The [expanded] Bible – New TestamentPublished at Thomas Nelson
I have just received the new [expanded] Bible which permits you to study the Bible while you read. The copy I received was a hard cover one. The cover is quite simple – pure white with blue and grey writing on it. Somehow, I am attracted to it…
This new [expanded] Bible is written in current English and its text is based on the New Century Version of the Bible. When needed this Bible expands in brackets the meaning of specific words or terminology used in the text to help the reader to understand what is written. The expanded part offers also alternative so the reader can fully grasp the meaning of a word. Also, in some instances, you will find the cross-references to the Old Testament if the text is linked to older scriptures.
This Bible also offers literal or tradition renderings as well as comments to explain the history, culture or theological information behind the text. I like this particular aspect of the Bible because I find it puts us more in the context of the scripture and makes us understand more the period of time when Jesus and the disciples were living.
If you want to study i.e. understand God’s Word, I strongly suggest that you take the time to read through the [expanded] Bible. I have a feeling that you will be discovering aspects of the scriptures like you wouldn’t have expected it. From what I can see, I think I would enjoy this Bible while doing my devotions or just to read a different version of the Bible because I find that my understanding gets opened up to a different view of the scriptures. I also find that the publisher has left quite some space on the side of each page to allow the reader to take some notes if needed in the Bible. I am the kind of person who will take notes either while listening a sermon or when reading the Bible. I like the fact that there I space for me to write down what I think or just adding more information to it.
My only disappointment is that it doesn’t also include the Old Testament. However, I know that working on such a Bible takes time and energy to put it together. So I am expecting that Thomas Nelson will produce a full Bible in the [expanded] version in the future.
We already own an Amplified Bible in our home. It’s the Bible my husband uses when preaching sometimes so that he can explain the wording better or simply when he is studying God’s Word. Funny enough, recently he mentioned that he would like to find a Bible similar to the Amplified Bible but in more modern English. I then told him of the opportunity I had to review The [expanded] Bible – New Testament. He was quite curious about this version and was looking forward to the time when we would receive it. So when we received it, he sat down and compared it dutifully to the Amplified Bible. His first reaction was disappointments because it wasn’t what he expected it to be. It is similar to the Amplified Bible but unfortunately it doesn’t have as much details. He was hoping that the [expanded] Bible would be a more modern version of the Amplified and it isn’t. He also thinks that it fulfills the claim of being a Bible that you can study while you read it. However, if he would go to a bookstore and compare the [expanded] version with the Amplified version, he would not spend the money on the [expanded] one.
I now see that these two Bibles can have two different types of readers – one being someone who is either a pastor or a student in a Bible College or again someone who really wants to go deeper in his study of the Bible, the other one for someone who wants to fully understanding the background and the scriptures without going in a complicated study of the Bible. I personally find the Amplified Bible a bit too heavy for my taste. Consequently, I am very happy to get an [expanded] version in modern English so I can go deeper in my study of God’s Word.
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