If you search for ‘bible’ on Amazon, you’ll find many different options and translations. If you visit a local book store, you’ll see rows and rows of Bibles. Are you wondering what’s the best Bible translation to read, memorize, and
study from?
The best Bible translation is one that’s read
If you are a new believer, you mustn’t get hung up on getting into the minute details of the various English translations of the Bible. The most important thing is to
read one of them. There are a lot of
excellent translations of the Bible, but spending dedicated time in prayer and study is the most important thing.
What is a Study Bible?
A Study Bible is a type of Bible that includes additional notes about passages, information about each book of the Bible (who wrote, when they wrote it, key themes, essential facts, etc.). A common mistake that Christians often make with their Bible study is asking “what does this verse mean to me?”. Bible verses only have one meaning. They can have multiple applications, but they can only have one meaning in their context. Let’s look at an example from
Haggai.
3 The word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? – Haggai 1:3–4 (CSB)
In western culture today, paneled houses aren’t considered to be a “luxury’. It’s considered to be an older design style. In this period though, it was an extreme luxury. Looking at the context of the time, it helps us derive the application in 2020. God is speaking out against personal homes being built in luxury while His house (the temple) is in ruins. Our application today might be that we’re living in a life of luxury (large homes, fancy clothes, etc.) while not supporting our local churches.
A Study Bible will help you learn information like this as you read. A Study Bible isn’t meant to be a ‘shortcut’ to not studying for yourself, but rather a guide to making sure you are on the right path.
Wrap up on Best Bible Translation
At Replicate, we read and study from the
Christian Standard Bible (CSB), but many of us also own and study from the
English Standard Version (ESV) as well. We offer a
Replicate Study Bible in the CSB format, but we also recommend the
ESV Study Bible.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that all translations are just that – translations. Don’t get hung up on the minor details. Unless you want to go back to the original Hebrew and Greek versions of the Bible, it’s not worth arguing with fellow church members if they read the NIV, NKJV, etc. Just focus your time on encouraging people to
read a translation.
Photo by
Ben White on
Unsplash
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