SO. MANY. BIBLES. D:

[The Original Jbird]

Okay, I'm a Non-denominational evangelical, (I have no idea what it means, to be quite honest, but that's what it's called apparently...) and I'm looking for a NIV bible at Christianbooks.com. They have a million different things...student bibles, study bibles, teen bibles....What is the difference?

 

[Goldenlici]

The differences in scriptures is only in the kind of language they use to translate the verses from Hebrew or Greek or whatever they were in the past into English. Also, some Bibles will have explanations of certain things. For example if you read some of the scriptures where it talks about money and they use the word "denarius" (not sure of the exact spelling), some Bibles will just tell you the approximate value of that. Or, explain certain Jewish customs or phrases. Things like "fitting a camel through the eye of a needle" (or something like that) and how that does not mean an actual needle but a small part of city gates that were just referred to as a part of a needle. Some will also provide insights on certain verses or plans for reading the Bible in a certain time period.

That may seem confusing, but the scriptures are usually basically the same, with just a few words changed here and there so that the speech will be more modern. The main difference is usually how much extra information is given for going deeper into the scriptures, which is why they are typically called by a certain skill level (i.e. "student," "teen," etc.). I hope that helps.  

[freelance lover]

Well, you obviously know you want an NIV translation. The difference between things such as student, teen, study, etc is general the side commentaries they'll make. Often times, Bible like this have passages to give you something think about off to the side. But if you want an NIV, the scripture themselves will all be the same.  

[Priestley]

Goldenlici

Things like "fitting a camel through the eye of a needle" (or something like that) and how that does not mean an actual needle but a small part of city gates that were just referred to as a part of a needle.

Just a side note: the expression means an actual eye of a needle. There is no evidence whatsoever for a gate or way through a city wall that was named after a part of a needle and it had nothing to do with fitting a camel through this gateway, fully-laden or otherwise.

Okay, carry on with thread topic. 3nodding  

[Goldenlici]

Priestley

Goldenlici

Things like "fitting a camel through the eye of a needle" (or something like that) and how that does not mean an actual needle but a small part of city gates that were just referred to as a part of a needle.

Just a side note: the expression means an actual eye of a needle. There is no evidence whatsoever for a gate or way through a city wall that was named after a part of a needle and it had nothing to do with fitting a camel through this gateway, fully-laden or otherwise.

Okay, carry on with thread topic. 3nodding

Um... I really don't want to start a debate over this, but I was told by my pastor, who goes really in-depth into the original meanings of words and customs of the Jews, that the verse refers to a small part of city gates that were left open at night after the main gates had been closed. It was only supposed to be big enough for a person to get into the city to rest for the night and a camel would not have been able to fit. Anyway, it does not really matter because the idea is still the same: fitting something large into something too small.

To tie this back into the topic:
The differences between different Bibles is usually just stuff like this, which really has no great impact on the main messages. If you really like knowing random facts like this (which I do), then you might want to go for a more studious Bible with lots of explanations. My mom has a Bible that goes indepth into just about every verse because she is really serious about that kind of stuff, while mine is a "teen" Bible, which just points out some of the more common stuff.  

[zz1000zz]

Goldenlici

Um... I really don't want to start a debate over this, but I was told by my pastor, who goes really in-depth into the original meanings of words and customs of the Jews, that the verse refers to a small part of city gates that were left open at night after the main gates had been closed. It was only supposed to be big enough for a person to get into the city to rest for the night and a camel would not have been able to fit. Anyway, it does not really matter because the idea is still the same: fitting something large into something too small.

To tie this back into the topic:
The differences between different Bibles is usually just stuff like this, which really has no great impact on the main messages. If you really like knowing random facts like this (which I do), then you might want to go for a more studious Bible with lots of explanations. My mom has a Bible that goes indepth into just about every verse because she is really serious about that kind of stuff, while mine is a "teen" Bible, which just points out some of the more common stuff.

This issue is actually rather simple. The confusion on whether it was in reference to a real needle or a gate is not about the word. There is no disagreement on the definition of the word (see below for clarification). The issue arises because people say there was a gate in Jerusalem named "Needle." There is no actual evidence of this, so it is an odd claim to make. Even worse, there are many people who accept it as dogma now.

Clarification: There is actually some disagreement on the actual word. Some scholars have pointed out another possibility. They say the word for "camel" may be wrong, and the correct word would be "rope." This confusion would arise because the words are very similar, with the only difference being one word having "i" in it (which could be overlooked given the state of the source's somewhat poor condition). The meaning would be the same, so it is not particularly significant, but it is interesting.  

[Goldenlici]

zz1000zz

Goldenlici

Um... I really don't want to start a debate over this, but I was told by my pastor, who goes really in-depth into the original meanings of words and customs of the Jews, that the verse refers to a small part of city gates that were left open at night after the main gates had been closed. It was only supposed to be big enough for a person to get into the city to rest for the night and a camel would not have been able to fit. Anyway, it does not really matter because the idea is still the same: fitting something large into something too small.

