How to Choose a Bible

Choosing a Bible is a very personal experience. I often struggle when attempting to purchase a Bible for someone else because there is so much to take into consideration. I own several Bibles and they each serve different purposes.

For example, my study Bible is used to study (of course). I have a devotional Bible and women’s study Bible, both of which are used during my quiet time with God (typically in the morning). I have a smaller Bible that’s my travel Bible so I can take the Word with me when I’m out of town.
Another smaller Bible without any writing or highlighting is often used to share the gospel with others because a large bible could be intimidating to an unbeliever. Also, when you show them a scripture you want them to be able to actually read it and not all your notes, highlights, etc.

Of course, it is not necessary to own more than one Bible that’s just my personal preference. However, I will point out that even though you can access any Bible in any translation online, it’s a good idea to own at least one Bible for your personal study if for no other reason.

Although, it seems easy enough to just go to the Christian bookstore and get a Bible or purchase online, I would suggest using the following three step process to choose a Bible.

Three Step Process for Selecting a Bible

Step 1: Determine the intended or primary use
As I mentioned above Bibles can serve different purposes, so it’s best to get a Bible that will meet your needs. To do this, think about how you plan to use your Bible. For example, will you use it primarily for your own personal study, comparative analysis, or learn more about women of the Bible or some combination of the aforementioned?

Step 2: Select a Bible Type
There are numerous Bible types to meet your spiritual needs. No matter the purpose, you are likely to find a Bible that’s suitable to help strengthen your Christian walk.

Below is a brief description of a few of the most common Bible types - study, parallel, chronological, devotional, women’s and topical.

Step 3: Select a Bible Translation
Much like Bible types, there is also a myriad of translations. The Bible has been translated into just about every language. In fact, it’s the most translated book in the world. However there are also three basic types of translations most commonly used for interpreting the Bible.

A few of the most common translations are:

KJV - King James Version
NKJV - New King James Version
NIV - New International Version
NASB - New American Standard Bible
NLT - New Living Translation
Message - The Message Bible

Bible Types
As mentioned above, there are numerous Bible types, here are descriptions of just a few.

A study Bible is just as its name suggests, it’s used for study. It includes margin notes and other scripture references to increase your understanding of a particular text. Also, a study Bible typically includes an overview of the author and the book as an introduction and/or provides an outline of the book to help you better understand the context of certain scriptures.

A parallel Bible is designed to provide a comparison of scripture. It typically includes at least two translations of scripture side-by-side for quick comparative reading or study.

The Bible is not organized in chronological order so a chronological Bible lists stories or scriptures in the order they occurred or were recorded.

A devotional Bible is designed to facilitate deeper growth and understanding during your quiet time to help you draw closer to God.

A topical Bible is organized by general topics. Bible verses are indexed according to the topics they are classified under.

One last Bible type I will describe is a woman’s Bible. A women’s Bible typically includes summaries of Women in the Bible as well as contain topics, practical advice and quotes that address women’s issues and/or is specifically designed to help a woman grow in her walk with Christ. A women’s Bible is typically also a study or devotional Bible.

For more Bible types or to purchase a Bible, click here.

Bible Translations
Below are descriptions of Bible translations to help you determine which would be best for you.

• Word-for-Word - The goal is to match the original language as closely as possible by translating each word to its equivalent in English; of course different languages use words differently or certain words may not exist in a another language, making these translations a bit more difficult to understand.

• Thought-for-Thought - The goal is to translate an entire sentence or phrase into a sentence or phrase that means the same thing in English, making these translations a bit easier to understand.

• Paraphrased - The goal is to translate the Bible into very readable English, in doing so they often take a lot of liberty with the original language. Most often, paraphrased translations are also considered thought-for-thought translations.

Word-for-word translations are often thought to be better for in-depth study of a word or single verse, while thought-for-thought or paraphrased translations are better for daily reading and understanding.

The difference in these approaches is why Bibles read so differently although they convey the same message. I wouldn’t classify one as better than the other, but rather they are to be used for different purposes. Remember, it’s always a good idea to compare a verse in different translations to better understand the meaning of it.

Click here to review a Bible translation guide, compare translations or to purchase a Bible.

Recommended Translations (my personal favorites):
• New Living Translation (NLT) - I like the NLT version because it’s easy to read and many verses seem to be clearer or easier to understand.

• The Message Bible - I like the Message Bible because it’s written in a candid and lively voice that captures your attention, not in church speak, so it’s easy to understand.

• New King James Version (NKJV) - I like the NKJV because verses are more familiar to me since I memorized Bible verses in the KJV as a child, but the NKJV is easier to understand than the KJV.

Translations to stay away from:
• New World Translation (NWT, published by the Watchtower Society) - this is the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) version of the Bible. I’ve seen several Christians carrying/using this version of the Bible, totally oblivious to the fact that this is the JWs translation. There are fundamental differences between Christianity and JWs. For example, JWs don’t believe in the triune God (He is Father, Son & Holy Spirit), and they believe only 144,000 will go to heaven (considering there are more than six million JWs, this should be troubling for most of their followers). As such, this version of the Bible contains distortions that are not aligned with the Christian faith and the total truth of God’s Word.

• The Book of Mormon - this is a publication of the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Some people, even Christians, are a bit confused by this religion because it includes Jesus Christ in the title. However, this group nor their publication is completely aligned with Christianity. They believe falsehoods such as works, in addition to faith is required for salvation as well as baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation. The truth is salvation is achieved by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Baptism is only an outward sign of the inward change, not a requirement for salvation. Although they believe in Jesus Christ, such differences indicate the Book of Mormon is not aligned with sound Biblical doctrine.

Of course, you should also stay away from writings and teachings from other religions as they do not acknowledge the deity of Jesus Christ or His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, which is the core belief of Christianity.

Now you are armed with the information you need to choose a Bible that's just right for you. So, no more excuses, get a Bible you can understand and starting using it today. It’s bound to be a life-changing experience!

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The Truth About Understanding the Bible.
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A Practical Bible Study Guide.
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