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NASB | Psalm 119:105 ¶ Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Psalm 119:105 ¶ Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. [Prov 6:23] |
Bible Question:
What is your favorite Bible edition? While we're discussing tools for Bible study (ID# 182749), I would like to ask a related question. What is your favorite edition of the Bible? That is, which of your Bibles do you use the most? Notice that the question is not merely what translation do you use, though that is one part of the question. What is the title, publisher and translation of the Bible you use most? Is it a study Bible, reference Bible, niche Bible or other? What is the name of it? Is your favorite Bible large print, compact, a reference edition, etc.? Give as much or as little detail as you want to. What is it about your favorite Bible that you especially like? Is it the binding, the notes, the size of the print, the cross references, concordance, etc.? For example, your favorite might be the MacArthur Study Bible, the NASB in large print, a classic reference Bible, or parallel Bible. Tell us which it is and the title. I am eager to read your replies. Grace to all, John * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. Psalm 27:5 (KJV) |
Bible Answer: John, yours is a hard question for me since here I sit so forlorn because I am so terribly torn between two favorite editions of the Bible. I'd be really hard pressed to pick and choose between these two editions of the Bible that I use and love so much. May I therefore be granted license to speak of both? But first I'd like to point out the commonality of the two editions. Both are bound in calfskin leather and are thread (Smythe) sewn. Both have proved to be durable. Both have clear and fairly large print (about 11-point size), making them easy on the eyes. Both are printed on excellent quality acid-neutral paper that does not allow the print to "bleed through" -- a defect that is all too common, and extremely annoying, with some Bibles that use a cheaper grade of ultra-thin paper that tends to be less opaque than the better papers. I never have got the hang of reading both sides of a page at the same time! ...... Now to look at each edition separately. The first of my pair of favorites is the King James Study Bible, published by Nelson. The annotations are written by a team of a dozen Bible scholars who are Southern Baptists, which may come as a surprise to some of our readers who didn't think we Southern Baptists had that many scholars :-) And the annotations are printed in a type font that is clear and nearly as large as the text itself, so no more squinting at microscopic print. The King James text is illumined considerably by the inclusion of marginal notes that update many of the difficult old words and phrases of the King James. This edition has all that one has learned to expect from a good study Bible - a fine set of maps in the back as well as in-text maps and charts, excellent introductions to all books of the Bible, a generous-sized concordance, a handy index of the annotations, a fairly detailed guide to Bible study, a useful 'harmony of the Gospels,' an exhaustive chart listing prayers of the Bible, etc. It's a remarkable library bound together in slightly over 2,000 pages. I don't find the size cumbersome to carry to study classes and worship services. It is not as skinny and light weight as the ultra-slims, but neither is it likely to cause eye strain like these tiny print Bibles can do. ....... The other favorite edition is the single-column reference edition of the NASB 1995 Update by Foundation Publications, the publishing arm of the Lockman Foundation, sponsor of this Study Bible Forum. The NASB is one of a scanty number of modern versions that I trust, and among modern versions it is my favorite. The edition has wide margins, a handy feature for those who like to make their own in-text notes. It has maps, a concordance, thousands of side references and a feature that I find especially helpful, translators' notes including a number of variant readings. ....... Sure it's subjective, but for me these two editions in a sense offer, to use a trite phrase, the best of both worlds. The King James Study Bible for sheer beauty of language that has never been matched or exceeded in English, and annotations and other helpful notes and charts that are sound and reliable. The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, side-column reference edition for a modern translation that has earned wide respect for being the most literally accurate translation in the English language today. I find myself engaging less and less in the "musical translations" game of flitting from one version to another in hopes of finding that perfect translation. It's too much like chasing rainbows and I think King Solomon would have called the practice 'vanity of vanities.' The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 holds a lesson that Christians who are obsessed with stocking up on every version that comes off the press would do well to meditate on. When Philip found the Ethiopian sitting in his chariot reading from the book of Isaiah, Philip asked him, "Understandest thou what thou readest?" And the Ethiopian replied, "How can I, except some man should guide me?" ..... So, as we all know, Philip then asked the Ethiopian, "Hast thou read this passage in the NIV and the NLT? Or peradventure thou wilt get the message better from the Message. Thine eyes wilt surely be opened and thy spirit quickened when thou readest from these." Well, this wasn't exactly the way Philip handled the situation with the Ethiopian, so perhaps we should all open to Acts 8, review the passage and find out exactly what went on in that chariot. As we read, it would be well to ask just who it was that told Philip to "Go near and join thyself to this chariot" ...... A final comment. Some people recoil at the idea of spending a hundred or more dollars for a fine edition of the Bible that should last for many years, but think nothing of spending 20 or 25 grand for a car that they will dump in three or four years -- if it lasts that long! --Hank |