The Expanded Bible: New Testament

Great Study Resource

I decided to read the entire New Testament in the month of September, so I was excited to see this new Expanded Bible available as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program. Much to my dismay, this is not a bible you would want to use when reading through the New Testament in a month. So while I read through The Message, I utilized The Expanded Bible as a reference, and for that it was great.

Based on the New Century Version, The Expanded Bible: New Testament reads exactly like The Amplified Bible by "expanding" the meaning of certain key words and offering alternatives. However, different in this bible is that the expanded text lies right in-line with the text. The original text is in bold, and the expanded meanings are in [brackets] in a standard weight. Another very helpful addition to this bible is the topic notes on the sidebars with text references for other places you can find that subject in the New Testament.

While I would never use this to read lengthy text, it's a great resource for use in studying the bible, and a happy addition to my bookshelf!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

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The Expanded Bible, New Testament

The Expanded Bible, New Testament by Thomas Nelson is simple to read and the expanded material gives a deeper meaning to the text. However, it is not a new concept. Although similar to The Lockman Foundation's, Amplified Bible, The Expanded Bible is not a new translation it uses the New Century Version translation as its base text, which is an easy to read and understand Bible version. The Contributing Scholars then expanded upon the meaning of the text. For instance, look at my example for the word dog [canine, four-legged animal].

What use does this Bible have? Since this is not a literal translation, I would not recommend it for serious Bible study. With that said it is still a useful tool for personal devotional study. In addition, The Expanded Bible would be useful to a new believer due to the clarity of the translation and easy to read notes.

*Note*
I received a free copy of this Bible for being a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger program. Find more info here http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Expanded Bible: New Testament (NKJV)

The Expanded Bible: New Testament (NKJV) published by Thomas Nelson is a unique tool designed for people hungry to grasp the fuller meaning of Scripture while they read-without having to open a concordance or Bible notes. It simplifies Scriptural understanding by offering alternate wording to clarify. (Not to be confused with the Amplified Bible which focuses more on translation possibilities.)

The Expanded Bible weaves an expanded explanation of the Scripture within the actual NKJV text, yet the two are easily distinguished by the use of bold and non-bold type. This feature allows the reader to read either the Scripture only, or the Scripture plus the additional expansion of the text, depending on how far they want to open the passage. It also makes for easy readability, as does also the clean page layout and easy-to-read font.

The Expanded Bible is a comfortable size and the cover durable with a sober, scholarly appeal.

However, this Bible might not work for everyone. Some people may find the additional interwoven material-and the interacting change of typeface-interrupts the flow of their reading and makes it laborious.

I'd recommend this Bible for pastors and laity alike, but not good for someone who just wants to read Scripture uninterrupted.

I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger: http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

Janey L. DeMeo
Copyright © September 2009
www.orphansfirst.org
www.JaneyDeMeo.com

The Expanded Bible (New Testament) - New Translation for Bible Study

The Expanded Bible translation is a great Bible study reference tool for anyone who wants a better understanding of the subtle meaning of New Testament Bible text.

Despite the number of possible comments included within the text, the layout is easy to follow and provides a comprehensive guide to the language of the Bible to assist modern readers gain maximum understanding from what they are reading.

While this translation works particularly well for personal or group Bible study, the frequent interruptions to the text make it less suited to reflective, quiet time spent reading the Bible or times when Bible passages need to be read aloud.

There are no additional features included with this translation, such as a concordance or maps etc, as might be found in a standard study Bible. The inclusion of the commentary within the text, however, makes understanding specific verses/passages as they are read much easier.

This translation is sure to be enjoyed by anyone keen to improve their understanding of the cultural and historical context of Scripture as well as discerning subtle differences in meaning and translation.

The Expanded Bible: New Testament

The Expanded Bible: New Testament, published by Thomas Nelson, is both an excellent new study Bible and an unparalleled updated translation. While the base text is a modified version of the New Century Version, The Expanded Bible: New Testament includes for both the beginning and serious student of the Word of God, a literal and traditional interpretation that original texts would encompass.

Why the name The Expanded Bible? It reflects the latest scholarship and includes a multitude of study aids as well as the expanded translations mentioned above within the text itself making it possible to study the Bible while you read! What a pleasure to not have to leave a verse, go to the bottom of the page or the middle column's fine print to find a study note and then have to come back to the verse. It did take a little adjustment at first but I have already found that I am weaning myself off of other study Bibles in favor of this one.

There are no maps in The Expanded Bible: New Testament but you still get a sense of geography with the text. For instance, "Philippi [a city in Macedonia, present-day northern Greece; Acts 16]."

While I have recently only become part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program (http://brb.thomasnelson.com), that did in no way cloud my judgement of this review. In fact I went looking for faults. But after having shown this to a friend of mine who is a Greek and Hebrew scholar, I became even more excited about The Expanded Bible: New Testament. It is a must-have in everyone's library.

Not only a new version, but a new way to study the Bible.

Review of The [Expanded] Bible

The [Expanded] Bible, is a new and inviting way to study God's word. It contains expository notes side-by-side with this new version of the Scriptures. This helps cut down on flipping around looking for the material. The study material, i.e. commentary on scripture, comes to us from some of today's foremost New Testament scholars, and their insights and commentary on scripture helps to make studying God's word easier.

I personally felt that this is a great resource for those who don't have access to a scholarly library to aid in their personal studies. As a Youth Pastor, I will highly recommend this version to my students as a way to dive deeper into God's word. The information is both helpful in personal studying and informative in how it assists in my personal study time. I truly enjoyed the way the commentator expressed how the Greek text could possibly be translated into several different phrases or words, and how with each different explanation, it brought deeper and richer meaning to the passages.
Overall this book is visually appealing, durable, and reliable. I would have no personal problem recommending this version to anyone else.

New Talking Bible

The Expanded Bible New Testament is a new study bible and I know what your thinking, do we really need another english rendering of the Bible? Well the publishers counter with and I quote "(The Expanded Bible). is not a another translation. Instead, it offers additional information that allows readers to see how translation communicates meaning." (Introduction page x) So that is the the proclaimed purpose of this new "translation" however does it live up to it? Let's take a look. First, The Expanded Bible can be best described as a "talking bible." Second, it has a really good modern translation as the main text. However, what really sets it apart is the supplemental or expanded text that is alongside the main text. So has you read the bold type or the main text, the supplementary text and commentary text, "talks" to the reader helping him/her to better understand the passage! At first it seems to be too much, but by the time I was done reading a few chapters it became very welcoming and edifying! It's like taking a parallel bible that has a literal word for word translation and a meaning or phrased based translation and combining them both into one text. I love it because I love to read the New Living Translation, yet at the same time knowing that it is a thought for thought translation I like having a more literal translation next to me also With the Expanded Bible one doesn't have to go back and forth between translations, instead it's all in one. The commentary text is good, it usually is a comment to help you understand context or traditions the reader may not know. I was hoping for more scriptural cross references they are in this Bible few and far apart, having more in the wide open margin would be a good addition. The biggest complaint I would have is the packaging. Maybe it's just me, but I love leather bibles. The size of the bible is good, however the hardcover doesn't really lay flat. The typeface and overall layout with the chapter sub headings in the margin is ok. It may seem at first to be only helpful to newer believers to learn and understand the New Testament Scriptures, however I believe that because there is such a strong teaching aspect to this translation I would recommend it to all. The bottom line is that it is more then just a translation, but a teaching translation. (a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger program)

The Expanded Bible

The Expanded Bible: New Testament is a modern study Bible for young readers. It focuses on the New Testament and reads left to right like a book. There are side columns for notes that explain concepts to readers and make connections from other Biblical quotations. Some words are inserted with brackets to make the text easier to comprehend. The print is also very large and not at all intimidating. This Bible has the look and feel of an ordinary Bible but with extra study tips, a light weight, and the exclusivity of just the New Testament. There is an introduction into how the book is formatted so readers understand what the pages entail. An index would have been nice, but, besides that, this book has it all.

http://brb.thomasnelson.com/reviews/blogger/2503

Liberal, but has some good content

I began reading the new Expanded Bible with critical eyes. Although put together by accomplished scholars, these scholars base this version on the New Century Version, which tends to make more liberal translations, especially when it comes to gender related terms. As I skimmed through The [expanded] Bible, however, I learned that you can't judge a book by your presumptions; at least not this book. Although this version follows the more liberal New Century Version, it also includes more traditional wordings in brackets from versions such as the King James Version. The version does not leave the liberal wordings to stand by themselves, either. This version includes numerous notes, "expansions," alternate wordings, literal wordings, references, and textual variants that allow readers to explore deeper meanings of the text.

All these notes are included within the text, however, and can get a little annoying after a while. It becomes easy to skip over the "expanded" parts and just read the regular wording of the New Century Version, which is in bold print. The version also lacks introductions to books, and it only covers the New Testament.

Overall, The [expanded] Bible accomplishes its goal of enabling the reader to study while he reads, but the version does not stand on its own. Readers should not rely on this version alone for their Bible studies.

Great resource addition to your study tools

The Expanded Bible New Testament, by Thomas Nelson Publishers, is a great Bible to add to your collection of study resources. It gives help to the most common words or phrases that can be confusing. I was studying on a specific subject and when I received this Bible, I immediately looked it up. It helped shed some light on the subject matter for me (I was impressed!). As a Minister, I always am looking for new study tools to help aid me in research. I found that this would make a great addition to my other study resources. I will continue to use this Bible now in my studying.

Pros: Is great for "expanding" words and phrases in studying or researching the Word. You can find a lot of information to help you understand more.

Cons: I don't think it is meant to read straight through like a regular Bible. I tried and I felt it to be a little complex. But, that's my personal opinion, I find the Amplified Bible hard to read in the same way because of all the brackets full of information.

All in all, the Expanded Bible is a great tool to "increase" your understanding of the Word of God. I would recommend it!

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