|
|
(KJV) The King James Version Of The Bible, first published in 1611, was commissioned by James I of England to settle matters being disputed within the Church of England. Its official title was the Authorized Version. Its style and rhythm won it a secure and enduring popularity in the English-speaking world. But its archaic language can obscure the true meaning for modern readers. The common KJV in use today is a 1769 edition that revised spelling and punctuation and attempted to correct many misprints in copies circulating at that time.
(NAB) New American Bible, Revised Edition, published in 2011, is an official Catholic translation of the Bible written in modern English. The books of the Apocrypha are incorporated into the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible. Otherwise, it does not differ significantly from Protestant Bibles.
(NAS) The New American Standard Bible, published in 1971, is a scholarly update of the 1901 ASV. Sponsored by the Lockman Foundation, the translators used the best available Greek and Hebrew texts as a guide.
(NIV) The New International Version Of The Bible, a completely new translation of ancient Greek and Hebrew texts sponsored by the New York International Bible Society, was first published in 1978 and updated in 2011. Its clear, direct modern English makes it easy to read and understand.
(NLT) The New Living Translation, published in 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust, is a thought-by-thought translation by 90 Bible scholars from various theological backgrounds and denominations. The goal was to create a text that would convey the same meaning to modern readers that the original Hebrew and Greek texts had for the original readers. Entire thoughts (rather than just words) are translated into natural, everyday English. The end result is a translation that is very easy to read and understand.
(NRSV) The New Revised Standard Version Bible, published by The National Council of Churches in 1989, is an update of the highly regarded Revised Standard Version of 1952. The language is very modern, but the style is more traditional than the NIV. The NRSV uses gender-inclusive language in places where the original Hebrew and Greek Bible texts would have been understood to apply to both men and women.
(TLB) The Living Bible, published in 1971, is a popular paraphrased version written by Kenneth N. Taylor, who began this version to help his own children understand the New Testament Letters of Paul. As a result, the language is exceptionally clear and direct, making this Bible suitable for all ages. By nature, though, the accuracy of any paraphrased version is subject to debate.
(TNIV) Today's New International Version is a 2001 update of the 1978 NIV. The TNIV uses gender-inclusive language in places where the original Hebrew and Greek Bible texts would have been understood to apply to both men and women.
William Barclay, The New Daily Study Bible, Third Ed., Saint Andrew Press, 2001. A series of 17 volumes that give extensive historical background, interpretation and commentary on each section of each book of the New Testament.
Bruce Barton, ed., Life Application Bible Study Notes, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1991. Section-by-section explanations of each book of the Bible with emphasis on application to everyday life. The study notes, along with various translations of the Bible, are published as the Life Application Study Bible.
Bruce Barton, et. al., Life Application New Testament Commentary, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2001. Verse-by-verse commentary on the New Testament with emphasis on application to everyday life.
Dianne Bergant, ed., The Collegeville Bible Commentary - Old Testament, Liturgical Press, 1992. A collection of section-by-section explanations of each book of the Old Testament. These commentaries are based on the New American Bible and follow the Catholic arrangement of Old Testament books.
James Montgomery Boice, The Parables of Jesus, The Moody Bible Institute, 1983. Analysis of Jesus' parables and their application to the modern world.
John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible, Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Verse-by-verse commentary on the entire Bible.
John Barton and John Muddiman, eds., Oxford Bible Commentary, Oxford University Press, 2001. Section-by-section commentary on each book of the Bible from a scholarly viewpoint.
Thomas Bokenkotter, A Concise History of the Catholic Church, Doubleday, 1990. A scholarly history of Catholic Christianity from its beginning to the present era.
Madeleine I. Boucher, The Parables, Michael Glazier, Inc., 1983. A scholarly analysis of Jesus' parables with emphasis on their original meaning and interpretation within first century Jewish society.
Charles T Chapman, Jr., The Message of the Book of Revelation, Liturgical Press, 1995. An understandable phrase-by-phrase explanation of the Book of Revelation which is based on the best scholarly research of the past 100 years and which avoids the fanciful interpretations popularized in recent years.
Philip W. Comfort , ed., Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Tyndale House Publishers, 2005. 20 volumes with extensive analysis and background information for each passage in the Bible.
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, public domain. A classic devotional verse-by-verse commentary dating back over three centuries
Robert B. Hughes and J. Carl Laney, Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary, The Tyndale Reference Library, Tyndale House Publishers, 2001. A brief overview commentary of each passage in the Bible.
Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity, Macmillan, 1976. A scholarly history of Christianity with good coverage of the Protestant Reformation.
Robert J. Karris, ed., The Collegeville Bible Commentary - New Testament, Liturgical Press, 1992. A collection of section-by-section explanations of each book of the New Testament. Based on the New American Bible.
Mark A. Levine and Eugene Rachlis, The Complete Book of Bible Quotations, Pocket Books, 1986. Bible quotations arranged by topic.
Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995. Encyclopedia of people, places, things and doctrines of the Bible, arranged by topic. Includes references to relevant Bible passages.
I. Howard Marshall, ed., New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Intervarsity Press, 1996. Encyclopedia of people, places, things and doctrines of the Bible, arranged by topic. Includes references to relevant Bible passages.
James L. Mays, ed., Harper's Bible Commentary, Harper, 1988. Section-by-section commentary, interpretation and historical perspective on each book of the Bible from a scholarly viewpoint.
Orville J. Nave, Nave's Topical Bible, public domain. A classic list of Bible references arranged by topic. Contains over 100,000 Scripture passages cross-referenced under nearly 20,000 Bible topics.
James Orr, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, public domain. Encyclopedia of people, places, things and doctrines of the Bible, arranged by topic. Includes references to relevant Bible passages.
Leo Rosten, Religions of America, Simon & Schuster, 1975. History and beliefs of the various denominations in the United States.
Donald Senior, ed., The Catholic Study Bible, Oxford University Press, 1990. Contains the Catholic version of the Bible, The New American Bible, plus extensive study guides, notes, and histories of each of the books.
James Strong, Strong's Greek/Hebrew Dictionary (electronic database), Tristar Publishing, 1989. Cross references to every verse of the Bible with the original Hebrew and Greek words and their definitions.
Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 1885. A classic scholarly dictionary of New Testament Greek words and definitions.
Tyndale House, New Living Translation Study Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2008. Verse-by-verse commentary on the Bible.
Merrill F. Unger, The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, 1988. Encyclopedia of people, places, things and doctrines of the Bible, arranged by topic. Includes references to relevant Bible passages.
William E. Vine, Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Thomas nelson Publishers, 1985. Provides detailed discussions of major Bible words, logically arranging the original Greek and Hebrew words under their common English translations.
Gayla Visalli, ed., After Jesus, The Reader's Digest Association, 1992. The development of Christianity, from AD 30 - 600.
J. F. Walvoord, R. B. Zuck & Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures, Victor Books, 1983-1985. Commentary and interpretation on each book and each verse of the Bible.
Kaari Ward, ed., Jesus and His Times, The Reader's Digest Association, 1987. History and geography of the times and places of New Testament events.
G.J. Wenham, et. al., New Bible Commentary, 21st Century Edition, Intervarsity Press, 1994. Section-by-section explanations of each book of the Bible.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament, Victor Books, 1992. Section-by-section commentary on the New Testament.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament, Victor Books, 1993. Section-by-section commentary on the Old Testament.