Last year, someone gave me the New Living Translation (NLT) Study Bible as a present and I've absolutely been loving it. This year, my wife and I decided to pass on the love and give some study bibles as gifts to other people. That led me to the Christian book store, a place of peril for my financial well-being. (Actually, I got a screamer of a deal, using my 30% off rewards punch-card on top of a 20%-off Bible sale going on that day. But it just meant I could buy Bibles for more people, so actually didn't save me any money.)
While I was at the store, the sales guy asked if I had seen the new English Standard Version (ESV) Study Bible, which just came out this year. I hadn't, but was pretty impressed with the layout, cross-reference, and commentary. It's pretty much aimed at a Reformed/Neo-Calvinist audience, though, and you can really tell when you head over to their Web site and check out the endorsements from people like John Piper.
I decided to stick with the NLT Study Bible to give as gifts, but bought an ESV Study Bible for my own use. (Thanks to wife for saying yes!) Having both of them at home, I can say with certainty that I still reach for the NLT more often. It's just a joy to read the New Living Translation. (I carry a slimline NIV from Zondervan in my bag and use that when not at home.) That readability, combined with the awesome notes, has really helped me to enjoy the Old Testament. I admit that reading the OT before seemed a bit of a drag.
To me, the ESV Study Bible seems more appropriate for hard-core study, not only because the commentary seems more theologically oriented, but also because the ESV translation is more literal and often uses technical Christian terms. I think it's useful and am glad to have it, but it's more of a reference book for me.
The NLT Study Bible combines the readability of the New Living Translation with a more scholarly approach in the study notes section that discusses alternative literal translations. This is a big plus, because I admit that the NLT does sacrifice some precision for the sake of being easy to understand. So, all in all, I heartily recommend the NLT Study Bible to anyone looking for a down-to-earth study Bible that combines excellent readability, good scholarship, and insightful study notes.
http://www.esvstudybible.org/
http://www.nltstudybible.com/
2 comments:
"That readability, combined with the awesome notes, has really helped me to enjoy the Old Testament. I admit that reading the OT before seemed a bit of a drag."
Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to seriously consider it.
I had bought a used NLT a couple of years ago and was disappointed to find a typo in the book of James. It may seem unrealistic, but I expect the Bible text itself to be typo-free. It just shows that the publisher was willing to pay more than one person to actually read each word before going to press.
Despite the typo tragedy, I kept reading it until the binding fell apart. That is really the end of it for me, when a binding falls apart on a book that is in print in multiple editions.
But thanks to your recommendation, I will look for an NLT study Bible now.
Hi Dave,
Just the other night, I was reading Ecclessiastes and they had a full-page word study (I mean etymology-type study) on the Hebrew word translated as "meaningless" or "vanity." It was fascinating to read right there next to the actual text, as opposed in a separate study book. It's just little things like that that make it so awesome.
BTW, they were recently selling these NLT Study Bibles at my local Costco ... I don't know if you would have them where you are, but it might save you $15 or so over the Christian book store.
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