Which Bible Best Suits Me? by Ps Michael Podhaczky

Bibles come in various sizes, versions and reading levels. So, for some, choosing a Bible can be a process, which can be a little overwhelming. As the different Bibles are intended for different readers and purposes there are some basic questions to ask that will help you narrow things down. For example, a few questions that may help you are:

·         Why am I choosing this Bible?

·         How will it be used, i.e. will it be simply for devotional reading or for study?

·         Am I a new Christ-follower and so, beginning to read the Bible?

·         Is it for personal in-depth Bible study?

·         How much do I want to spend on the cover, paper and quality of the Bible?

In light of questions like these, I have put together a couple of helpful pointers that will hopefully assist in clearing some of the fog from the process. Basically, there are three kinds of Bible,

·         A Literal Translation: These try to translate from the original languages using a ‘Word for Word’ process

·         The Dynamic Equivalents: These are what is known as the ‘Thought for Thought,’ Bibles and lie between a literal translation and a paraphrase

·         The Paraphrases: These are more conceptual, in that they do not try to translate word for word, simply try to paraphrase and use current language

These three kinds of Bible are also at varying reading levels:

·         Difficult: Used for doctrinal studies, usually for a year’s 11-12 reading standard

·         Medium (Med): Usually for a year’s 7-10 reading standard

·         Low: Usually for a year’s 6-3 reading standard, maybe good for young teenagers or children and for those who a beginning to read or have English as a second language

Below are some approximate reading levels for some Bible, this may help in choosing a Bible: