Customer Reviews

Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version (Meridian)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The RSV was the English version I grew up on in the church. It was the one we used in theological school. I've used it all my life.
I still use it for preaching, teaching, devotional reading and
study for sermons. I love it. The RSV retains a lot of the
same literary sound and flow of the KJV with a better, more
accurate translation of the Hebrew and Greek. I like the NRSV,
but not as much as the RSV. I have this edition of the RSV in
paperback. The NT is not the updated RSV (1971) NT, which is
a weakness of this edition, but this is still a worthy addition
to your library. This is especially true since the RSV can be
very difficult to find. I suggest that if you are having a hard
time finding the RSV you might want to purchase the English
Standard Version. I do use this paperback Bible and enjoy reading from it for my devotions. In my opinion the RSV is a treasure not to be lost!!
The best thing you can do is buy this edition or the Cambridge

edition of the RSV that has the second edition of the NT and then
buy the NASB and ESV. Let these translations in the great tradition of Tyndale/KJV shape your Bible study. Then use others
to supplement your reading and study. The RSV is still available
but not easy to find. Blessed reading!!

This may be the only bible in print containing the first edition of the RSV new testament (1952). All other printed and electronic bibles I am aware of have the 1971 second edition. Some details of the difference between editions can be seen by searching the web for "RSV preface 1971".

This is an excellent reader's bible. It contains almost no study aids, just 14 pages at the end of the bible with a summary of the books and a chronology of new testament history.

The bible text includes translator's notes and a limited number of cross references. The references are at the bottom of the page. The foot note symbols in the text are small and not annoying to the reader at all.

The bible is generally in paragraph format, but poetic sections like most of Job and the Psalms are in verse format. One annoying distraction is that this bible has "self pronouncing text", meaning that names of people and places have embedded symbols to show how they are pronounced. I find this a big distraction. See Genesis 2.14 in Amazon's sample pages for an example.

Physically this bible is a joy to read, and I think the reason for that is it looks more like a normal thick paperback book than a typical bible. The paper is thick, normal paperback book paper, so there is almost no bleed-through. The reader sees only the current page, not the other side of the page or even the page underneath. The binding is excellent, and the weight of the thick paper allows the bible to stay open by itself if opened anywhere except for the first or last 100 pages. The margins in the center of the bible are wide enough that the text is easily visible to the reader (unlike some other bibles).

The font is about 9 point. It looks about averaged size for a bible.

This is an RSV bible, NOT King James as some review comments indicated. The RSV only uses archaic words like "thee" and "thou" only when God is directly addressed. Other than that the RSV uses only modern words, but it does use the most extensive (difficult) vocabulary of almost any modern bible. This is not a bible for young children.

Opinions differ about the accuracy of the RSV but one thing that is certain is that it went under extreme scrutiny. This edition includes the 1959 changes that we made after seven years of that scrutiny. RSV defenders argue that this is one of the purest bibles because the translators had the courage to exactly translate what God wrote, even when that was unpopular. An example is Isaiah 7.14 which the RSV translates as "a young woman shall conceive" but the evangelical versions translate as "a virgin shall conceive".

With all of the late great versions of the Bible on the market today, the RSV stands out to me as one of, if not the, best. It is truly faithful to the text, at least more than the other "Bibles" out there today. Yes, it is a little bit harder to understand at points, but it is being translated from Three ancient languages into English. If it were totally smooth then even the most passing of readers would be able to see that someone was changing what was origianlly said. For the most accurate Bible, I recomend the ASV, but that one is really "woody." For just a happy go lucky, easy to read, just for fun, but not for serious study, paraphrase of the Bible, I would say get an NIV. If you want to really study the bible and trust what you read as true to the original, yet still be able to follow along on a Sunday morning, Get the RSV (not the Femi-Nazi Bible NRSV. There are quite a few places where gender is,a nd should be, in the Bible. The NRSV took that out and made it unisex. This is not right, and caused a friend of mine to step aside from the editing group that was writing the NRSV. The Feminest powers that be really pushed these editors around. They took a great work and lowered the bar.), or the NASU. Both are great, but I prefer the RSV. It has a great flow, and is totally true to the text. Modern translaters take it too far. They closs the line from translator to commentator. It is better to translate the actual words and let the reader decide for themselves, than to translate huge chunks of thought and rewrite Holy Scripture in your own words in the way you THINK it should read. I think God chose well when He allowed the Biblical writers to pen these works, and I feel that His hand masterfuly put this Book we call the Bible in the way it was intended. Hands off. Keep it in modern English, but don't change meanings. Thanks.

I have to give this one star based on the fact that it was almost unreadable.
The font type used for this printing is terrible and not easy to read. Also, the font appeared to be bold throughout the entire book, making it hard on the eyes. Maybe too much ink was used for my printing because the font also appeared too dark and blurry in many pages.

I found this book to be very easy to read. It was an excellent value. I bought mine a few years ago and I would not hesitate to buy another one if the need arises.

This is a good readable bible. Its very easy to understand. It doesnt have the wording to be a proper study bible but for a daily reader its cool. I use it regularly for morning reading and it holds up. I havent had time to put it though the paces but it looks as if its not too well built and with travel like I do frequently you might need something to hold it in or it will get damaged easily. Other than that no complaints so far.

Don't get this version. It is very cheaply printed, the words and letters are smudged and hard to read, the paper is weak and tears easily, and the overall impression interferes with the timeless message of The Good Book. I donated mine to a local church to send overseas where someone with NO Bible can appreciate it, and bought a better quality version from the bricks-and-mortar store in my home town.

The seller's advertised condition of this item was dead on. Excellent condition, almost like new. Shipped very rapidly. Completely satisfied with purchase.

Loved the Book. Really love the author