Posts
Friday, November 13, 2009
New Podcast capability
I have just added my sermonplay at the bottom of the page. I will be adding some of my sermons of the course of the next several weeks. Feel free to stop by and listen to my sermons. It is my prayer that you are blessed and encouraged to grow in your faith. If you are not a Christian, it is also my prayer that through these sermons, that you would realize your need for Jesus Christ and choose to accept Him as your Lord and Saviour.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
How To Study the Bible, PT3 - Tools
This post host some good and vital tools for studying the Bible. If you have any questions regarding these tools feel free to contact me. I have or do use all these tools in by personal Bible studies and sermon preparation.
Tools:
1. Study Bibles: NET Translation (http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm)
2. Concordances: Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament; Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the Old Testament; Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance; The Greek-English Concordance to the New Testament (John R. Kohlenberger III, Edward W. Goodrick and James A. Swanson) (Goodrick / Kohlenberger Numbering); Note: Be sure to have a concordance which fits with your translation.
3. Bible Dictionaries: Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary; The Anchor Bible Dictionary
4. Handbooks: Hayford’s Bible Handbook
5. Encyclopedia: The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
6. Word Study: Theological Dictionary of the New Testament; Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament
7. Lexicons: Bauer Lexicon (Greek),
8. Commentaries: Word Biblical Commentary Series; New International Commentary on the New Testament Series; Old International Commentary on the New Testament Series; NIV Application Commentary Series.
9. Computer Programs: Esword; Libronix Digital Library; Logos Bible Software; Bibleworks 7.0
10. Internet Resources: www.ntgateway.com; www.bible.net; www.blueletterbible.com; www.biblegateway.com
Tools:
1. Study Bibles: NET Translation (http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm)
2. Concordances: Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament; Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the Old Testament; Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance; The Greek-English Concordance to the New Testament (John R. Kohlenberger III, Edward W. Goodrick and James A. Swanson) (Goodrick / Kohlenberger Numbering); Note: Be sure to have a concordance which fits with your translation.
3. Bible Dictionaries: Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary; The Anchor Bible Dictionary
4. Handbooks: Hayford’s Bible Handbook
5. Encyclopedia: The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
6. Word Study: Theological Dictionary of the New Testament; Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament
7. Lexicons: Bauer Lexicon (Greek),
8. Commentaries: Word Biblical Commentary Series; New International Commentary on the New Testament Series; Old International Commentary on the New Testament Series; NIV Application Commentary Series.
9. Computer Programs: Esword; Libronix Digital Library; Logos Bible Software; Bibleworks 7.0
10. Internet Resources: www.ntgateway.com; www.bible.net; www.blueletterbible.com; www.biblegateway.com
How To Study the Bible, PT2 - Bible Translations
Versions of the Bible:
It is important to note the type of translation to use when reading and studying the Bible. Literal translations are word for word. That is, word of the original language for word of translated language.
The dynamic equivalence are thought for thought translations. This means that the translators have already preformed some of the hermeneutical process. However, it is still prudent when using these translations to do the proper discipline of study.
Paraphrases is a different “kettle of fish”. They are a person’s commentary with scripture or scripture written in the author’s own words. These should only be used as supplemental and not treated as God’s Holy Word.
It is important to note the type of translation to use when reading and studying the Bible. Literal translations are word for word. That is, word of the original language for word of translated language.
The dynamic equivalence are thought for thought translations. This means that the translators have already preformed some of the hermeneutical process. However, it is still prudent when using these translations to do the proper discipline of study.
Paraphrases is a different “kettle of fish”. They are a person’s commentary with scripture or scripture written in the author’s own words. These should only be used as supplemental and not treated as God’s Holy Word.
THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION (CEV)Reading Level: Grade 5.6
The Contemporary English Version (New Testament, 1991, full Bible, 1995) "was begun in 1984 by the American Bible Society. The mandate for the ABS translation team was to craft a translation that was biblically accurate, reader friendly, and understandable— even for first-time Bible readers. Among special concerns were ease of reading without sounding 'childish,' comprehensibility when read aloud, modern formatting, quality of style, and literary value. An international, interdenominational group of over 100, including translators, English language experts, and biblical authorities [comprised] the CEV translation team" (Thomas Nelson brochure). In general, it employs natural and uncomplicated English.
GOD'S WORD
In 1936, Dr. William F. Beck "started the task of diligently searching and studying the best available manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments in the original languages. ... Once he accurately comprehended the text, he made every effort to express its meaning in a way that communicated God's thoughts in an unambiguous and easy-to-understand form.
"Beck's aim was accuracy of meaning and the absolutely clear expression of that meaning for all the English readers of his day. ... But language tends to change even within the lifetime of translators. ... It has now been over 50 years since Beck began his ... work. ... But already in 1978 the question had arisen: should Beck's translation just remain a pioneer effort or is it worthy of an updated revision? A team of Bible scholars and pastors felt that the above-mentioned translation was worth the hours of time needed to revise it in order to produce a superior product. Thorough revision/translation work began in 1982" (from the Preface to God's Word to the Nations: New Testament). The first edition appeared in 1988, with minor revisions in 1989 and 1990. "God's Word" has yet to receive broad recognition or be widely distributed.
THE KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)Reading Level: Grade 12
This, the most famous of English versions, is named after King James I of England who initiated the work. It is basically a revision of previous translations: Tyndale's, Coverdale's, the Great Bible and the Geneva Bible. Over fifty scholars worked on the project, which started in 1607. It was finished in 1611.
"The King James Version, known in England as the Authorized Version because it was authorized by the king, has become an enduring monument of English prose because of its gracious style, majestic language, and poetic rhythms. No other book has had such a tremendous influence on English literature." (Comfort, pp. 48-49)
However, the KJV translators had access to only a few ancient manuscripts. Since their day many older manuscripts have been discovered, resulting in a more reliable Greek and Hebrew text. In addition, many words in the KJV are now obscure; others cannot be traced back to the most reliable manuscripts. While IBS is glad to provide the historic KJV, we feel the NIV/TNIV is both more accurate and more readable for today's audience.
THE LIVING BIBLE (LB)Reading Level: Grade 8.3
"In 1962 Kenneth Taylor published a paraphrase of the New Testament Epistles. ... The entire Living Bible was published in 1971. .. Using the American Standard Version as his working text, Taylor rephrased the Bible into modern speech—such that anyone, even a child, could understand the message of the original writers. In the preface to The Living Bible Taylor explains his view of paraphrasing:
'... to say as exactly as possible what the writers of the Scriptures meant, and to say it simply, expanding where necessary for a clear understanding by the modern reader.'
THE MESSAGE (TM)Reading Level: Grade 8.5
The Message, published in 1993 by NavPress, is a free, highly colloquial and interpretive translation/paraphrase of the New Testament by Eugene H. Peterson. An earlier form of the book of Galatians appeared in 1988 under the title Traveling Light.
"This version of the New Testament in a contemporary idiom keeps the language of the Message current and fresh and understandable in the same language in which we do our shopping, talk with our friends, worry about world affairs, and teach our children their table manners. The goal is not to render a word-for-word conversion of Greek into English, but rather to convert the tone, the rhythm, the events, the ideas, into the way we actually think and speak" (from the Introduction).
THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE (NAB)Reading Level: Grade 6.6
"The first American Catholic Bible to be translated from the original languages is The New American Bible (not to be confused with the New American Standard Bible). Although this translation was first published in 1970, it was updated in 1991. The New American Bible has short introductions to each book of the Bible and very few marginal notes. Kubo and Specht provide this description of the translation:
'The translation ... is simple, clear, and straightforward and reads very smoothly. It is good American English, not as pungent and colorful as the N.E.B. [New English Bible]. Its translations are not striking but neither are they clumsy. They seem to be more conservative in the sense that they tend not to stray from the original' [p. 165, Kubo and Specht, So Many Versions?). "
(Comfort, p. 82-82)
THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (NASB)Reading Level: Grade 11
"The Lockman Foundation, a nonprofit Christian corporation committed to evangelism ... organized a team of thirty-two scholars to prepare a new revision [of the American Standard Version of 1901]. These scholars ... strove to produce a literal translation ... in the belief that such a translation 'brings the contemporary reader as close as possible to the actual wording and grammatical structure of the original writers' "' [from the preface].
"After the New American Standard Bible was published (in 1963 for the New Testament and 1971 for the entire Bible), it received a mixed response. Some critics applauded its literal accuracy, while other sharply criticized its language for hardly being contemporary or modern.
"On the whole, the New American Standard Bible became respected as a good study Bible that accurately reflects the wording of the original languages yet is not a good translation for Bible reading" (Comfort, pp. 77-78).
