Being that I'm a word junkie, I enjoyed reading/working with the new study Bible published by Thomas Nelson, called 'New Testament, The [expanded] Bible'. It's like having a thesaurus and dictionary at the reader's fingertips. But, I noticed early on that the language used is simplistic and seems to direct itself to those with a very basic vocabulary. Then I did some research and found that the New Century Version is a translation intentionally created to be easily read, specifically by those who are deaf and might have trouble understanding words and phrases that are not meant to be taken literally. That's a shaky concept to take on when studying the Bible.On the plus side, this study Bible is well-constructed, with paper heavier than a standard Bible with an attractive font used. I'd hesitate buying it for an advanced scholar, instead giving it to one who was new to God's word, more in line to be read with the 'The Living Bible' or 'The Message Bible'. It definitely has a place in my library, and will get much use. But taken alone as a study tool, for a serious Bible student, something more precise would be preferred.
I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's blogger book review program and more information can be found at their website.
