Bible Reviews

Don’t Get This False Children’s Bible!

The, “Just Love Story Bible” is a mess of Critical Race Theory, social justice, and feminist lies that will present a false god to your children, and keep them in idolatry. One of the authors of this lie, a person who calls herself, the Reverend Jacqui Lewis, said this about her work, “…the book’s goal is to teach children Christian lessons they ‘don’t have to unlearn because they understand from the beginning what this faith is really about…” Her goal wasn’t to accurately translate the word of God, and maintain the ideas He has communicated in His word.

If you think this is bad, just wait. There’s more. Another red flag for anyone who takes the word of God seriously is that Lewis claims to be a Reverend, or in other words she is assuming for herself the role of preaching elder. Which any serious student of God’s word knows is a role reserved only for matured in the faith men. Her co-author is a woman named, the Reverend Shannon Daley-Harris. Look! It is yet another feminist with a hyphenated last name, and she’s assumed the role of Reverend. Of course they are in a theologically liberal church. “…Lewis has long preached at Middle Collegiate Church, a multiethnic congregation in Manhattan’s East Village affiliated with the United Church of Christ…” While her co-author, Harris is an associate dean of Auburn Theological Seminary in Morningside Heights.

They couldn’t resist the urge to turn Moses, and Jesus from Jews into black men with afros. This isn’t the biggest offense, but it lets you know just one more thing about the liars producing this work. The illustrator is just as much an activist. It also figures that both the authors are from the Presbyterian USA denomination.

When asked, “Why did you create the Just Love Story Bible,” Lewis had this to say,

“I was approached by Beaming Books a while ago about doing an interfaith project. And as time went on, it seemed right to do a Christian book given all the meshugaas (a Yiddish term for madness) in the world about what Christianity is or isn’t. Shannon has all of these gifts from writing liturgy for the Children’s Defense Fund, and she’s got a really strong sense of the Hebrew Bible. Our agenda is teach young people a theology of love and justice that we don’t have to unlearn because they understand from the beginning what this faith is really about.”

Notice it was not her intention to accurately translate, or render the word of God. It was indoctrinate children into social justice, critical race theory, and feminism. I know. You are thinking, “That’s not what I read.” You have to look at the end product, and read in between the lines with liars like this.

Here is what Harris had to say about her work,

“It’s OK to actually tell kids from the get-go: Some of these stories are about true people and things that really happen, and some of them are made-up stories, but they’re in there because they can still teach us true things about God. You can tell the story of Jonah and the whale and still let kids at all these different developmental levels get into it imaginatively to extract the true lessons about us as God’s people, without feeling like they have to — pardon the pun — buy the swallowed-by-whale thing, hook, line and sinker.”

She, like almost all liberal theologians don’t actually believe the Bible. They pick, and choose. Before you say, “Whoa brother. There are parables that are told that didn’t really happen.” That is is not what she is talking about. You can see from her own words, she doesn’t believe the account of what happened to Jonah.

Don’t believe me about the CRT intent? Here is what Lewis said,

“It is the most gorgeous rainbow of faces. When we talk about what children can do and how they can be activists, or how they can be revolutionary lovers, that looks like a rainbow of people. But the biblical characters mostly look Black and brown and caramel, which is what we would really experience in the region. In the world where children have been exposed to white characters in Bibles for as long as Christianity has been Christian, now white children, I imagine, looking in this Bible and seeing brown people and thinking to themselves, “Oh, brown people belong to God, too.””

She doesn’t care what God has said. She only cares about how she can twist it to make CRT, social justice, activists of your children. This is disgusting, and perverse. The don’t even keep the text of the word of God. They create all new false stories/lies, and present them as the word of God. Look at the image at the top of this article. That is just one example.

Harris is just as bad. They don’t really care about what God has said. They simply make their own stories up.

“Frankly, the discipline of 300 to 500 words to tell a story in a sort of theologically responsible way. And knowing this book will be for some kids who go to church every Sunday with their families, and some who have never been before and are interested in what it’s all about. Some of them, there is enough dialogue and detail in the text to stay quite close to what we find in Scripture. And then others are almost more like modern midrash — that wonderful Jewish tradition of imagining a text, imagining what wasn’t said, what might have come before or come after. We say this explicitly in one of the introductions: How might the story have been told differently by somebody else who was there?”