THE NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION (NIrV)Reading Level: Grade 3.5
The New International Reader's Version (NIrV, 1996) "is a new Bible version developed to enable early readers to understand God's message. Begun in 1992 and co-sponsored by the International Bible Society and Zondervan Publishing House, the New International Reader's Version is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV), today's most popular translation of the Bible. " (from the NIrV "Sample Booklet").
The NIrV was designed to make the Bible clear and understandable to early readers, and can be read by a typical fourth grader. For this reason, it is also of value to the millions for whom English is a second language. It intends to be distinguished by five fundamental characteristics—readability, understandability, compatibility with the NIV, reliability and trustworthiness. It serves as a natural stepping-stone to the NIV when the time is right.
THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
Reading Level: Grade 7.8
"The New International Version is a completely new rendering of the original languages done by an international group of more than a hundred scholars. These scholars worked many years and in several committees to produce an excellent thought-for-thought translation in contemporary English for private and public use. ...
"The translators of the New International Version sought to make a version that was midway between a literal rendering (as in the New American Standard Bible) and a free paraphrase (as in The Living Bible). Their goal was to convey in English the thought of the original writers. ... The New Testament of the New International Version was published in 1973, and the entire Bible, in 1978. This version has been phenomenally successful. Millions and millions of readers have adopted the New International Version as their 'Bible.' Since 1987 it has outsold the King James Version, the best-seller for centuries—a remarkable indication of its popularity and acceptance in the Christian community. The New International Version, sponsored by the [International] Bible Society, ... has become a standard version used for private reading and pulpit reading in many English-speaking countries" (Comfort, pp. 79-81).
THE JERUSALEM BIBLE (JB)
"The first complete Catholic Bible to be translated from the original languages is The Jerusalem Bible, published in England in 1966. ...This Bible, which includes the Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical books, contains many study helps—such as introductions to each book of the Bible, extensive notes on various passages, and maps. The study helps are an intricate part of the whole translation because it is the belief of Roman Catholic leadership that laypeople should be given interpretive helps in their reading of the sacred text. The study helps in The Jerusalem Bible were translated from the French, whereas the Bible text itself was translated from the original languages. ... The translation of the text ... is considerably freer than other translations, such as the Revised Standard Version, because the translators sought to capture the meaning of the original writings in a 'vigorous, contemporary literary style'" [from the preface] (Comfort, pp. 81-82).
THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV)
Reading Level: Grade 8.5
The New King James Version (1982) is a revision of the King James Version, called for primarily due to the same reasons given for the New Revised Standard Version. It retains the elegant literary style of the KJV, but is easier to read.
THE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT)Reading Level: Grade 6.3
The New Living Translation (Tyndale, 1996, 2004) is a "thorough revision" of The Living Bible. "More than ninety scholars from various theological backgrounds and denominations [were involved] ... with the goal that it be exegetically accurate and idiomatically powerful.
"Most significantly, the New Living Translation is not a paraphrase but a translation. Every verse has been carefully compared to the most reliable editions of the Hebrew and Greek texts in an effort to make a translation that accurately conveys the meaning of the original texts" (from the Preface to the review copy of Romans).
THE NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION (NRSV)Reading Level: Grade 8.1 (but Zondervan says it's actually 10.)
"The New Revised Standard Version [was] published in 1990. ... In the preface to this revision, Bruce Metzger, chair-person of the revision committee, wrote:
'The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible is an authorized revision of the Revised Standard Version, published in 1952, which is a revision of the American Standard Version, published in 1901. ... The need for issuing a revision of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible arises from three circumstances: (a) the acquisition of still older biblical manuscripts, (b) further investigation of linguistic features of the text, and (c) changes in preferred English usage' (Comfort, p. 85).
THE REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE (REB)
" (1989) ... is a radical revision of the New English Bible" (Comfort, p. 85).
THE REVISED STANDARD VERSION (RSV)
Reading Level: 12
"The organization that held the copyright to the American Standard Version ... authorized a new revision in 1937. "The New Testament was published in 1946; and the entire Bible with the Old Testament, in 1952.
"The principles of the revision were specified in the preface to the Revised Standard Version: 'The Revised Standard Version is not a new translation in the language of today. It is not a paraphrase which aims at striking idioms. It is a revision which seeks to preserve all that is best in the English Bible as it has been known and used throughout the years.
