Before I get going, I want to point out that I don't consider myself and expert on how our Bible came to be. However the Lord did have me open and run a Christian bookstore for Him for a couple of years for Him, about 20 years ago. Since then He has had me selling used books for a living - so I have more Bible than most people and have some experience from the perspective of Bible salesman in a store.
Now Abraham didn't have a Bible yet he still was able to come to know the Lord. So a Bible isn't needed to know the Lord but it is advisable. The very first words I personally heard from the Lord were "Read Your Bible." It hit me pretty hard with those words, and I now hear from Him about a dozen times a day. He once told me:
WHAT TEACHER DOESN’T PUT A BOOK IN FRONT OF HIS STUDENTS TODAY; YET NOT JUST A BOOK BUT OVERHEAD TRANSPARENCIES, VISUALS, AND OTHER MATERIAL? FOR I TELL YOU TRULY, IF THEY ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME THEY ARE NOT MY PUPIL, THEY ARE NOT MY STUDENT; I TELL YOU TRULY, THEY ARE NOT MY DISCIPLE UNLESS THEY ARE HEARING FROM ME. SO DON’T TELL THEM TO READ THE BOOK, THEM TO TAKE THE CLASS!”
So if He is our "Teacher" we as His students should be reading the textbook.
We should read and study our Bible, and we have a lot of versions of the Bible to choose from today. So which Bible should be "our" Bible? Well - that depends a lot on you; what you want and what is best for you. Frankly, as a Christian talking about what is best for you personally, I believe you need to talk to the Lord and listen to His advice. Still, to help I can give you some information about the Bibles available so you can make your conversation with the Lord a bit more specific.
Different Bibles were made for different reason, and never more than today.
A child does not need and interlinear Bible. For the child we might even start with a picture Bible. Then there are kids Bibles with versions such as the New Century Version of the bible. It was aimed at the young reader, but actually is a very nice version for new Christians who would like an easy to read and understand version. There are other versions made for easy reading. There is everything from the Story Bible, which is designed to read like a story, to the Message Bible which is made to be extremely easy and delightful to read, to the Living and New Living Bibles which were designed for new believers and believers with limited language skills.
To make a Bible easier to read the version is "paraphrased" so the version does not concentrate on a word for word translation. But that is not the only reason for paraphrasing the version. My wife is a retired language teacher. Along with English she also speaks French, and some German and Spanish too. People like her understand that the best translation from one language to another is not always done by finding a single word but a few words, because languages just don't have the same meaning with different words. So a translator often paraphrases to give the best meaning.
The NIV (New International Version) was specifically made specifically trying to keep that in mind. As an ex-Christian bookshop owner I can tell you Zondervan did a lot of promoting that fact with the NIV Bible. It is a valid point though, and the Amplified Bible took it a step further, in that they tried to give you different options for the meaning of verses. So as you read it you will come across a word and then a few other choices for words that might help you get a better understanding of the verse.
Of course early translators of the Bible did not try to concern themselves with all the above, but usually attempted to bring and accurate word for word translation. Of course my wife would tell you that is not entirely possible. There is just not always a straight word for word choice. So all translators had to make some decisions as to which word or phrase they were going to us. I trust in the Lord and that He can control the situations enough to have a purpose for what happens. That doesn't mean I know His purpose, but it does mean that I believe in Him and that He can talk to me about any book - including any translation. It goes back to asking Him for wonderful counsel when choosing your Bible or Bibles!
Now when He told me "Read Your Bible" I only had one Bible. My mom had given it to me, not that I read it or even went to church then. It happened to be a NASB, and I still like that translation for my personal use. And it is a good choice for me. It reads in American, and I am an American. So I find it easy to read. It is also a word for word translation. In fact Zondervan Pub. considered it the most word for word translation at the time I had the Christian bookstore. So it is easy for me, as an ex-retail manager with a BS degree in management' to read and who is an American who loves to listen to the Lord Jesus Christ who tells me to study my Bible. It is a good choice for me, and I think for those like me.
Still there are other choices that might be better for others. The KJV is a traditions version and it is a word for word translation. My dad like it. He was traditional type of person, with a very good education. He also loved history. He has passed on and I have His old KJV Bible. I also have the Living translation my grandfather owned. He was also traditional person but more of an old farmer, and obviously he preferred the easier to read Living translation of His time. I Love it - because he wrote all these little things the Lord told him while reading it.
Now I'm writing all this because I came across a 'KJV only' person on the forum, and turned to the Lord afterwards. He told me to write a "Bible study on the Bible Study". We should study the Bible more and even how we got our Bibles.
For studying the Bible more we have other unique Bibles! I think I have three different interlinear Bible myself. Two are just New Testament Interlinear Bible but I also have an extremely nice 2 volume set with the Old and New Testament. It is nice for a deep study of particular things and words. Combine that with a Concordance and then talk to the Lord and things can get interesting. Still the Concordance and the Interlinear Bible are both set up with a particular version in mind. That is to say that they kind of worked backwards. They seem to have gotten the version then worked backwards to get you a Hebrew or Greek translation. I am not exactly sure, but that is what it looks like. So they might be a translation of the translation?
That brings us to how we get these translations. Well, they mostly do come from other translations!!! For example: the King James version we read today is not the original King James version!! In fact, from what I have seen there were a number of adjustments made to it over the relatively short time since 1611. The latest would be the New King James version, but definitely our King James Version is not the 1611 version and I have found some that seem to be written slightly different over time between that and todays KJV. Then the original KVJ was an English version of the Latin Bible being used them. Presumably the Vulgate, but if in the mere 400 years since the 1611 version then how much was changed since the original Vulgate Bible done by Jerome who died in 420 AD - People, languages change over time and it doesn't take much time to change languages. Isn't that 'cool' to know - or maybe 'cool' is no longer a word I should use?
So now that I have gone over versions, purposes for them, traditional approaches, other special Bibles, an how we have translations of translations, perhaps I should go over Catholic, Protestant, and other Bibles. That is to say that it is not only purposes, tradition, and time which change our Bibles but also our religion. Ok - I understand that we are all Christians, but inside Christianity is our religion. Our religion is our understanding of God - that is what religion means. So the Catholic Bible, which has been around a lot longer than the Protestant Bibles has more books in it! It is kind of interesting to me to think that the Catholic Bible has 73 books in it, where as the Protestant Bible has 66 books in it. Now I am a 66 book Bible reader, but I have read the other 7 books in the Catholic Bible also. I am not trying to make too much of this, but if you were just going by then numbers would you prefer the number 73 or 66, and the 7 book difference seems weird.
Also there are not only Catholic and Protestant Bible. The Greek Orthodox and Coptic Christian churches would have something to say about that. And what about the Jews coming back to the Lord? They were brought up on the Torah and Tanakh were they not? They think they count them as 24 books - which kind of lines up with our Old Testament which we have 46 or is it 39?
Oh wow, there is a lot more to this than there first appears to be!
Still - the Lord is One God - and I know my Lord.
Now Abraham didn't have a Bible yet he still was able to come to know the Lord. So a Bible isn't needed to know the Lord but it is advisable. The very first words I personally heard from the Lord were "Read Your Bible." It hit me pretty hard with those words, and I now hear from Him about a dozen times a day. He once told me:
WHAT TEACHER DOESN’T PUT A BOOK IN FRONT OF HIS STUDENTS TODAY; YET NOT JUST A BOOK BUT OVERHEAD TRANSPARENCIES, VISUALS, AND OTHER MATERIAL? FOR I TELL YOU TRULY, IF THEY ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME THEY ARE NOT MY PUPIL, THEY ARE NOT MY STUDENT; I TELL YOU TRULY, THEY ARE NOT MY DISCIPLE UNLESS THEY ARE HEARING FROM ME. SO DON’T TELL THEM TO READ THE BOOK, THEM TO TAKE THE CLASS!”
So if He is our "Teacher" we as His students should be reading the textbook.
We should read and study our Bible, and we have a lot of versions of the Bible to choose from today. So which Bible should be "our" Bible? Well - that depends a lot on you; what you want and what is best for you. Frankly, as a Christian talking about what is best for you personally, I believe you need to talk to the Lord and listen to His advice. Still, to help I can give you some information about the Bibles available so you can make your conversation with the Lord a bit more specific.
Different Bibles were made for different reason, and never more than today.
A child does not need and interlinear Bible. For the child we might even start with a picture Bible. Then there are kids Bibles with versions such as the New Century Version of the bible. It was aimed at the young reader, but actually is a very nice version for new Christians who would like an easy to read and understand version. There are other versions made for easy reading. There is everything from the Story Bible, which is designed to read like a story, to the Message Bible which is made to be extremely easy and delightful to read, to the Living and New Living Bibles which were designed for new believers and believers with limited language skills.
To make a Bible easier to read the version is "paraphrased" so the version does not concentrate on a word for word translation. But that is not the only reason for paraphrasing the version. My wife is a retired language teacher. Along with English she also speaks French, and some German and Spanish too. People like her understand that the best translation from one language to another is not always done by finding a single word but a few words, because languages just don't have the same meaning with different words. So a translator often paraphrases to give the best meaning.
