Customer Reviews

Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation

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4 star:		(6)
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2 star:		(4)
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First of all, one needs to realize there are two components to this version of the bible. The first is its translation, The New Living Translation. The second is the "Life Application" part, which has been paired with other translations too. This translation is available without the study notes, but I wouldn't recommend a straight text-only bible to anyone other than a bible scholar. We need help understanding the book and how to read it. It's not like reading a novel!

This bible is an extremely effective study bible. The study notes are thorough and cover a broad array of angles on the text. Many maps, character profiles, and other in-text tools in the Life Application version make background information instantly available without purchasing separate study books.

The New Living Translation was put together by over 100 world-class scholars, unlike The Living Bible. So if you are a bit confused by the translation title, wondering if it's just like the latter (which was just one person's paraphrased version), you need not fret: it is not. The amount of research and scholarship put into this translation is amazing. The only similarity is the ease of understanding.

To try to put direct English translation on the original Greek and Hebrew text is detrimental to its meaning; everyone knows that one cannot accurately translate any language if insisting on such a method. (Just watch poorly subtitled foreign films if you need an example!) What these scholars have thus done is provide us with a translation that actually makes sense in our day and time and current language. (Remember, that's why the King James Version came out when it did--so everyday people could read and understand the bible too, not just the elite few who understood Latin.)

It is also inaccurate to read the Bible at face value and ignore the cultural, historical, and literary contexts of its passages. This bible gives explanation to each of those, as well as concepts upon which to meditate, helping us to apply what we've read to our own lives and hearts.

Combining an eighth-grade reading level with doctoral scholarship and research, this bible is accessible and appropriate for all people. It has changed my life and the lives of many, many others I know. I recommend it to everyone!

I have used this translation for approximatly 6 years, and have found it to be the most comprehensive, easy to understand, and applicable translation I have ever seen or used. The commentary uses practical, thought provoking questions and comments which are applicable to today's life and times. Excellent for the beginner to the advanced. Highly recommend it !

Incredible. Every Christian should have a Bible in this translation. It's 99% accurate (the most accurate translation ever except for the New Revised Standard Version and its predecessor, RSV). The language is easy to understand, yet it's flowered and flows beautifully. The Bible becomes a page-turner! You won't be able to put it down! Everything from Genesis to the Gospels to the Epistles reads the way it was meant to, in the language of the people. This particular Bible has 10,000 study notes. Practically every verse is talked about! Most of the pages are half taken up by study notes! Also featured are tons of maps, wonderful character profiles, a concordance and so much more. If you want a study Bible, BUY THIS! (you might even want the imitation burgundy version) If you don't want an in-depth study Bible (which this IS), try the Praise and Worship Study Bible. It doesn't have study notes for every verse, just some of them. It's much less "hardcore" than this one, if you'll excuse the cliche. This is the best Bible I have ever encountered. I've already gotten one as a gift for someone else. This is worth every penny of the high price.

It is easy to follow and to understand. Study notes on every page explain highlights of the verses and helps clear up or understand many difficult passages. It is easy for young readers as well. Maps and Harmony of the Gospels tie in Old and New Testament Scriptures. Whether you are a brand new baby Christian or a older Christian it is easy to follow. Plus it helps stir up the desire to want to read more of the bible since its easy to understand. Not so dry and hard to understand as it is written in our every day langauge. We have several other Bibles and we compare and they are right on. Any one who is lucky enough to get one will be very happy with it. The price is really extremely resonable too.

I've used the NLT Life Application Bible for approx. 3 yrs & I find it to be a great all around Bible for all levels of study. I speak English & Spanish fluently, & know that many times when you translate a word literally from one language to another, the original meaning can be lost or confusing. NLT focuses not only on literal word translation, but conveying the original meaning of the text. Many times I "catch" my wife looking in my Bible to clarify the meaning of a scripture she just read in her Bible. Because the NLT is translated in the most modern idiom, it is very enjoyable to read. That's important because if you have to struggle with words or meanings, you'll be less apt to pick it up & read it on a regular basis. I'll read mine for hours at a time. Who said reading the Bible can't be fun?!! The Life Application Study Bible is designed not just to give you "head knowledge" but to challenge you in your daily walk with Christ. It encourages one to live the words you are reading. The layout of the book is "user friendly". The Study Notes are relevant, clear & concise. It offers an array of maps, character profiles, & book intros. One final thought.. No ONE translation accurately captures the original meaning of every single word perfectly. That's why many Pastors and Bible students use several translations to supplement their favorite translation. I mainly use the NLT, but cross reference with NIV, NASV, & others. I recommend you do the same. ... ... God Bless. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Over the years, I've tried to ignite my study of God's word using several Bibles, including a Men's Study Bible published by the Promise Keepers and several translations from the KJV to the New English to the American Standard. Basically, in every version, I've found myself extremely unimpressed with the translations. They either kept too much 'traditional' language -- as if the translators were paying homage to King James -- or went way too far trying to make it ultra-modern, which made the language seem almost slang-ish and sophomoric. In the Promise Keepers version, I felt preached to...the study notes were so, well, Promise Keeper-y...clearly directed toward married family men (which I'm not) on the far far far right of the political spectrum.