To tie this back into the topic:
The differences between different Bibles is usually just stuff like this, which really has no great impact on the main messages. If you really like knowing random facts like this (which I do), then you might want to go for a more studious Bible with lots of explanations. My mom has a Bible that goes indepth into just about every verse because she is really serious about that kind of stuff, while mine is a "teen" Bible, which just points out some of the more common stuff.

This issue is actually rather simple. The confusion on whether it was in reference to a real needle or a gate is not about the word. There is no disagreement on the definition of the word (see below for clarification). The issue arises because people say there was a gate in Jerusalem named "Needle." There is no actual evidence of this, so it is an odd claim to make. Even worse, there are many people who accept it as dogma now.

Clarification: There is actually some disagreement on the actual word. Some scholars have pointed out another possibility. They say the word for "camel" may be wrong, and the correct word would be "rope." This confusion would arise because the words are very similar, with the only difference being one word having "i" in it (which could be overlooked given the state of the source's somewhat poor condition). The meaning would be the same, so it is not particularly significant, but it is interesting.

I am saying the word for camel is the word for camel and the word for needle is needle. I am however saying that there was a specific parts of many city gates referred to as "the eye of the needle." It is a phrase like the English phrase "eye of a storm." No one will doubt that the word eye is actually the word for eye, but it refers to the center of the storm. I am not trying to under-mind the point Jesus was trying to make; however, I don't believe he was saying it was impossible for a rich person to get into heaven, just very, very hard.

I don't want to get off topic. If you really, really feel a need to continue this debate, make a new topic for it.  

[zz1000zz]

Goldenlici

I am saying the word for camel is the word for camel and the word for needle is needle. I am however saying that there was a specific parts of many city gates referred to as "the eye of the needle." It is a phrase like the English phrase "eye of a storm." No one will doubt that the word eye is actually the word for eye, but it refers to the center of the storm. I am not trying to under-mind the point Jesus was trying to make; however, I don't believe he was saying it was impossible for a rich person to get into heaven, just very, very hard.

I don't want to get off topic. If you really, really feel a need to continue this debate, make a new topic for it.

I am saying this is false, and completely baseless. It is completely made up. If you want to have a topic for you to make unfounded claims, I will make one for you, but that is all you have provided here.  

[Priestley]

zz1000zz

Goldenlici

I am saying the word for camel is the word for camel and the word for needle is needle. I am however saying that there was a specific parts of many city gates referred to as "the eye of the needle." It is a phrase like the English phrase "eye of a storm." No one will doubt that the word eye is actually the word for eye, but it refers to the center of the storm. I am not trying to under-mind the point Jesus was trying to make; however, I don't believe he was saying it was impossible for a rich person to get into heaven, just very, very hard.

I don't want to get off topic. If you really, really feel a need to continue this debate, make a new topic for it.

I am saying this is false, and completely baseless. It is completely made up. If you want to have a topic for you to make unfounded claims, I will make one for you, but that is all you have provided here.

To be fair, I didn't mean to derail the thread. My bad: I shouldn't have said anything. sweatdrop Nevertheless, this thread is for offering advice to Jbird about Bible versions and types. If you would like to take the discussion elsewhere, please either create a new thread to open the discussion to everyone or take it to PMs. 3nodding  

[Fushigi na Butterfly]

SO, different Bibles.

There are different Bible translations- some that translate word for word, others that translate idea for idea, some that use older English (like the King James Bibles), and some that use very modern, easy to understand English (like the Message Bibles). It really depends on what you want to get out of your Bible study. Alot of Bibles these days come with footnotes and comments in the margins and things, and depending on the kind of Bible you have, those comments will be geared towards a different audience. Student Bibles will have comments about things more relevant to older teenagers and young adults- high school students and college students. Study Bibles provide resources in the back and all throughout the Bible that help you to study the Word in depth. Teen Bibles cater to teenagers, highlighting points through the Bible that are relevant or interesting to teens and explaining them in a way that they will understand. Women's Bibles and men's Bibles do likewise, catering to women and men respectively, highlighting verses and points and making notes and commentary applicable to their respective readers.

Now, I highly recommend a Life Application Bible. I got one for Christmas and it is just about the coolest Bible in the whole world. It's chock-full of notes on basically every single verse, with cross-referencing notes in the margins, tools to help you see the Gospels in a comprehensive way, resources for witnessing, and a concordance and dictionary. I think it came with a CD too, but that's still in the box somewhere in my room.  

[xxPromarkxx]

The Original Jbird

Okay, I'm a Non-denominational evangelical, (I have no idea what it means, to be quite honest, but that's what it's called apparently...) and I'm looking for a NIV bible at Christianbooks.com. They have a million different things...student bibles, study bibles, teen bibles....What is the difference?

What's the code to your sig?