Bible Lighthouse

The Bible is without a doubt the canonical text of the last several millennia, but because of its age, it’s not always easy to interpret.  Even if you can understand every word you read, it’s also difficult to determine the exact message, or point that God is trying to communicate.  Thus having a book with Bible commentaries is quite helpful.  Bible commentaries are written by respected scholars of both religion and the written word, and many even understand Latin or Hebrew, able to understand God’s word in its most purest form.  If you’re interested in gaining insight into God’s word, owning a book of bible commentaries is a great idea.

Texts containing bible translation and commentary are available in hundreds of different editions, though in many cases newer editions will compile the best insights of past and present editions to create the most accurate or accepted interpretation. 

There have been two major recognized modern translations of the Bible from the original Hebrew language in which it was written.  The first of these translations was undertaken by the Church of England in 1604, under the decree of King James I.  This was done in response to the perceived inaccuracies in earlier translations.  Thus the King James Version of the Bible was written, and is still hailed as the most accurate of the translations ever performed.

However, in 1975, in order to combat the antiquated language of the King James Version, a man named Arthur Farstad initiated a modern translation to update the vocabulary and grammar of the original King James Version.  The fruit of the project was the New King James Bible, and although not quite as accurate as the original King James Version, has been updated to be understood and appreciated by modern audiences.

With the sheer breadth of concepts and ideas within the Bible, it can be difficult to understand what everything means.  Whether it’s a reference to another passage, or a word you simply don’t understand, having a resource to identify all things that don’t quite make sense to you can make your Bible experience much more valuable.  Tools like a Bible dictionary or Bible encyclopedia are almost essential for Bible study.  These references will also allow you to appreciate specific passages in greater depth. 

Whether for an adult, teen, or child, the Bible provides lessons for life and literature to enhance your faith.

The King James Bible developed out of a desire for one universal, English-speaking translation of the Bible. When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603 and left her throne to King James VI of Scotland, one of the first things he did was commission 54 men to write a new version of the Bible. He had been born at a time between the Geneva Bible and the Bishop’s Bible, and felt that there were too many translations circulating around. He ordered the writers to make this new version as close to the original Greek and Hebrew as possible.

In July of 1604, the 54 men (though only 47 participated) were split into six groups, and each given a section of the book to translate. Four years were spent on this preliminary translation, and the final version was finally done in 1611. It included a title page describing the translation process, a new title page for the New Testament and a dedicatory epistle to King James, commissioner of the King James Bible.

 I have found a Bible Commentary that fulfills my most basic needs. Halley’s Bible Handbook, the classical layperson’s companion text, includes a concise Bible commentary, important discoveries in archeaology, related historical data, church history, maps, large print for the visually impaired and much more.

 Henry H. Haley’s conviction was that everyone should read the Bible; thus, his creation of Halley’s Bible Handbook.  From his first edition, a small give-away booklet of 16 pages, has grown into the 864-page “almanac” of Biblical information, used regularly by hundreds of thousands of laymen, teachers, and ministers.   Halley’s Bible Handbook contains more Biblical information than any other book of its size.  It has been a continuous best-seller through the years and has sold more than five million copies in many languages.

The idea behind the NiRV Devotional Kids Bible is designed especially for young readers because of the short sentences. Their imagination will be fired up to because they can easily read the Bible in their own language. My children find it exciting to read God’s Word from the NiRV Kids Devotional Bible each and every day as they find the engaging questions, eye-catching two-color illustrations and designs, a year’s worth of daily devotions, week end activities, and a dictionary to apply to their lives.

The NiRV version of the Kids Devotional Bible is the easy reading version designed by Zondervan’s Kinderkids for feeding and enriching their souls. My children have found that getting into God’s word is fun and exciting. They can find definitions of unfamiliar words in the dictionary that is contained in the Bible. I know that your children will love the Kids NiRV Devotional Bible to feed their hungry souls.