BiblePro: Resources

The King James Version (KJV) is an English translation of the Holy Bible, commissioned for the benefit of the Church of England at the behest of King James I of England. First published in 1611, it has had a profound impact not only on most English translations that have followed it, but also on English literature as a whole. The works of famous authors such as John Bunyan, John Milton, Herman Melville, John Dryden, and William Wordsworth are replete with inspiration apparently derived from the King James Version. Bibles from the English Revised Version to the New American Standard Bible, the Revised Standard Version, and the New King James Version are revisions of its text; it has deeply influenced Bibles such as the New International Version that do not claim to be revisions of its text.

The American Standard Version (ASV) of the Holy Bible was first published in 1901. It has earned the reputation of being the Rock of Biblical Honesty. Although the English used in the ASV is somewhat archaic, it isn't nearly as hard to understand as some passages of the King James Version of nearly 3 centuries earlier.

First published in 1890 by John Nelson Darby, an Anglo-Irish Bible teacher associated with the early years of the Plymouth Brethren. Darby also published translations of the Bible in French and German.

Young's Literal Translation is a translation of the Bible into English. The translation was made by Robert Young, author of Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible and Concise Critical Comments on the New Testament, in 1862. Young produced 'Revised Versions' of the translation in 1887 and 1898.

The Douai Bible, also known as the Rheims-Douai Bible or Douay-Rheims Bible, is a Roman Catholic translation of the Holy Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English. As such it is a translation of a translation of the Bible. Many highly-regarded translations of the Bible still use the Vulgate for consultation, especially in certain difficult Old Testament passages, but nearly all modern Bible versions go directly to the Hebrew and Greek Biblical texts for translation and not to a secondary version like the Vulgate. (The reason why the Douai translators went to the Vulgate instead is because they believed it was superior to the Hebrew and Greek Biblical texts--a belief which was common in their day, especially among Catholics, but which is no longer widely held.)

Noah Webster's 1833 limited revision of the King James Bible focused mainly on replacing archaic words.

The World English Bible (also known as WEB) is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. It is based on the 1901 American Standard Version, the Greek Majority Text, and the Hebrew Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.

Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997. The World English Bible project was started to produce a modern English Bible version that is not copyrighted, doesn't use archaic English (such as the KJV), or isn't translated in Basic English (such as the Bible In Basic English). The World English Bible follows the American Standard Version's unusual decision to translate the Tetragrammaton, but updates Jehovah to be Yahweh.

Using as few complex words as possible, the Basic English Bible is a translation aimed at young readers, or those with limited English skills.

In 1881 two British scholars published a Greek New Testament which was based on the most ancient manuscripts then available. This text, by Brook Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, made several notable departures from the Greek text which King James translators used. For the most part, the Westcott-Hort text was a shorter New Testament. That's because the older manuscripts (MSS) which they used did not contain passages such as the longer ending of Mark's gospel or the story of the women caught in adultery. The Greek MSS which the King James translators followed included these and many other passages.

The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century translation of the Bible into Latin made by St. Jerome on the orders of Pope Damasus I. It takes its name from the phrase versio vulgata, the common (i.e., popular) version (cf. Vulgar Latin), and was written in an everyday Latin used in conscious distinction to the elegant Ciceronian Latin of which Jerome was a master. The Vulgate was designed to be both more accurate and easier to understand than its predecessors. It was the first, and for many centuries the only, Christian Bible translation that translated the Old Testament directly from the Hebrew original rather than indirectly from the Greek Septuagint.

The Reina-Valera, published in 1569 and nicknamed the Bible of the Bear, was the first complete edition of the Bible in the Spanish language, published in Basel, Switzerland. Its translator was Casiodoro de Reina, an Independent Protestant.

This Bible, as central to the perception of the scriptures in Spanish as the King James Version in English, has undergone numerous revisions, the first of which took place in 1602 under the editorial eye of Cipriano de Valera. This edition was printed in Amsterdam. Next was the revision of 1862, followed by revisions in 1909, and 1960.

The same movement which promotes the use of the King James Bible in English over all other editions promotes the use of the Reina-Valera 1960 with respect to Spanish.