Lewis goes on to promote a “hermeneutic of doubt.” This is what satan practiced. He is a liar, and a murderer from the beginning. He tempted Eve by asking her, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 and “And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5

Here is what Lewis said, “The New Testament is like this: There was a birth, a death and a resurrection. And (we) want to stay, in a way, orthodox enough that parents who really care about those stories will pick up the Bible and read it, and then we can stretch them, which was my hope and challenge. And when we got to resurrection, I went all the way philosophical, “some people like Plato think… ” and “some people like Aristotle think… ,” to just introduce our faith also includes doubt and the possibility of having a hermeneutic of suspicion. Did that happen? For me, it matters more that children know that love never dies, so that’s where I landed.”

If you don’t believe me about their theological positions as being theologically liberal, here it is in Harris’ own words when asked how she thinks theologically conservative Christians will receive her work,

“There will be a group of sort of literalist or fundamentalist folks for whom this isn’t a welcome resource. But it’s been really interesting to see the reception from not just folks who are raised progressive, but those who are raised in a tradition that no longer fit them, who did grow out of a theology and are looking for one that they can grow into and grow with alongside their children.”

Notice, she calls brands theologically conservative people as fundamentalists. This isn’t by accident.

Here is an excerpt from a news article where she intentionally calls sojourners, strangers/foreigners, immigrants. It is obvious what she is doing, but in case it isn’t to you. Read the excerpt.

Interviewer: “In your summary of Leviticus 19, you include the divine lesson “You shall love immigrants as yourself, for you were immigrants in the land of Egypt. I am your God.” Why did you choose that wording rather than that of other translations that have used “stranger” or “foreigner”?
Daley-Harris: Whatever the language is, the heart, essence and message is, “we’re all newly arrived at this place.” What does it mean to not try to slam the door behind you, but to really use that lived experience to create some empathy for those who are experiencing it anew? Other than our Indigenous friends who are still living in the United States, we’re all immigrants, ancestrally and historically, to this place.”

Of course it is blatantly, satanically, feminist. They tell slippery, soft, pleasant sounding lies, that tickle the ears of self-centered, fleshly, carnal, people.

“Absolutely: that Jesus was a feminist, and maybe there wasn’t language for that then, but he was a culturally Jewish man, a rabbi, who came to understand that he could relate to women differently than the culture around him. He engaged them. He drew them in. And I think those lessons are super important in this modern context. When Shannon and I say, we don’t want children to learn something they have to unlearn, we don’t want them to learn patriarchy from this story Bible.”

Her big concern? She doesn’t want them learning patriarchy from the word of God. Well, where should they learn the truth of it from? Muslims? Mormons? Jews? None of those cults actually treat women as equally being human, and deserving dignity as image bearers of God the way Biblical Christianity does.

Long story short, keep your kids, and grandkids, away from this satanic tripe. It is nothing but political ideologies wrapped up in a antichrist shawl, and served with cookies, and hot chocolate. Because the best liars are the ones who follow satan’s example.

Here is a link to the original article if you care to read it. https://religionnews.com/2025/10/16/new-childrens-bible-aims-to-capture-diverse-nonpatriarchal-theology-of-love-and-justice/

Bible Reviews

The Compact Edition of the Legacy Standard Bible (L.S.B.)

I was in the market for a compact edition, and as it turns out, Three Sixteen Publishing has released a compact edition. I found one I liked in an edge lined, navy blue, goatskin leather.

As you can see from the photo, it is pretty compact. I was surprised that the font was still larger than that of the Cambridge Pitt Minion Bibles, and much easier to read. The Pitt’s font is 6pt. The Compact edition LSB is 8.5pt. This makes a significant difference.

The font is laid out in a two column, paragraph format. It is printed on 28 g.s.m. paper. The cover is pretty soft, and flexible goatskin leather. The edge lined binding, as well as the smyth-sewn spine, also aid in that regard. The inner cover is cowhide, and has the gold colored LSB logo printed on it. The head, and tail bands match the color of the navy blue cover. There are two ribbon markers. One is blue, the other is gold.

The page edges look more silver than this photo shows.

The page edges are blue under silver, and the corners are rounded.

If you are in the market for a compact edition, I highly recommend this one over the Pitt Minion. You can find it here, https://316publishing.com/collections/lsb-compact-edition/products/legacy-standard-bible-compact-edition-edge-lined-goatskin

Bible Reviews

A Review of the Berean Standard Bible.

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I purchased this Bible in genuine cowhide leather. The edition I chose was Atlantic blue. It was listed as, “Genuine Leather – Tosca Cowhide Atlantic.” You can look at the product page via this link. I wasn’t aware that another edition had been published. When I saw that it had, I purchased one. The last Bible I received from the folks who run Biblehub.com was the Berean Study Bible. Keep in mind, this Bible does not come with a storage box.

The most impressive things about this edition in my opinion are as follows;

1. It was printed, and bound in the United States, not China.

2. It was priced very competitively. (Proving you don’t need to go overseas.)

3. The form factor is about perfect, in my subjective opinion.

4. The paper is excellent.

5. The quality, in toto, is excellent.

6. This translation is easy to read, without being dumbed down, or neutered to fit an extra-biblical agenda.

All of that considered, here is a citation from the product page linked above detailing the vital stats.

“The text is 9.5 pt. Cambria font, printed on high quality 39 gsm Thincoat Plus Bible paper that is also ideal for highlighting and note taking.

SKU: 9781944757090
ISBN: 
9781944757090
Color: Dark Blue-green
Dimensions: 6.15 x 8.5 x 1.25
Page Count:1504

There are three ribbon markers. This edition includes decorative head, and tail bands, that are gold in color matching the ribbons. The ribbons seem to be high quality, and the ends are seared. The cowhide leather cover is moderately textured, perimeter stitched, with a paper interior liner. The perimeter stitching is an additional step that aids in the durability of the cover. Since the interior liner is paper, and it connects the text-block to the cover, it cannot be said to be edge-lined. This edition is case-bound, though you couldn’t tell by how flexible this edition is. It is just as flexible as some of the edge-lined Bibles out there. The cover gives the impression of being tougher than some of the garment grade goatskin covers I’ve seen recently. If you have purchased a sub $200, edge-lined, goatskin Bible, it is more than likely cheaper grade goatskin. The Highland goatskin covers on Jongbloed produced Bibles is significantly higher quality. The spine of this edition is smyth-sewn. The Spine is hot-stamped with gold colored foil. It says, “Holy Bible” at the head, and, “Berean Standard Bible” towards the center. There are four mildly pronounced decorative spine hubs. I think it is tastefully done.

The text-block has rounded corners, and spine. These features help to reduce the premature wear, and tear of the pages. The paper is 39 g.s.m. This is some thick paper, but since this edition lacks any maps, concordance, or other helps, the thinness is maintained. The page edges are gilt. As I mentioned before, this is pretty much the perfect sized Bible, for almost all occasions. The price is under $90. It is a true bargain, and good value.

If you aren’t familiar with this translation, the best way I could describe it to you, is that it is a pleasure to read, much like the N.I.V. was from 1984-2010 before it adopted a gender neutrality disorder. It is important to mention, this is not a dynamic equivalent translation like the N.I.V. This does seem to be more of a formal equivalence translation.

Now for all the pictures. Remember to check out my album of pictures on the Flickr page by clicking this link. If you click on the pictures in this review, they will take you to the high resolution, full sized picture on my Flickr page. It helps to get a closer look.

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Bible Reviews · Bibles

A Review of the Legacy Standard Bible, Inside Column Reference Edition in Blue Cowhide Leather.

