, themes, and personalities of the Bible through both classic rabbinic interpretation and modern scholarly investigation.

Featuring English translations, timelines and maps, the first two books in the series — "Jeremiah: The Fate of a Prophet" by Binyamin Lau and "I Kings: Torn in Two" by Alex Israel — reveal hidden layers of meaning in these ancient texts for a contemporary audience.

A companion to the scriptural text,[12] Israel's study of remains faithful to I Kings even as it rises above a strictly technical understanding and establishes this oft-overlooked segment of the canon as highly relevant for the modern world.

[13] Lau's volume on Jeremiah, available in both Hebrew and English,[14] is "a very lucid and readable book that...challenges us to grapple with our understanding of one of our most beloved prophets who was charged with a terrible message.

The house was commended by The Jewish Week for its "fastidiously accurate and aesthetically sensitive presentation of the Hebrew Scriptures and the prayer book.

"[17] In December 2012, the Israel Postal Authority issued an official postage stamp honoring the 50th anniversary of the Koren Jerusalem Bible.