August 15, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Friday, August 15.
I know a few Hebrew words, a handful of Greek terms, but I’m certainly no Greek or Hebrew scholar. So, like most English speakers, when I read the Bible, I read it in English. And most of the time I read it in a translation - a word for word connection to the original Hebrew or Greek. The famous King James Version is a translation and considered to be a very accurate source. But its words, from 1611, are sometimes a bit unwieldy and archaic. When’s the last time you used the term “begat” in a conversation? Even modern translations, like the New American Standard Version (1971), can lack a certain readability.
That’s where paraphrase Bibles come in. What they lack in word for word accuracy, they make up for in clarity. My generation was greatly influenced by a paraphrase called The Living Bible (1972). My daughter’s generation has grown up with The Message (2002). A paraphrase Bible can be a wonderful tool, especially for a new believer, or for casual study. I still use The Living Bible, and there’s no match for the beauty of the King James language, but my go-to Bible is the New International Version (1978). It’s a translation and, for my money, is the best combination of accuracy and readability. The NIV is the best selling Bible in the world.
And so what is the best Bible? A translation? A paraphrase? The Message? The King James? The best Bible is the “open” Bible. No matter what version you have in your home (or on your phone), it serves no purpose, it provides no benefit, it imparts no wisdom... if it is not opened.
Joshua 1:8 (NIV) - “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Meet you back here on Monday,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