I preordered this edition when the option became available, and have been patiently waiting for it to arrive. I am also waiting for other editions to be published. I know that many people don’t use the cross references often, but I do like to have them in my daily reader. I am hoping for the MacArthur Study Bible in LSB to be announced one of these days. I know it is a matter of time. This Bible isn’t as large as the Large Print, Wide Margin edition, but it feels like it weighs about the same. It is not a light Bible. I have to say, I’m really enjoying the blue cowhide leather cover. The grain of the leather is more pronounced. It hasn’t got the ironed leather look. The perimeter of this edition’s cover is sewn. That should keep it from coming unglued at the corners, since we are talking about a case bound edition here. The corners, as well as the spine are rounded. The spine is smyth-sewn for durability, and flexibility. There are 5 raised spine hubs. “Holy Bible” is hot stamped in gold colored foil on the spine along with the logo for the LSB, and the publisher’s name at the bottom. I did notice some odd markings on the page edges. It looked like someone at the factory tried to repair some spots where the page edge gilt may have been damaged, or misapplied. There were also some minor dings in the page edges. In the Facebook group, another person mentioned the same problem with his Bible. (I hope, once they get the production procedures practiced, the quality control will get better. I sort of expect quality control problems with a new translation being published in South Korea. The Berean Standard Bible is printed, and bound in the USA, and doesn’t seem to have these problems It also costs much less. I wonder why 316 went with a Korean printer instead? Perhaps the American one couldn’t do the volume they needed?) There are 2 ribbon markers, that are nice quality, and the ends have been seared. The head and tail bands are blue to match the cover, and one of the ribbons. 40 g.s.m. paper is terrific! I love the paper. There are 14,000 translation footnotes. This is helpful for the language geeks like me. We want to know. The concordance is a nice addition. It has over 16,000 entries. The font is nice and legible at 11 pts. for the scriptures, and smaller for the references. This is a black text edition, with red titles, headers, chapter, and page numbers. The text is line matched with the text on the reverse side of the page for eye comfort. This is a single column, verse format Bible with the cross references in the inside column between the gutter, and the text column. There are some maps at the very back. I am very pleased that they included a storage box for this edition. It is the best way to keep a Bible protected when not in use. All in all, this is a really nice edition. This translation is, in my opinion, the best modern English translation to date. I am hopefully looking forward to more editions. 316 also included a lapel pin, and a daily planner with this Bible purchase. I have pictures of the planner on my Flickr page along with more pictures of this edition. Click the link to check them out.

You can purchase your edition of this Bible at 316publishing

Here are some pictures that highlight the features I mentioned. If you click the album link above, you can see the high resolution pictures instead of these lower resolution ones.

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ISBN: 9781636641850

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

Legacy Standard Bible, 2 Column Verse by Verse, Faux Leather.

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Instead of writing about a feature, and then having a photograph inline, I’m changing it up a bit. I’ll have the write-up of my impression of this edition, and all of the photographs will be after. So if you simply want to look at the pictures you can skip all the text… You weren’t really going to do that were you? I mean… Seriously? You want to just look at pictures… Okay, I tend to do that too, but if you do want to know what I think about this edition, continue reading.

The LSB is, in my opinion, the best modern English translation of the Bible to date. I’m purchasing all new resources to go along with this translation. The two column, verse format LSB, is the first edition of the LSB that is actually quite portable. The double column, verse format, is one of my favorite Bible layouts of all-time. This one lacks some of the fancier features, but for dragging around with me wherever I go, it is perfect. I’m also pretty jazzed that it isn’t made in China.

It is printed, and bound in South Korea. Not only do you get the great double column verse format layout, you also get 32 g.s.m. paper, 10 pt font, line-matching, double sided ribbon marker, perimeter stitching, head and tail bands, section headings, rounded page corners, and a rounded smyth-sewn spine. I know, you all wanted to see an edge-lined, goat skin leather edition, but we don’t always get what we want, nor should we. We get what we need… Now, for your reward for reading my opinion, some pictures of this Bible I drew using a camera…

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As usual, for more pictures follow this link to my Flickr page to see more photographs of this Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-63664-168-3

Bible Reviews · Bibles

Stay Away From the Passion, “translation” and Charlatan Brian Simmons!

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I want to warn you all about the Passion, “translation” of the Bible. I review Bibles on my site. Publishers send me their works for review. I get them for free in exchange for a review. The author of the Passion is just one man. His name is Brian Simmons. He is not an ancient language expert. He is a false prophet. He is a worker of lying signs and wonders. He is a liar, and a charlatan. He sent me some of his work translating Koine Greek to English. He wanted a ringing endorsement. This was evident by the child-like temper tantrum he threw when I told him how horrible his work was. He did not even come close to actually translating the text. It was as if he read an English translation, and then put a bunch of uncalled for, flowery, word salad, in between the words that were actually present in the Hebrew, and Greek texts. Later this charlatan was on Sid Roth’s show, “It’s Supernatural” While on the program he claimed that Jesus appeared to him in his room. He claims that Jesus supernaturally empowered him to know the lost, and true, meanings of the ancient languages. He also claims that Jesus commissioned him solely to give the world Jesus’ true words in this new, “translation.” If you don’t believe me watch the linked video of the show. Start at the 15 minute, 20 second mark. That is where it gets to the point. The video before hand is full of lies about false miracles. https://sidroth.org/television/tv-archives/brian-simmons/
In case that video gets taken down, as many of them have been taken down, here is a link to another video where he tells his lies. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2jzaph The interesting part of this video starts at 13 minutes and 38 seconds. This man is a dangerous heretic. Nobody should ever, under any circumstance, use the Passion, “translation.”

Here is a good video from Fighting for the Faith that refutes Brian Simmons. https://youtu.be/M_jlDNWam_s

Here is another series of videos refuting the Passion, “translation” https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuv-ISp_iIw1WL8zaEm86L8

BEZELT3 does an excellent refutation as well. https://youtu.be/eLRivGxgxqo

Let’s just look at one section of scripture in his fraudulent translation work. Here is the first verse of chapter one in the gospel of John. “1 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. John 1:1”

I’ll transliterate it for you. En arche en ho logos, kai ho logos en pros ton theon, kai theos en ho logos.

Now let’s look at how those words directly translate into modern English. I’ll put them in the right order given the context provided by the definite article. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Here is how the phony renders it. “In the beginning the Living Expression was already there.
And the Living Expression was with God, yet fully God.”

Here is the Greek of verse 2. “οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν. John 1:2”

Here is the transliteration. “Houtos en en arche pros ton theon.”

It translates to, “He was in the beginning with God. John 1:2”

In verse 2 he gives this false translation. “They were together—face-to-face, in the very beginning.”

These are not difficult passages to translate. So why does Brian get them so wrong? It is because he is a fraud. He is a huckster. He is a false teacher.

Don’t follow this charlatan! Stay away from the Passion, “translation.”

Bible Reviews · Crossway · Uncategorized

The Illuminated Scripture Journal Set from Crossway.

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The Illuminated Scripture Journal is a multi-volume set of New Testament books which have been artistically illuminated by Dana Tanamachi who was commissioned by Crossway for her artistry.

Each page that occurs on the left contains scripture in a single column with drop cap chapter numbers in gold, in a paragraph format, with the verse numbers superscript in black text.  Also in gold are section headings above the text.

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The pages that occur on the right, and opposite of the scriptures, contain blank pages ruled with faintly printed dots to help you keep your lines straight without being too obvious.

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There are also scripture verses, and designs that are artistically rendered in gold on these pages.  Some full page features are dispersed throughout.

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My first impression of the boxed set was mixed.  On the one hand, when I think of illuminated scriptures what comes to mind is an ancient hand copied tome with leather clad wood board covers and a metal hasp, along with ornately decorated pages, multiple colors, and drawings.

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This set is much more conservative in its use of illumination.  To me they look like a talented person went along with a gold colored marker and marked up the covers, and pages.

Mind you, it isn’t unpleasant, and most peoples minds wouldn’t go where mine did.  I still found the work to be pleasant to look at, but we are talking about a set that is covered in card paper, and glued together.

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I appreciate the binding being far better than, “perfect bound” books.  It isn’t as good as a sewn binding with a leather cover.  These personal preferences aside, this set is meant to be affordable, and it is also meant to be used.  The idea is for you to engage the word, and for it to be engaging.  These volumes are meant to be read, and then written in.  They aren’t intended to be some priceless, unapproachable work from antiquity, and most likely, if you use them as they are intended to be used, they will never make it antiquity.  You’ll carry them along with you, the corners will get bent, the pages will get marked up, and you’ll learn a lot about the Author, and His intent.  If you’d like to look at more pictures visit my Flickr album.

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

A Soapbox Review of the Legacy Standard Bible, (L.S.B.) Handy Size, Edge-Lined, Shamar Goatskin, in Copper Brown with Full Yapp.

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As many of you know, we have been waiting for orders of this edition to ship. Some of us had per-ordered it in August of 2020. The one I ordered finally arrived. I knew what to expect from Jongbloed (Youngblood) as I have reviewed several premium editions over the years passed. All of them were printed and bound by Royal Jongbloed in the Netherlands. This edition did not depart from that standard set by Jongbloed in the past.

This edition was shipped in a cardboard shipping box via the U.S.P.S. The hardcover comes in a bubble envelope. The cowhide paste-down came in a smaller box. The goatskin edition arrived undamaged, and in perfect condition. The Bible was packed along with the Bible Armor carrying case. The package was cushioned with brown paper. The Bible Armor was in a plastic bag. The Bible was bubble wrapped. It was also wrapped with two paper bands, as is usual with premium goatskin edge-lined Bibles. These bands keep the supple leather from becoming deformed, and in the case of a semi, or full, yapp they keep them bent in to the text block. In times past, full yapp covers kept the text block protected. Keep in mind, these Bibles should never be stored vertically on a shelf! Never! When can you store them vertically on a shelf? NEVER! Glad we got that straight.

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The text block is the same one used in the hardcover, and cowhide Bibles. There are two cowhide options. You can purchase the edge-lined, or the case bound edition. The hardcover’s text block does not have rounded corners. It comes with two ribbon markers. The Cowhide Bibles, and the goatskin have rounded corners. They all have rounded spines. The hardcover, and the cowhide paste-down/case bound Bibles have the narrower 1/4” ribbon markers. The two edge-lined editions come with three of the wider 3/8” ribbon markers.

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The covers are dramatically different in tactile experience as well as smell. The edge-lined goatskin of course is the most supple. The paste-down cowhide is comparable to a Cambridge calfsplit leather. The surface is not as glossy and smooth. The leather editions all smell like… leather. What did you expect?

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Each edition comes with head and tail bands that match the covers. The edge-lined ones have five spine hubs. The paste down and hardcover have gold colored foil heat stamped lines where the hubs would have been. All of them have, “Holy Bible, LSB Legacy Standard Bible, Steadfast Bibles,” heat stamped in gold colored foil on their spines. All of them have smyth-sewn spines. They all employ a 9.5 point font, that is line matched. That means that on the page facing you the text is printed directly over the unturned pages text so that the lines of text line up over one another. This helps reduce eye strain while reading, and helps if you are prone to headaches while reading for prolonged periods of time. Since these editions are printed on a cream colored french milled 32 g.s.m. Bible paper as well as having line matching, and modern printing, they are all a pleasure to read regardless of which edition you decide to purchase. From the value of the hardcover to the suppleness of the premium goatskin cover, you’ll enjoy the same text block. This text block is something you have to see. Finding this quality in a $40 Bible is very uncommon.

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The text is in a single column, verse layout. Paragraphs are denoted by the verse number or a letter being bold. There are section headings in bold print. Page numbers are at the top center in read. Chapter numbers are in drop cap style and printed in red. This is a black letter edition. It is a text edition so there are no cross references or study notes. Italics denote English words that do not appear in the original languages, but are implied by them. An asterisk lets you know that the Greek verb was present tense, but rendered with an English past tense in order to conform with modern usage. Personal pronouns referring to God are capitalized where appropriate. Small caps are used when a passage from the OT is being quoted by someone in the NT, or when they are paraphrasing a citation from the OT. Brackets let you know you are looking at text that does not appear in the oldest collections of text, and probably were not in the original autoscripts.

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All but the hardcover had art gilt page edges. For those who do not know what this is, it is a red pigment under the gold colored finish on the page edges. Like many book features today, they are decorative. This was not always the sole purpose of these features in the past. Spine hubs were where the signatures were sewn into cords in the spine. Head and tail bands were where the signatures were tied in. Art gilt page edges kept the moisture of a humid room from penetrating deep into the text block. You get the idea. Much of the decorative features were once functional.

If you have ever purchased a Shuyler Bible from evangelicalbibles.com, a premium E.S.V. or a premium Cambridge edition, you are probably already familiar with the quality of Bibles printed and bound by Jongbloed. If you have not seen, or held one of these editions, you should consider the investment. Expensive Bibles may seem like an extravagant expenditure to you, and they may be, depending on your budget. If you can afford one, it is a good investment. These Bibles will last a very long time if properly cared for. You could foreseeably hand this Bible down to your children, or grandchildren. Think about what it would mean for a believer a couple generations away, to be reading the very same Bible you held in your hands all of those years. They could read your notes, look at your underlines, and understand a connection to you, even though you went on to be with Christ years before they were born. I would love to have something like that from my grandparents.

My subjective opinion is that this Bible is of such similar quality to other Bibles produced by Jongbloed, and the price being comparable, there is no reason not to purchase one. Couple those facts with the fact that I believe the LSB will demonstrate that it is the new champ when it comes to communicating accurately the intended meanings of God the author, and you have a winner. I could go on about the paper, and the printing, and the high quality materials and manufacturing processes, but the real star here is the accuracy of the LSB translation itself. The men at Master’s have done a fine job, and I plan on scrapping all of my other daily use Bibles to replace them with LSB editions as they become available. I am looking forward to a thinline for carrying around, a MacArthur study Bible, and a full cross reference large print. In conclusion, visit 316publishers here, and go buy one that fits your budget, and get to reading!

Don’t forget to look at my flickr albums for these editions for more detailed images.

Hardcover

Cowhide paste-down/casebound

Shamar goatskin edge-lined

Bible Reviews · Bibles

The Legacy Standard Bible!

Here is just one interesting translation choice the translators of the Legacy Standard Bible (L.S.B.) made that I think is an improvement. I have found many so far.


1995 New American Standard Bible (N.A.S.B.)2020 New American Standard Bible (N.A.S.B.)English Standard Version (E.S.V.)Legacy Standard Bible (L.S.B.)
Exodus 4:2121 The LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.And Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go to return to Egypt, see to it that all the miraculous wonders which I have put in your hand, that you do them before Pharaoh; but as for Me, I will harden his heart with strength so that he will not let the people go.

If you’d like to view the Hebrew text the LSB utilized in part for the translation you can see it here for free.

The italic formatted text in the LSB is used to denote English words that do not appear in the original language texts, but are implied by them.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the LSB uses Yahweh for the tetragrammaton instead of the conventional, “LORD.” This is a more accurate translation. I understand why it wasn’t changed sooner, but I am glad to see that it has finally happened. This was a bold and encouraging move.

The next thing you’ll see is that the other translations read, “…When you go back to Egypt…” The LSB uses, “…When you return to Egypt…” This may seem like a distinction without difference, but I appreciate the effort to be as accurate as possible. I think we would all infer that the implication of, “to go back” is that Moses is going back to Egypt, and that it was there that he had come from. Even so, “return” removes all doubt that this is what was meant.

The hand and a man’s work, or what he is doing, are related in Hebrew. An open hand can even mean power like יָד yâd earlier on in the verse. So seeing the connection here we can understand why the other translations went with, “…put in your power…” Since the LSB uses, “… put in your hand…” we can see the correlation directly from the text without the necessity of getting the concordance, and Hebrew lexicon out. Again, there is nothing wrong with the other translations.

This is the section that really gets me. I am starting to love the LSB. Instead of, “…but I will harden his heart …” The LSB uses, “… but as for Me, I will harden his heart with strength…” I may be wrong. I’m not a Hebrew expert, but from what I can gather there is an implication of strength or fortification in Hebrew word חָזַק ḥâzaq that is lost in the other English translations. The LSB puts that intended meaning back into the text. To back up just a bit, I also like how the first part of the sentenced is phrased as well. In English we always capitalize, “I.” When you capitalize personal pronouns in a translation to denote deity, and the letter, “I” is always capitalized it can perhaps cause a bit of confusion. By phrasing it the way they did, they kept the meaning, and helped the reader understand that it was God doing the hardening.

I am really enjoying this translation, and hope that you will order yourself an LSB. Here is the link to 316publishing.com where you can order one. They are the sole retailer of this translation.

Bible Reviews · Bibles

A review of the E.S.V. Panorama New Testament from Crossway.

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A review of the E.S.V. Panorama New Testament from Crossway.

The folks at Crossway were kind enough to send me this edition for review. I have to admit, I don’t know what to think of it, or what niche it fills in the Bible lineup. It is too tall to fit standing vertically on most bookcases. It is too thin to lay horizontally unless it is on the bottom of the stack or it will warp. It is to wide across to not stick out of most bookcases when laying flat at the bottom of a stack.

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I understand that on each page there are pages worth of Bible so that the reader gets to follow the theme of a section uninterrupted longer. I don’t have a problem keeping ideas in context while turning pages. I don’t find it inconvenient, or difficult. I don’t imagine many readers do. It might be a problem for some people. Who knows? I don’t anticipate that it is a large enough problem to necessitate a volume like the Panorama. In other words, it seems to be a solution for a problem that I wasn’t aware of. That being said, I’m not the sole arbiter of problem declaration. I imagine someone saw a problem that needed fixing in their estimation and designed the Panorama.

I know it sounds like I’m knocking this edition, but I’m not. What it was designed for, it does. The paper is very thick, and doesn’t show any ghosting. The text is Crossway’s single column E.S.V. text, but it is laid out in double columns. Each page has what would amount to pages of text in a regular single column Bible.

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Here is what Crossway has to say about this edition,

The treasures found in God’s Word do not come to his people out of context. Even our most beloved verses of the Bible come in the midst of chapters, of carefully reasoned arguments, of intentional flows and patterns of thought—and of entire books. Therefore, the goal of the ESV Panorama New Testament is to allow readers to see as much of a biblical book at one time as possible. In this Bible, any one of 17 of the books of the New Testament can be viewed in its entirety, without the need to turn the page; the other 10 books comprise as few pages as possible. The advantages of a panoramic, two-page spread are many. For instance, users may desire to trace the use of key words or phrases across several chapters of biblical text, or throughout a Gospel or Epistle. The format of the ESV Panorama New Testament allows readers to follow the uses of such words or phrases while turning as few pages as necessary. Furthermore, this edition provides generous spacing between each line of biblical text, with plenty of room to mark or circle words being studied. This panoramic view of the New Testament also encourages readers to consider the large-scale outlines and thought patterns of the writers of Scripture. Preachers or teachers planning sermon series or Bible study lessons, for example, will be able to utilize this edition in a way that allows them to appreciate the major sections and transitions of the book under examination. Line spacing and margins allow for outlining or other ways of marking the biblical author’s flow of thought. These are just a few ways in which the ESV Panorama New Testament will facilitate users’ undistracted interaction with God’s Holy Word. In a style reminiscent of the large scrolls of antiquity, this Bible encourages readers to encounter the New Testament as it was first delivered—as complete Gospels, Epistles, history, and apocalypse. It is our prayer that this edition will foster users’ appreciation of the unity, depth, and beauty of our God’s precious and inerrant Word.”

After looking this edition over, and spending some time with it, I can say that it could help in tracing a thought through in context. If you find yourself having that problem, you could give this edition a try. Let me know what you think afterwards. I think the oddity of this edition might even be sufficient reason alone to purchase it for your collection.

This edition is well made. The gray cloth over board hardback cover is very handsome, and durable. The spine is sewn. The paper, as I said earlier is heavy and offers a nice contrast to the text. The layout is pleasant enough, and the text is free of distractions. There is room on most pages for some note taking. There are 3 very large blank pages at the back of the edition where copious notes could be written. There are no helps at the back of this edition. This is a black letter edition, and does not have a ribbon marker. The only exterior writing on this edition is in silver stamping on the spine. The spine is rounded however, the corners are not. The page edges are not gilt. This is a case bound edition. Overall, I find it well made, and legible.

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Here are the stats from Crossway’s product page,

Features

  • 10″ X 12.5″
  • 8.2-point Lexicon type
  • Double-column format
  • Thick, cream-colored book paper
  • Smyth-sewn binding
  • Extra-large page size

Product Details

Format:Cloth Over Board
Type Size:8.50
Page Layout:Double Column
Page Count:192
Size:10.0 in x 12.5 in
Weight:36.26 ounces
ISBN-10:1-4335-7193-5
ISBN-13:978-1-4335-7193-0
ISBN-UPC:9781433571930
Case Quantity:10
Published:February 26, 2021

All things considered, you can make an informed decision about purchasing this edition. If after reading this review you think this would be useful, or interesting to you, you don’t have to worry about the quality of the edition. It is in keeping with Crossway’s standards. If you are interested in picking up a copy you can purchase it through Crossway’s site, or Amazon. Make sure to check out the rest of the pictures I took of this edition on my Flickr page.