Currently, significant textual witnesses are available only from around the 3rd century BCE, with the first translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, known as the Septuagint, dating back to this time. Later, other ancient translations emerged as additional indirect witnesses, notably the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Aramaic Targum. The oldest complete transcription of the Hebrew Bible known today is the Codex Leningradensis, dating to 1008 CE, and the Aleppo Codex, from 930 CE, which is about a hundred years older but unfortunately no longer complete.

The Leningrad and Aleppo Codices represent two exemplary cases of the Masoretic Text, the version proclaimed as definitive by Jewish scribes around 100 CE. Given the incomplete nature of textual witnesses prior to the Masoretic Text, reconstructing the original text of the Hebrew Bible is impossible. To present a uniform text in a printed edition, it is therefore appropriate to use the Masoretic Text, accompanied by a critical apparatus containing respective variants and suggested corrections to the Masoretic Text where applicable.

The BHS, which reflects over a hundred years of Old Testament textual research, is structured according to this principle. Today, the BHS is used worldwide and is considered a highly reliable edition of the Hebrew Bible across all denominations, providing the foundation for both academic studies and all faithful biblical translations. Since 2004, it has been gradually replaced by the Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ), which is initially being published in individual fascicles.