Amplified Bible

Rating:
Summary: A fresh translation couched in understandable language
Review: An example: (okay, my favorite passage)

"I have overcome the world." (Jesus Christ) The Amplified Bible translates this: "I have deprived the world of the power to harm you."

The Amplified Bible is my favorite Bible translation. I was impressed with the fact that this Bible goes back to the original Hebrew and Greek translations instead of retranslating the translations.

The 23rd Psalm, the 91st Psalm - all the favorites take on powerful new meanings with a reading of this Bible.

I would highly recommend this Bible to anyone who loves to dig deep into the spiritual meaning and practicality of God's word.

I recently pulled out my leather copy of this AB (I have both the hardcover and leather editions) and I noticed I'd filled the flyleafs with my "favorite" Bible passages. That's how this book is - you read a verse and say "Aha...so that's what that verse means..I never thought of it in that light" and then you have to think about it for a time and let it sink in deep. It's a book (and a message) that will really satisfy the hungry heart.

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: for the price, this is incredibly awesome. I love it! I love it! I love it! So will you.

Rating:
Summary: Great second or third Bible
Review: I thoroughly concur with the other reviewers that said this should be your second or third Bible version, not your first one. I use the New King James as my primary Bible version and NIV when I want a freer translation. The Amplified Bible fills in all the gaps. Anybody who is at all familiar with the process of translation knows that often it's very difficult to express a concept wrapped up in one word of one language into one word of another language. To fully express many single words from Greek, for example, can require 3, 4, 5 English words since there are nuances of meaning (and in some cases we are not 100% sure which one is applicable). (I don't mean to imply that any doctrines of Christianity are in doubt - they're not. The nuances are not that important. But they do give you a different flavor of some parts of the text.)

The reason most translators don't take those 3-5 words is that the resulting translation is almost unreadable. You need to read it very slowly, one phrase at a time. Most translations don't do this because they are aiming at both accuracy and readability. (I'm speaking of reliable translations here, not biased ones like "inclusive" versions or the "New World Translation" of the Jehovah's Witnesses.)

The Amplified Bible takes the other approach: fully list all possible nuances, and let the reader sort it out. As a result, the Amplified Bible is virtually impossible to read the way you would read a novel. But if you want to explore the nuances of one verse at a time, it's probably the next best thing to knowing the original languages.

The reviewer who said that we have too many Bible translations clearly has a King James only point of view. His intentions are excellent, of course, but his criticisms are off-base.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful translation of the original Greek and Hebrew
Review: I was amazed that no other reviews had been wrtten on this beautifully translated version of the Old and New Testaments. I have used it for years, along with other translations, and find it more accurate in bringing the flavor of the language and interpretive insights to words. For example: The gospel of John 3:16, is well known by most Christians, and this version expands on the words used in a way that makes the verse even more personal. When we think of the word (believe) this translation uses the deeper meanings, such as, trusts in, clings to, relies on. This is true through throughout the interpretaion and encourages us to examine, in depth, our knowledge of God's word. I would urge any student of the bible to consider adding this to their "must have' list. .

Rating:
Summary: Good idea, but awkward and amplifications often questionable
Review: The Amplified Bible follows a rather unique translation principle. It claims to express "nuances" of the original Hebrew and Greek texts.

Now this idea does sound noble. There are many nuances of especially the Greek text that do not translate very easily into English. However, in trying to be so expressive, the Amplified can be very awkward to read. The extreme "amplification" of the word "blessed" in the Beatitudes demonstrates this problem. Each Beatitude begins, "Blessed-happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous [that is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation regardless of their outward circumstances]...." Reading nine such amplifications in a row is very tedious.

But even more importantly, many of the Amplified Bible's "amplifications" are rather questionable. For instance, in Hebrews 1:4 in the Amplified, Jesus is said to have inherited "the glorious Name (title)." But Jesus' "glorious Name" is more likely merely a reference to His nature not just His title (see John 17:5). "Name" in Scripture often has this wider meaning.

So the idea behind the Amplified Bible is good, but the readability and quality leaves something to be desired. I review the Amplified in further detail, along with many other Bible versions, in my book Differences Between Bible Versions.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Version of the Bible
Review: The Old Testament was written in Hebrew ... the New Testament was written in Greek ... Jesus generally spoke in Aramaic ...

The only way to procure an accurate understanding of the Holy Scriptures would be for you to become a master of, at least, these three languages ... or ... you could get a copy of the Amplified Bible, where all that has been taken care of.

The Amplified Bible expounds on the meanings of various words with brakets [] that offer insights into what is being conveyed. These words in brakets become wonderful fodder for meditation!

If you want to understand God's word, as it was originally intended, you can't do any better than this.

Verily, I'm a musician ... I like things that are amplified. 8o)

pax, Alan Horvath ...

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Second Bible
Review: When reading the Bible in different translations readers are often struck by the different words used by different translations. That is even between two Literal (word-for-word) translations (like the King James and the NRSV). When you get into a Dynamic Equivalence translation (like NIV) or a Free translation (like Phillips) you can be astounded, and wonder if the translators were using the same source material. Idealy, students of the Bible should be able to read it in the orginal Hebrew, Aramaic, and koine Greek. But that's an ideal the vast majority of us will never be able to meet. Enter the Amplified Bible. The purpose of the AB is to give English readers a better feel for the original material by amplifying the translation.

The AB starts with an excellent Literal translation and then uses brackets and parentheses to amplify any word that doesn't have a literal English equivalent. Brackets []contain clarifying words or comments not in the original. Parentheses () include additional meanings to the original word that the English word doesn't, for example the Greek work transliterated as pisteuo, is usually translated as 'believes', but in the orginal actually means much more. See my example from John in the next paragraph.

John 11:25- "Jesus said to her, I am [Myself] the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live."

Why do I title this "Outstanding Second Bible"? I find that for my first read thru on any section, I prefer to use a good study Bible, as the amplified material interrupts the flow of the narrative. Especially for those new to Bible study, the amplifications can be confusing. Read your primary Bible first, then look at the AB to ensure you have a good grasp of the word meanings. My personal recomendations for primary study Bibles are: for Literal translation, the "Harper-Collins NRSV Study Bible", and for Dynamic Equivalence translation, the "Concordia Self-Study Bible (NIV)".

To sum up, the Amplified Bible is an outstanding tool for anyone interested in serious Bible study, my only caveat is that it shouldn't be your primary text.