Not so with the Life Application Study Bible, NLT. First of all the NLT translation is fabulous. Its tone is eloquent and beautiful, yet intelligent and practical by today's standards. Some passages -- which, in other translations, left me scratching my head -- are translated so well, I've had several "Aha!" moments. The translators were also careful to footnote passages that had differing translations in Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic.

Second, the "study" part of this Bible. I love the way it places the stories and people in historical context. It explains the circumstances surrounding the stories -- the Where's, the Who's, the How's -- and offers a very clear understanding of the time in which the books were originally written. There are several large color maps in the back, and smaller maps are often included in footnotes so you can place the stories in proper geographical context. Footnotes also give you "lessons" or leadership for making Bible-based decisions in your life. At times, I feel they can get a bit preachy, but not to the Evangelical extent that the Promise Keepers Bible does. Most of the time, the authors avoid going overboard.

If you're serious about studying God's word, and prefer logical, intelligent study assistance over fire-and-brimstone preachiness, this is the Bible for you. Enjoy it, learn from it, live by it.

This is the best Bible I have read and the best Bible I have owned. It is so easy to read and understand because its written in plain English. I love the statistics, the blueprint, the megathemes as well as the key places described at the beginning of each book in the Bible -- it adds so much clarity to the theme of each book. The profiles of the people in the Bible are great; they help me understand who was whom and what their role was. The notes at the bottom of each page add so much clarity to the scriptures on each page. I can't say enough good things about this book!I wholeheartedly recommend this book to every new Christian or to anyone who just wants to learn what the Bible is really about -- it "speaks" clearly, especially to those who know nothing about the Bible, but want to know. I find it very hard to stop reading it; it simply wants to keep on talking to me! This book has helped me tremendously in my quest for information, both for personal use and for academic references. Simply the GREATEST book I've read!

I started reading the New Living Translation while working through an upper level course on Greek exegesis. I was simply looking for a version that emphasized a sentence-by-sentence translation as opposed to a word-for-word translation (because I was required to do this type of translating for my assignments). I was pleasantly surprised with the NLT. It is a very impressive work, and makes for very smooth reading. The translation team also made the wise decision to translate the dates in the text into their modern equivalents. So, whereas previous translations might read that a certain event happened in, say, the twelfth year of a certain king, the NLT will (based on historical data) read that it happened in "586 BC" or "on April 22nd, 722 BC" They have also done the same thing with other forms of measurement (including currency, weight, and time). This makes the events seem much easier to relate to.
For these reasons (and others too) I think this is a really good version. So, if you are looking for a translation that focuses more on the overall meaning of each sentence, and not just the meaning of each word, I heartily recommend this one.

I bought this Bible second hand and it came in excellent condition! It had a dust cover on it, and had no bent pages, or markings. This is the best study Bible I have ever used. The additional information in the footnotes is invaluable. The New Living version has made reading the Bible effortless. I highly reccomend this Bible if you are doing any kind of Bible study or if you'd just like to understand more of what you read, when you read the Bible.

This Bible is the easiest to read that you'll find, except for those designed for children. It very successfully conveys what scholars believe the original authors intended. It is dignified and a pleasure to read. In fact it is hard to put down. Do not hesitate to buy it and read it, especially if you are new to reading the Bible.

The Life Application notes are the best to be found in any study Bible. They are truly helpful for a growing Christian, unlike some other "study bibles".

However, there are some things to keep in mind, in regard to the NLT translation itself.
1) The "gender inclusive" language subtly modifies the meaning of some passages when singular "he" is changed to something like "those". This makes it sound like Jesus may be talking to the church as a whole instead of each individual. This is an incorrect change to what God meant. Surely the intent of the translators is not to be deceitful, but it unfortunately is deceitful. But, this is not a severe issue for a beginning Bible reader.
2) Because of the "word for word" translation style and because of the gender inclusive language, you cannot tell how much or which parts are really the words of God and which parts are the words of the translators. This likely only becomes a problem for people as the get more serious about what the exact words that God used were. As you get more serious about reading the Bible I would recommend having a more literal translation such as the New King James Version (NKJV) or the New American Standard Bible (NASB) to compare with. But, you don't need to give up the NLT altogether as it sometimes clarifies what is hard to understand in the literal versions.
3) It is possible that there could be errors in what the translators thought was meant by a particular passage and what God actually meant. Since it is a thought for thought translation and not a word for word, you're depending on the translators to know exactly what God was thinking when he inspired the words. In some cases there could be multiple possible meanings but the NLT can only choose one. However, the translations given are based on traditional interpretations that have been well understood for many years. So, I believe this is a reasonable compromise to get the meaning of the Bible into the minds of people who would give up on the Bible if they had to deal with a more literal, harder to understand, version.
4) The NLT is not the best version to use for memorizing verses, since it is so far from a literal translation. Would you rather recite "Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God" (NLT) or "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain," (NKJV) which is stronger, more formal, more traditional, and more like what God actually said.

You might also want to consider the Application Study Bible with the NIV or NKJV texts.