"This revision was well received by many Protestant Churches and soon became their 'standard' text. ... Evangelical and fundamental Christians, however, did not receive the Revised Standard Version very well—primarily because of one verse, Isaiah 7:14...." (Comfort, pp. 66-67). The RSV has now been replaced by the NRSV.
Comfort, Philip W., The Complete Guide to Bible Versions. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1991. Kubo and Specht, So Many Versions? Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983.
NEW ENGLISH VERSION (NET)
Reading Level: NA
The NET was commissioned to be offered for free by way of the internet. The commissioner wanted to make available and good translation that anyone could access. The NET Bible can be found online at www.bible.org. The website contains great resources for Bible study which are easy to use along with the NET translation. Today, the NET is available in print.
ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV)
Reading Level: 10
The ESV is a new literal translation that is highly acclaimed by top scholars. This translation brings a solid word for word translation which is imperative for Bible Study.
AMPLIFIED VERSION (AMP)
Reading Level: 8
The AMP is a great word for word translation. The AMP includes words in brackets which are other words which could be used. This greatly helps biblical understanding.
The Contemporary English Version (New Testament, 1991, full Bible, 1995) "was begun in 1984 by the American Bible Society. The mandate for the ABS translation team was to craft a translation that was biblically accurate, reader friendly, and understandable— even for first-time Bible readers. Among special concerns were ease of reading without sounding 'childish,' comprehensibility when read aloud, modern formatting, quality of style, and literary value. An international, interdenominational group of over 100, including translators, English language experts, and biblical authorities [comprised] the CEV translation team" (Thomas Nelson brochure). In general, it employs natural and uncomplicated English.
GOD'S WORD
In 1936, Dr. William F. Beck "started the task of diligently searching and studying the best available manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments in the original languages. ... Once he accurately comprehended the text, he made every effort to express its meaning in a way that communicated God's thoughts in an unambiguous and easy-to-understand form.
"Beck's aim was accuracy of meaning and the absolutely clear expression of that meaning for all the English readers of his day. ... But language tends to change even within the lifetime of translators. ... It has now been over 50 years since Beck began his ... work. ... But already in 1978 the question had arisen: should Beck's translation just remain a pioneer effort or is it worthy of an updated revision? A team of Bible scholars and pastors felt that the above-mentioned translation was worth the hours of time needed to revise it in order to produce a superior product. Thorough revision/translation work began in 1982" (from the Preface to God's Word to the Nations: New Testament). The first edition appeared in 1988, with minor revisions in 1989 and 1990. "God's Word" has yet to receive broad recognition or be widely distributed.
THE KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)Reading Level: Grade 12
This, the most famous of English versions, is named after King James I of England who initiated the work. It is basically a revision of previous translations: Tyndale's, Coverdale's, the Great Bible and the Geneva Bible. Over fifty scholars worked on the project, which started in 1607. It was finished in 1611.
"The King James Version, known in England as the Authorized Version because it was authorized by the king, has become an enduring monument of English prose because of its gracious style, majestic language, and poetic rhythms. No other book has had such a tremendous influence on English literature." (Comfort, pp. 48-49)
However, the KJV translators had access to only a few ancient manuscripts. Since their day many older manuscripts have been discovered, resulting in a more reliable Greek and Hebrew text. In addition, many words in the KJV are now obscure; others cannot be traced back to the most reliable manuscripts. While IBS is glad to provide the historic KJV, we feel the NIV/TNIV is both more accurate and more readable for today's audience.
THE LIVING BIBLE (LB)Reading Level: Grade 8.3
"In 1962 Kenneth Taylor published a paraphrase of the New Testament Epistles. ... The entire Living Bible was published in 1971. .. Using the American Standard Version as his working text, Taylor rephrased the Bible into modern speech—such that anyone, even a child, could understand the message of the original writers. In the preface to The Living Bible Taylor explains his view of paraphrasing:
'... to say as exactly as possible what the writers of the Scriptures meant, and to say it simply, expanding where necessary for a clear understanding by the modern reader.'
THE MESSAGE (TM)Reading Level: Grade 8.5
The Message, published in 1993 by NavPress, is a free, highly colloquial and interpretive translation/paraphrase of the New Testament by Eugene H. Peterson. An earlier form of the book of Galatians appeared in 1988 under the title Traveling Light.
"This version of the New Testament in a contemporary idiom keeps the language of the Message current and fresh and understandable in the same language in which we do our shopping, talk with our friends, worry about world affairs, and teach our children their table manners. The goal is not to render a word-for-word conversion of Greek into English, but rather to convert the tone, the rhythm, the events, the ideas, into the way we actually think and speak" (from the Introduction).
THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE (NAB)Reading Level: Grade 6.6
"The first American Catholic Bible to be translated from the original languages is The New American Bible (not to be confused with the New American Standard Bible). Although this translation was first published in 1970, it was updated in 1991. The New American Bible has short introductions to each book of the Bible and very few marginal notes. Kubo and Specht provide this description of the translation:
'The translation ... is simple, clear, and straightforward and reads very smoothly. It is good American English, not as pungent and colorful as the N.E.B. [New English Bible]. Its translations are not striking but neither are they clumsy. They seem to be more conservative in the sense that they tend not to stray from the original' [p. 165, Kubo and Specht, So Many Versions?). "
(Comfort, p. 82-82)
THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (NASB)Reading Level: Grade 11
"The Lockman Foundation, a nonprofit Christian corporation committed to evangelism ... organized a team of thirty-two scholars to prepare a new revision [of the American Standard Version of 1901]. These scholars ... strove to produce a literal translation ... in the belief that such a translation 'brings the contemporary reader as close as possible to the actual wording and grammatical structure of the original writers' "' [from the preface].
"After the New American Standard Bible was published (in 1963 for the New Testament and 1971 for the entire Bible), it received a mixed response. Some critics applauded its literal accuracy, while other sharply criticized its language for hardly being contemporary or modern.
"On the whole, the New American Standard Bible became respected as a good study Bible that accurately reflects the wording of the original languages yet is not a good translation for Bible reading" (Comfort, pp. 77-78).
THE NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION (NIrV)Reading Level: Grade 3.5
The New International Reader's Version (NIrV, 1996) "is a new Bible version developed to enable early readers to understand God's message. Begun in 1992 and co-sponsored by the International Bible Society and Zondervan Publishing House, the New International Reader's Version is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV), today's most popular translation of the Bible. " (from the NIrV "Sample Booklet").
The NIrV was designed to make the Bible clear and understandable to early readers, and can be read by a typical fourth grader. For this reason, it is also of value to the millions for whom English is a second language. It intends to be distinguished by five fundamental characteristics—readability, understandability, compatibility with the NIV, reliability and trustworthiness. It serves as a natural stepping-stone to the NIV when the time is right.
THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
Reading Level: Grade 7.8
"The New International Version is a completely new rendering of the original languages done by an international group of more than a hundred scholars. These scholars worked many years and in several committees to produce an excellent thought-for-thought translation in contemporary English for private and public use. ...
"The translators of the New International Version sought to make a version that was midway between a literal rendering (as in the New American Standard Bible) and a free paraphrase (as in The Living Bible). Their goal was to convey in English the thought of the original writers. ... The New Testament of the New International Version was published in 1973, and the entire Bible, in 1978. This version has been phenomenally successful. Millions and millions of readers have adopted the New International Version as their 'Bible.' Since 1987 it has outsold the King James Version, the best-seller for centuries—a remarkable indication of its popularity and acceptance in the Christian community. The New International Version, sponsored by the [International] Bible Society, ... has become a standard version used for private reading and pulpit reading in many English-speaking countries" (Comfort, pp. 79-81).
THE JERUSALEM BIBLE (JB)
"The first complete Catholic Bible to be translated from the original languages is The Jerusalem Bible, published in England in 1966. ...This Bible, which includes the Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical books, contains many study helps—such as introductions to each book of the Bible, extensive notes on various passages, and maps. The study helps are an intricate part of the whole translation because it is the belief of Roman Catholic leadership that laypeople should be given interpretive helps in their reading of the sacred text. The study helps in The Jerusalem Bible were translated from the French, whereas the Bible text itself was translated from the original languages. ... The translation of the text ... is considerably freer than other translations, such as the Revised Standard Version, because the translators sought to capture the meaning of the original writings in a 'vigorous, contemporary literary style'" [from the preface] (Comfort, pp. 81-82).
THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV)
Reading Level: Grade 8.5
The New King James Version (1982) is a revision of the King James Version, called for primarily due to the same reasons given for the New Revised Standard Version. It retains the elegant literary style of the KJV, but is easier to read.
THE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT)Reading Level: Grade 6.3
The New Living Translation (Tyndale, 1996, 2004) is a "thorough revision" of The Living Bible. "More than ninety scholars from various theological backgrounds and denominations [were involved] ... with the goal that it be exegetically accurate and idiomatically powerful.
"Most significantly, the New Living Translation is not a paraphrase but a translation. Every verse has been carefully compared to the most reliable editions of the Hebrew and Greek texts in an effort to make a translation that accurately conveys the meaning of the original texts" (from the Preface to the review copy of Romans).
THE NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION (NRSV)Reading Level: Grade 8.1 (but Zondervan says it's actually 10.)
"The New Revised Standard Version [was] published in 1990. ... In the preface to this revision, Bruce Metzger, chair-person of the revision committee, wrote:
'The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible is an authorized revision of the Revised Standard Version, published in 1952, which is a revision of the American Standard Version, published in 1901. ... The need for issuing a revision of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible arises from three circumstances: (a) the acquisition of still older biblical manuscripts, (b) further investigation of linguistic features of the text, and (c) changes in preferred English usage' (Comfort, p. 85).
THE REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE (REB)
" (1989) ... is a radical revision of the New English Bible" (Comfort, p. 85).
THE REVISED STANDARD VERSION (RSV)
Reading Level: 12
"The organization that held the copyright to the American Standard Version ... authorized a new revision in 1937. "The New Testament was published in 1946; and the entire Bible with the Old Testament, in 1952.
"The principles of the revision were specified in the preface to the Revised Standard Version: 'The Revised Standard Version is not a new translation in the language of today. It is not a paraphrase which aims at striking idioms. It is a revision which seeks to preserve all that is best in the English Bible as it has been known and used throughout the years.
"This revision was well received by many Protestant Churches and soon became their 'standard' text. ... Evangelical and fundamental Christians, however, did not receive the Revised Standard Version very well—primarily because of one verse, Isaiah 7:14...." (Comfort, pp. 66-67). The RSV has now been replaced by the NRSV.
Comfort, Philip W., The Complete Guide to Bible Versions. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1991. Kubo and Specht, So Many Versions? Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983.
NEW ENGLISH VERSION (NET)
Reading Level: NA
The NET was commissioned to be offered for free by way of the internet. The commissioner wanted to make available and good translation that anyone could access. The NET Bible can be found online at www.bible.org. The website contains great resources for Bible study which are easy to use along with the NET translation. Today, the NET is available in print.
ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV)
Reading Level: 10
The ESV is a new literal translation that is highly acclaimed by top scholars. This translation brings a solid word for word translation which is imperative for Bible Study.
AMPLIFIED VERSION (AMP)
Reading Level: 8
The AMP is a great word for word translation. The AMP includes words in brackets which are other words which could be used. This greatly helps biblical understanding.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
How To Study the Bible, PT1
The average Christian along with most non-Christians do not know how to properly study the Word of God. So over the next couple of posts I want to give some notes on how to properly study the Bible. Before I start, I want to recommend a great resource called, "Herman Who?" by Todd Friel. This DVD goes through this process of Biblical interpretation.
Now before we look at who to study the Bible we must first answer two questions:
Why Should We Study God’s Word?
To keep our ways pure and to be in right relationship with God.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! 13 With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:9-16, ESV)
Why should we learn how to study the Bible.
To properly use the scriptures.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV)
What is Hermeneutics?
The Science and art of Biblical interpretation
Hermeneutical Rules:
Now here are the hermeneutical rules we use for proper Biblical study. These same rules can be used for any type of liturature because they are rules which help to properly understand any writing.
1. A text cannot mean what it never meant to its author or his or her readers.
2. Whenever we share comparable particulars (i.e. similar specific life situations) with the first-century setting, God’s Word to us is the same as His Word to them.
3. One should first distinguish between the central core of the message of the Bible and what is dependant upon or peripheral to it.
4. One should be prepared to distinguish between what the New Testament itself sees as inherently moral and what is not.
5. One must make special note of items where the New Testament itself has a uniform and consistent witness and where it reflects differences.
6. It is important to be able to distinguish within the New Testament itself between principle and specific application.
7. Determine the cultural options open to any New Testament writer.
8. One must alert to possible cultural differences between the first-century and the current time that are sometimes not immediately obvious.
The Process
Now here is how we do the process of Hermeneutics
1. Literary context - Context, Context, Context… Context is everything!
The intended meaning of any passage is the meaning that is consistent with the sense of the literary context in which it occurs.
