Publisher: Passio, Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group
Publication date: October 7, 2014
Category: Religion, Spirituality
Source: I received two free copies from the publisher for my honest review and a giveaway. The giveaway copy will be given to a new church member in need.
Why review a Bible? Two reasons. First, there are so many versions/translations of the Bible, I wanted to know what another could possibly offer. What does the MEV offer over other Bible versions? The blurb on the book jacket claims that the MEV is "the most modern translation of the King James Version in thirty years" and that its "literal translation beautifully communicates God's Word in a way that is accurate, clear, and easy to read."
So what did I think? I examined a few chapters with which I am most familiar, one of them being 1 Corinthians 13. The meaning from the King James to the MEV is intact, as well as the formatting of the sentences. The main change is the removal of thee and thou and the "th" ending on words like "doth," using " do not" instead.
Examining Romans chapter 8, I also noticed that whole sentences are the same except for switching out a word or two. For example, the word "consider" in MEV to replace "reckon" in the King James. However, in places, I did find some simplification of sentence structure/grammar that is more consistent with how we speak today. For example, Romans 8:25 in the King James reads: But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. The MEV states Romans 8:25 as: But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
And because I'm no Bible expert, I thought I'd get a pastor's opinion as well. Doug Reed, head Pastor of Bridge of Hope Church (#bohchurch) in Boardman, Ohio, had this to say about the MEV Bible:
I looked through all of the major verses and big verses in which other versions tend to use different verbiage or language that alters theology. The main verses all checked out in my opinion. There were some slight differences in the words they chose to add or replace, but none of them altered the meaning of the text. It was more the preference of the translators. It's usability and layout is similar to all the other versions I have used in the past.
So, I'd say Pastor and I agree. MEV seems to be a solid Bible, sticking pretty closely to the King James Version from which it's derived, while updating the language and sentence structure as needed.
Oh, and my second reason for reviewing a Bible? See the graphic below, provided by Christian Universities Online:
Source: ChristianUniversitiesOnline.org
That's what I'd call a successful book. Wonder who His publicist is?!
Favorite Bible versions anyone?
Love this! I have it to review as well... but haven't made it to it yet.
ReplyDeleteOh cool! I was a little unsure how to review it, but figured comparison of a few verses would work. Lol!
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