The Statenvertaling ('translation of the States', or Authorized Version) was completed in 1637. Innovative about this reformatory bible translation was that it was translated directly from the most original sources available at the time - just like Luther's translation (1522-1534) and the King James Version (1611) - and not from the Vulgata. However, the influence of this Latin translation (382-405) is manifest, especially in the difficult parts. The Statenvertaling was ordered by the States General at the Dordrecht synod (1618-1619). The six translators tried to remain as close as possible to the original texts; therefore the text is full of 'Hebraisms': text seeming Hebrew. The Statenvertaling has had quite some impact on the Dutch language. It has been the authorative translation for most Dutch protestants since the 17th century, until a new translation was published in 1951-1952.

First published in 1890 by John Nelson Darby, an Anglo-Irish Bible teacher associated with the early years of the Plymouth Brethren. Darby also published translations of the Bible in French and German.

Louis Segond (1810-1885) was a Swiss thelogian who translated the Bible in French from the original texts in Hebrew and Greek.

The translation of the Old Testament was published in 1871, followed by the New Testament in 1880. The text was then reviewed by experts. The result is the 1910 revision.

German Luther Bible - About Martin Luther: Martin Luther (originally Martin Luder or Martinus Luther) (November 10, 1483–February 18, 1546) was a German theologian and an Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Lutheran, Protestant and other Christian traditions (a broad movement composed of many congregations and church bodies). His call to the Church to return to the teachings of the Bible resulted in the formation of new traditions within Christianity and his teachings undoubtedly impacted upon the Counter-Reformation in the Roman Catholic Church.

Covering the full Gospels in detail, this set of commentaries, by the English scholar partially responsible for formulating the Westminster Confession, is full of insight and wisdom.

Author of one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written, Adam Clarke shows his Godly respect for the Bible as well as his courage to give his opinion on many difficult and controversial questions other commentaries often avoid.

Henry's six volume Complete Commentary provides an exhaustive look at every verse in the Bible. It was written in 1706.

Henry's one volume Concise Commentary provides a condensed look at nearly every verse in the Bible. The original was written in 1706.

A.T. Robertson, a renowned Greek New Testament scholar, takes the reader verse-by-verse, painting word pictures to describe the actions of Jesus and the early Christians.

A one-volume commentary prepared by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown. It was published in 1871.

Produced between 1754 and 1765, Wesley's commentary on the whole Bible has stood the test of time.

The Geneva Bible was a Protestant translation of the Holy Bible into English. It has also been known as the Breeches Bible, after its rendering of Genesis 3:7, 'Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knewe that they were naked, and they sewed figge tree leaues together, and made them selues breeches.' By contrast, the King James Version translates the Hebrew word 'chagor' in this verse as 'apron.'

This was the Bible read by William Shakespeare, by John Donne, and by John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress. It was the Bible that was brought to America on the Mayflower and used by Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War. Because the language of the Geneva Bible was more forceful and vigorous, most readers preferred this version strongly over the Bishops' Bible, the translation authorised by the Church of England under Elizabeth I.

People have relied on this reference work in their daily studies for more than 90 years. C. I. Scofield intended to provide a concise yet complete tool to help the new reader of the Bible. Originally written in 1909.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge has provided a cross-reference resource for Bible students worldwide for generations. This highly respected and nearly exhaustive compilation was developed by R.A. Torrey from references in Thomas Scott's Commentary and the Comprehensive Bible. With nearly 500,000 cross-references it is the most thorough source available.

These synopses were originally written and published in French and introduced book-by-book.

This work was written in 1891 for the novice student. It contains aids to help understand every verse

He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon. Gill is little known, but his works contain gems of information found nowhere outside of the ancient Jewish writings. Gill presents a verse-by-verse exposition of the entire Bible.

One of the leading authorities in the Church of Christ, Dr. Coffman presents a verse by verse look at God's Word.

Well known throughout the late 1800's for their prolific writings on various subjects, John and Jacob Abbott decided to put to paper their personal study and translation of the original Greek New Testament. Included are 50 woodcut illustrations from the original printing.

One of the leading authorities in the Church of Christ, Dr. Coffman presents a verse by verse look at God's Word.

Educated at Princeton seminary, Albert Barnes was a dedicated student of the Bible. Though passed over by the biographical sketches of influential theological writers, his notes on the New Testament continue to be quite popular even today.

Also known as a "Harmony Of the Four Gospels," this chronology of the life of Christ, by J. W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton, has titled sections and sub-divisions. Comments are injected in the text.