2. Context provides flow-of-thought
3. Context provides accurate meaning of words
4. Context Delineates correct relationships among units
5. Circles of context
6. Immediate context
a. Book context
b. Author’s corpus of writings context
c. The pertinent testament context
d. The Bible context
e. Historical-cultural background
7. Explore the general background of the book
8. Examine the Historical-Cultural Factors of a specific passage
9. Word Meanings: What did the word mean then and in that culture
10. Do a word study
a. Select word(s) that require detailed analysis
b. Determine the Range of meaning for the word
c. Select the meaning that best fits the context
11. Grammatical relationships: To understand the meaning of any statement one must understand how words, phrases, sentences and paragraph units interact. Note: This is used when looking at the original language.
12. Natural division(s)
Other Considerations
There are a few other things to consider when interpreting the Bible
Literary genre:
Remember, this does not necessitate the degree of literal or allegory reading, but is important to consider.
1. Prose
2. Narrative
3. Poetry
4. Law
5. Prophesy
6. Wisdom
Interpretive Styles
This is one area that one must be very careful when interpreting the scripture. There has been many times where people have considered parts of text as figurative when it was literal. One such example is Genesis 1-11. Theistic evolutionists love to treat this passage as figurative, but they make a grave error; it is literal.
1. Literal
2. Figurative/Symbolic
Simplified Steps
1. Read the context
2. Check another version
3. Word Study
4. Seek commentaries and other tools
5. Check original language
6. Seek help from spiritual leader (i.e. Pastor, Bible College Professor, Experts)
Next post will deal with translations of the Bible.
Now before we look at who to study the Bible we must first answer two questions:
Why Should We Study God’s Word?
To keep our ways pure and to be in right relationship with God.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! 13 With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:9-16, ESV)
Why should we learn how to study the Bible.
To properly use the scriptures.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV)
What is Hermeneutics?
The Science and art of Biblical interpretation
Hermeneutical Rules:
Now here are the hermeneutical rules we use for proper Biblical study. These same rules can be used for any type of liturature because they are rules which help to properly understand any writing.
1. A text cannot mean what it never meant to its author or his or her readers.
2. Whenever we share comparable particulars (i.e. similar specific life situations) with the first-century setting, God’s Word to us is the same as His Word to them.
3. One should first distinguish between the central core of the message of the Bible and what is dependant upon or peripheral to it.
4. One should be prepared to distinguish between what the New Testament itself sees as inherently moral and what is not.
5. One must make special note of items where the New Testament itself has a uniform and consistent witness and where it reflects differences.
6. It is important to be able to distinguish within the New Testament itself between principle and specific application.
7. Determine the cultural options open to any New Testament writer.
8. One must alert to possible cultural differences between the first-century and the current time that are sometimes not immediately obvious.
The Process
Now here is how we do the process of Hermeneutics
1. Literary context - Context, Context, Context… Context is everything!
The intended meaning of any passage is the meaning that is consistent with the sense of the literary context in which it occurs.
2. Context provides flow-of-thought
3. Context provides accurate meaning of words
4. Context Delineates correct relationships among units
5. Circles of context
6. Immediate context
a. Book context
b. Author’s corpus of writings context
c. The pertinent testament context
d. The Bible context
e. Historical-cultural background
7. Explore the general background of the book
8. Examine the Historical-Cultural Factors of a specific passage
9. Word Meanings: What did the word mean then and in that culture
10. Do a word study
a. Select word(s) that require detailed analysis
b. Determine the Range of meaning for the word
c. Select the meaning that best fits the context
11. Grammatical relationships: To understand the meaning of any statement one must understand how words, phrases, sentences and paragraph units interact. Note: This is used when looking at the original language.
12. Natural division(s)
Other Considerations
There are a few other things to consider when interpreting the Bible
Literary genre:
Remember, this does not necessitate the degree of literal or allegory reading, but is important to consider.
1. Prose
2. Narrative
3. Poetry
4. Law
5. Prophesy
6. Wisdom
Interpretive Styles
This is one area that one must be very careful when interpreting the scripture. There has been many times where people have considered parts of text as figurative when it was literal. One such example is Genesis 1-11. Theistic evolutionists love to treat this passage as figurative, but they make a grave error; it is literal.
1. Literal
2. Figurative/Symbolic
Simplified Steps
1. Read the context
2. Check another version
3. Word Study
4. Seek commentaries and other tools
5. Check original language
6. Seek help from spiritual leader (i.e. Pastor, Bible College Professor, Experts)
Next post will deal with translations of the Bible.
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