The NIV (New International Version) was specifically made specifically trying to keep that in mind. As an ex-Christian bookshop owner I can tell you Zondervan did a lot of promoting that fact with the NIV Bible. It is a valid point though, and the Amplified Bible took it a step further, in that they tried to give you different options for the meaning of verses. So as you read it you will come across a word and then a few other choices for words that might help you get a better understanding of the verse.
Of course early translators of the Bible did not try to concern themselves with all the above, but usually attempted to bring and accurate word for word translation. Of course my wife would tell you that is not entirely possible. There is just not always a straight word for word choice. So all translators had to make some decisions as to which word or phrase they were going to us. I trust in the Lord and that He can control the situations enough to have a purpose for what happens. That doesn't mean I know His purpose, but it does mean that I believe in Him and that He can talk to me about any book - including any translation. It goes back to asking Him for wonderful counsel when choosing your Bible or Bibles!
Now when He told me "Read Your Bible" I only had one Bible. My mom had given it to me, not that I read it or even went to church then. It happened to be a NASB, and I still like that translation for my personal use. And it is a good choice for me. It reads in American, and I am an American. So I find it easy to read. It is also a word for word translation. In fact Zondervan Pub. considered it the most word for word translation at the time I had the Christian bookstore. So it is easy for me, as an ex-retail manager with a BS degree in management' to read and who is an American who loves to listen to the Lord Jesus Christ who tells me to study my Bible. It is a good choice for me, and I think for those like me.
Still there are other choices that might be better for others. The KJV is a traditions version and it is a word for word translation. My dad like it. He was traditional type of person, with a very good education. He also loved history. He has passed on and I have His old KJV Bible. I also have the Living translation my grandfather owned. He was also traditional person but more of an old farmer, and obviously he preferred the easier to read Living translation of His time. I Love it - because he wrote all these little things the Lord told him while reading it.
Now I'm writing all this because I came across a 'KJV only' person on the forum, and turned to the Lord afterwards. He told me to write a "Bible study on the Bible Study". We should study the Bible more and even how we got our Bibles.
For studying the Bible more we have other unique Bibles! I think I have three different interlinear Bible myself. Two are just New Testament Interlinear Bible but I also have an extremely nice 2 volume set with the Old and New Testament. It is nice for a deep study of particular things and words. Combine that with a Concordance and then talk to the Lord and things can get interesting. Still the Concordance and the Interlinear Bible are both set up with a particular version in mind. That is to say that they kind of worked backwards. They seem to have gotten the version then worked backwards to get you a Hebrew or Greek translation. I am not exactly sure, but that is what it looks like. So they might be a translation of the translation?
That brings us to how we get these translations. Well, they mostly do come from other translations!!! For example: the King James version we read today is not the original King James version!! In fact, from what I have seen there were a number of adjustments made to it over the relatively short time since 1611. The latest would be the New King James version, but definitely our King James Version is not the 1611 version and I have found some that seem to be written slightly different over time between that and todays KJV. Then the original KVJ was an English version of the Latin Bible being used them. Presumably the Vulgate, but if in the mere 400 years since the 1611 version then how much was changed since the original Vulgate Bible done by Jerome who died in 420 AD - People, languages change over time and it doesn't take much time to change languages. Isn't that 'cool' to know - or maybe 'cool' is no longer a word I should use?
So now that I have gone over versions, purposes for them, traditional approaches, other special Bibles, an how we have translations of translations, perhaps I should go over Catholic, Protestant, and other Bibles. That is to say that it is not only purposes, tradition, and time which change our Bibles but also our religion. Ok - I understand that we are all Christians, but inside Christianity is our religion. Our religion is our understanding of God - that is what religion means. So the Catholic Bible, which has been around a lot longer than the Protestant Bibles has more books in it! It is kind of interesting to me to think that the Catholic Bible has 73 books in it, where as the Protestant Bible has 66 books in it. Now I am a 66 book Bible reader, but I have read the other 7 books in the Catholic Bible also. I am not trying to make too much of this, but if you were just going by then numbers would you prefer the number 73 or 66, and the 7 book difference seems weird.
Also there are not only Catholic and Protestant Bible. The Greek Orthodox and Coptic Christian churches would have something to say about that. And what about the Jews coming back to the Lord? They were brought up on the Torah and Tanakh were they not? They think they count them as 24 books - which kind of lines up with our Old Testament which we have 46 or is it 39?
Oh wow, there is a lot more to this than there first appears to be!
Still - the Lord is One God - and I know my Lord.
