8:35 PM 5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Bible | ||||
#ask a bible question #5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a BibleBy Sam O'Neal. The Bible Expert Sam O'Neal is a professional writer and editor with a life-long passion for and appreciation of the Bible. Sam is coauthor of The Bible Answer Book and Managing Editor of The Quest Study Bible (3rd edition). If you ever get the urge to see a mind-numbing list of options to choose from, just search for the word Bible on Amazon.com. In fact, you can do that right now just by clicking this link. As I write this, the search turns up more than 525,000 results. And that makes sense, right? The Bible is the best-selling, most-influential book of all time. It has impacted human history unlike anything else. Therefore, you d expect to see a lot options for people who want to access the Scriptures or learn more about them. Continue Reading Below On the other hand, the extreme number of choices and available options can make it difficult for people who want to actually experience the Bible—people like you and me. Choosing which Bible to use or purchase in today s world requires us to a lot of narrowing down. I d like to help you in that process, which is why I ve written up the following five questions to help you choose a Bible that s just right for you. 1. How will you consume the Word?Because there are many types of Bibles, you have a lot of options when it comes to how you will actually digest God s Word. (Not literally digest -- there aren t that many options!) For example, if you like listening to people read, there are a number of audio Bibles available. The best of these feature professional actors reading through the Word in a way that brings some life and clarity to the text -- especially for auditory learners. Furthermore, audio Bibles can be accessed through physical CDs or by downloading the files to your tablet or phone. Speaking of tablets and phones, there are also many ways to gain electronic access to the Scriptures. Continue Reading Below Most new Bibles can be purchased through the Kindle store or through iBooks. There are also quite a few Apps that help users access and interact with the biblical text. Some Apps are pretty simple and basically function like eBooks. Other Apps have lots of bells and whistles, including multiple translations and reading plans that help you move through the Scriptures in an organized way. YouVersion is the most famous of these Apps, and probably the best. Of course, if you prefer to interact with a book by sitting by the fire and flipping pages, there are still plenty of print Bibles available through online retailers and bookstores around the world. 2. What translation do you prefer?The Scriptures were originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, which means the vast majority of Bibles that exist today are translations that have taken those ancient languages and made them accessible to modern readers. That being the case, it s helpful to understand that there are many different versions of Bible translations -- each with their own strengths and weaknesses. I ve written a separate article that offers a quick overview of each major translation, which is a good place to start if you re unfamiliar with the differences. Otherwise, here are a few of my personal opinions on the different translations available today:
3. How much do you want to pay?You can pretty much choose how much you want to spend on a Bible. And you should choose -- there s no need to pay for special covers and internal features unless you want to. For example, here are seven easy ways to access the Bible for free . If you re in the market to purchase a Bible, do a little homework and figure out which features you re willing to pay for. Would you like leather binding? Would you like full-color maps and illustrations? Would you like extensive study notes? You can get all of these features, but they each add a bit to the overall cost of a Bible. It s your choice which ones you purchase. For the sake of comparison, a plain, no-nonsense Bible shouldn t cost more than $5 to $10. 4. How much extra information do you need?Study notes are one of the main extra features found in many Bibles today. These notes are included on the same page as the biblical text (typically at the bottom), and provide extra information on key verses, themes, people, and places. Much of this information seeks to explain the context of the biblical text -- what was happening in the culture when the text was written, what different words meant in the original languages, what different interpretations are possible, and so on. If you compare the notes of different study Bibles on the market today, you ll find that most of these extra features are similar. There are exceptions, though. The Archaeological Study Bible has way more information than most other Bibles -- including full-color maps and images of ancient artifacts, cities, cultural items, and so on. The Quest Study Bible takes another approach to the study notes idea. Instead of tidbits of information, each page of the Quest Bible includes questions people typically ask about the biblical text on that page. (I had the privilege of serving as the Managing Editor of the most recent revision for the Quest, and it was a great experience.) Again, if you do a little homework on the extra features that are available, you can purchase the ones you like and avoid the ones you don t need. 5. How much do you want to squint?Bibles come in all shapes and sizes, so pick the specific one that fits your needs -- especially in terms of size. I ll be honest: I don t like small Bibles. I don t enjoy squinting at tiny letters on a tiny page. I like to have the kind of Bible that takes two hands to open and hold. Think about the different ways you plan to use and carry your copy of God s Word. If you need something that fits in your purse or glove compartment, there are plenty of smaller Bibles available. There are also many large-print editions of most Bibles, if that would be helpful. As you answer the five questions about, you ll be well on your way to the right Bible for your life and your needs.
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