Early English Bibles

I just ran across a site that may interest some of you. It is called Early English Bibles. The site has history, actual page scans and information about the major English up through the 1611 AV.

The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible

Lucado, Max. The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible. Thomas Nelson, 2010. ISBN 978-1418543969.

I was recently given a complimentary copy of the Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review purposes.

I am not a big fan of study Bibles. I prefer to use a Bible, concordance, Bible dictionary/encyclopedia then commentary (in that order). However, I was interested in this Bible for devotional purposes. I have found Lucado's writing to be both inspirational and encouraging. I requested this Bible, expecting to be able to combine Bible reading and devotional reading.

I was delighted to find this Bible using the New King James Version. I find it is readable while still sounding the way I expect Bible text to sound. I am surely biased since the NKJV was the first one I read through cover to cover.

Once I received the Bible, I discovered that is doesn't really fit the genre of "study Bible." I would class it as a devotional Bible. (By devotions I mean inspirational & encouraging writings apart from the Biblical text). Fortunately, this is exactly what I hoped it would be.

This is a sturdy hardback Bible with dustcover. It lays flat, making study very easy (It is laying open beside me as I write this review). The paper is the typical thin Bible paper which allows some bleed through from the other side.

This is not one of the Bibles with just a few inspirational pages sprinkled throughout. Nearly every page has study/devotion material. Each "lesson" includes the situation, observations, inspiration, application and exploration. In the passage on Mark 16:1-20, he describes the issues of Jesus' burial in the situation section. In the observation, he comments about Jesus and death. In inspiration he compares the death of Dwight L. Moody and that of an agnostic named Robert Ingersoll. The short application mentions our death while the exploration section lists references for five Bible passages that discuss victory over death. The inspiration section is taken from the book The Applause of Heaven also by Max Lucado.

I have read other reviews that stated the content of this Bible is a carryover from his earlier study Bible. It is clearly marked "Third Edition." If you already have a previous Lucado Bible, you may not wish to purchase this one. However, remember that this is in the New King James Version as opposed to the New Century Version of the earlier Bible.

For anyone looking for a devotional Bible, I would recommend this Bible as a good possibility. The text is clear with good headings. The devotional material is brief and engaging. As with much of Lucado's material, the notes are encouraging and interesting. The Bible also has a presentation page so this would make a good gift for that Lucado fan on your list.

The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible

The Gift New Testament

Paula Fether is continuing her translation work. Since she will be translating the entire New Testament, she has changed the name to The Gift New Testament. So far, the book of John and the letters of Paul have been finished. The new site also includes Greek interlinear, pop-up information for Greek words and pop-up copy/paste for the Greek and interlinear.

The Common English Bible

The Common English Bible New Testament has been added to Bible Gateway. Read the CEB NT for yourself!

The Bible in Rhyme

Wow, I look for new Bibles all the time. And I keep finding ones that came out a year or more past. I wish I knew how I keep missing so many. Who knows what we'll find tomorrow?

This one is The Bible in Rhyme by Kyle Holt. It was published in October, 2009. You can read a sample of his work at his website. His work is also available on Amazon.com, where you can read a sample as well.


While reading about this work, I also found out about another - The Gospels In Rhyme: Let's sing the scriptures!. This one is by William Simmer. It is also available on Amazon.com with a preview.

Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

Osborne, Grant R. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010. ISBN 978-0-310-24357-1.

I was recently given a complimentary copy of this work for review purposes. Physically, the book has a nice appearance and good quality. It lays flat on my desk as I work. It is a heavy book - no surprise since is 1154 pages long.

It has been a long time since I used a new commentary. My first impression was that this commentary has a good layout. With pages (9.5x7 inches) larger than my other commentaries the pages are far less crowded.

I was quickly able to find the information that I wanted. Of course, I could find the chapter and verse I wanted. But within each chapter (for example the one on Matthew 7:1-12) information is separated well. The sections are Literary Context, Main Idea, Translation, Structure and Literary Form, Exegetical Outline, Explanation of the Text (the largest section in this chapter) and Theology in Application.

I appreciate having these things separated as I prefer to read more technical discussions of the text first. After making my own notes, then I will read the author's ideas on application. I also found the explanations to be a good balance between the technical and the practical.

Though many seek commentaries that completely fit their theological perspective, I prefer those that accurately discuss the Scriptures regardless of one's personal opinions. In the passages I read it appears that Osborne accomplishes this. Sometimes I agreed - on occasion I did not. I see the latter as a chance for me to challenge my beliefs and explore further exactly what the Bible says. I feel this reference helps me to do just that.

One drawback for me personally was the use of Today's New International Version as the Scripture text. I do not use that version for study purposes (and rarely for any other purpose). However, it would not be a serious issue as I usually read the passage from a Bible first before going to the commentary.

A few other interesting features ar: Greek text included in the Explanation of the Text, an 8 page bibliography and a section on the theology of Matthew. Most of the information is readily accessible by reading the pertinent chapter. One does not have to read a huge introduction to discover major themes. These are referenced throughout the text.

It will take more time to determine if I will use this regularly. My initial impression is that this is an excellent reference. The ease of use and quality of the material leads me to expect to use it more often.
Matthew (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)

Wickliffe's New Testament

I just discovered a modern spelling reprint of Wycliffe's New Testament that I hadn't seen before. It isn't that new - the copyright is 2006. But in case you haven't seen it yet either, here it is:

Westcott, Stephen P. Wickliffe's New Testament. Reformation Christian Ministries, 2006. ISBN 0977344215.



Wickliffe's New Testament

Bible Facsimiles

I try to keep an updated listing of Bible facsimiles (including re-typeset editions) available. I have updated the list this morning. Please contact me if you know of a facsimile that is not listed on my Bible Facsimiles and Ancient Bible Reprints page.

Christmas Gift Ideas...

Looking for a Christmas gift for that Bible collector on your list? Here's a set I got recently that I would recommend. It is the New Testament and Old Testament by William Tyndale - in modernized language. Both are from Yale University Press and were edited by David Daniell. The New Testament volume is 480 pages. The Old Testament (containing the Pentateuch and Historical Books only) is 688 pages. Click the links below for more information:




Tyndale's New TestamentTyndale's Old Testament

The Shaw's Revised King James Bible

I'd been waiting for this Bible to clear copyright issues for some time. I missed it coming out a couple months ago. An interesting side note to this Bible is that Dr. Shaw earned his doctorate, wrote a book and produced this Bible version all while in in prison. He has "made revisions and amendments to correct the flaws, errors, and interpolations that are in today's Bible." Click the links below to see more information on Amazon.com.

The Shaw's Revised King James Holy Bible

Bible Reader's Museum Downloads

I have added a new section to the Bible Reader's Museum for downloads. Featured right now are Bibles and books formatted by Tom Savage for reading on your computer. The files are PDF format with indexes for easy access. Has provided the following: American Standard Version 1901, The Antiquities of the Jews 1737 with Index, Brenton's Deuterocanonical Apocrypha 1851 With Appendix, Brenton's Septuagint Old Testament 1844 with Appendix, Jewish Publication Society 1917, King James Version 1611, The Wars of the Jews 1737 and Youngs Literal Translation 1898. Visit my website and click on downloads for access.