49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The NLT is a very easy to read Bible version., December 30, 1996
By A Customer
The much anticipated revision of the Living Bible (LB) was just
recently released. The new revised Bible is being called the New
Living Translation (NLT), advertised as the "publishing event of the
decade." Many who have read and used the LB for personal Bible
study loved its simple and easy-to-read language. However, the LB,
while praised by many, both scholar and laymen alike, for its easy-to-
understand prose, had to be checked against and compared with other
more stricter or literal versions. The LB was noted for containing
errros in certain texts. Kenneth Taylor had used the ASV to produce
the highly readable LB. It is not a literal translation, based on the
original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, but a paraphrase of the
Scriptures and it tended to reflect some of the views of the
paraphraser and not necessarily what the original writings said.
The LB has become a successful and popular Bible version, with
some 40 million copies printed by 1996. In order to produce a more
accurate translation, based on the original Hebrew and Greek
Scriptures, a group of some 90 Bible scholars got together in 1989
to work on a revision of the LB. Their goal was to create a Bible
translation that is accurate and yet reads like the LB, a paraphrase
of the Bible. Did they achieve their goals? A comparison of the LB
and the NLT will answer that question.
The Tetragrammaton :
One major difference between the LB and the NLT is the complete
removal of the divine name from the NLT. The NLT says in its
Introduction that it was decided to render the Tetragrammaton as "the
LORD", following a custom that is practiced by most modern English
versions of the Bible. The LB, in contrast, used the divine name,
rendered as Jehovah, many times throughout the OT. The NLT, only
contains the name in two footnotes in Exodus 3:16 and Exodus 6:3.
The footnote reads "Hebrew Yahweh; traditionally rendered Jehovah."
The name YHWH, translated in English as Yahweh or Jehovah, appears
over 6,000 times in the original Hebrew Bible. However, the
translators of the NLT decided to follow the custom of completely
removing the Name from the Bible substituting it with the title
"LORD", and confining the Name, which appeared over 6,000 times in
the Hebrew text, to mere footnotes in Exodus 3:15 and Exodus 6:3.
When it comes to the test of accuracy, this translation has failed by
replacing YHWH (JHVH in latinized form) with a title instead of the
name Yahweh or Jehovah. In that regards, the LB is more accurate
than the NLT.
Interpretative Verses and Footnotes Removed:
The LB has been criticized for containing interpretative verses and
footnotes for selected Bible texts. For instance, the LB paraphrases
Psalms 115:17 as follows: "The dead cannot sing praises to Jehovah
here on earth." A footnote to the text mentions that "here on earth"
is implied. However a check with more literal translations gives a
different view.
The NLT gives a more accurate rendering. There it reads "The dead
cannot sing praises to the LORD, for they have gone into the silence
of the grave." Regarding Ecclesiastes 9:5 which reads according to
the LB "For the living at least know that they will die! But the dead
know nothing; they don't even have their memories." A footnote
regarding that verse and verse 10 says: "These statements are
Solomon's discouraged opinion, and do not reflect a knowledge of
God's truth on these points!" The NLT translates Eccleciastes 9:5
as follows: "The living at least know they will die, but the dead
know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered."
(NLT). The revised version does not contain any footnote on that
text. In Matthew 22:32, the LB reads "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. So God is not the God of the dead but of the living."
In a foonote Kenneth Taylor interprets that verse as if Abraham,
Isaac and Moses were now alive in the presence of God. However, many
hold a diffrent interpretation. Since the context is dealing with
the issue of the resurrection, some hold that Jesus is emphasizing
that they will certainly become alive again in the new age (compare
parallel account in Luke 20:27-38 with a strict version ). The
assurance that they will be alive again, explains why Jesus speaks of
it as an actual event. (compare Romans 4:17). The NLT does not
contain an interpretative footnote on Matthew 22:32, allowing the
readers to interpret the Scriptures for themselves, and coming to a
conclusion that is in harmony with the rest of the Scriptures.
Some other interpretative verses of the LB include texts such as
Psalms 9:17 - "The wicked shall be sent away to hell." There the NLT
reads "The wicked will go down to the grave," with a footnote
stating that the Hebrew word translated grave is Sheol. The LB says
in Proverbs 9:18 "But they don't realize that her former guests are
now citizens of hell."; there the NLT says "But the men don't realize
that heer former guests are now in the grave." The LB paraphrases
the last part of 1 Peter 3:18 regarding Jesus as "though his body
died, his spirit lived on." The NLT paraphrases "more literally" as:
"He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit,
" with a footnote indicating that "Spirit" can be rendered with a
lower case as "spirit."
Its Language - Definately LB-Like
As can be seen from the few samples just cited, the NLT has
corrected some of the inaccuracies of the LB. It has also removed
most, if not all, of the interpretative footnotes. However, it has
retained the much loved easy-to-understand language of the LB.
Let's read just one sample of this fast-paced, easy-to-understand
version:
Isaiah 65:17-25 "Look! I am creating new heavens, and a new earth-so
wonderful that no will even think about the old ones anymore. Be
glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create
Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of
joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the
sound of weeping and cyring will be heard no more. No longer will
babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adult die before
they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old
at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young! In those days
people will build houses and eat of the fruit of their own vineyards..
...." Actually, one can just open the NLT in any page and find the
Word of God beautifully expressed.
Conclusion: Its Improved in Some Respects
The NLT is more reliable than the LB; it contains no
interpretative footnotes like the LB; however, since NLT is still a
paraphrase, some verses seem to reflect the translator(s) viewpoint
(See for example Matthew 7:12 in both the LB and the NLT: both speak
of the way to "hell", but in the original Greek, as noted in their
footnotes, the word should read "destruction". Also, in the NLT,
Romans 8:18-25, in particular verse 23, is apparently interpretative.
) The NLT, nevertheless, has fewer interpretative verses; and the
translators to some extent have achieved their goal-maintaining the
prose as simple as the LB and remaining as faithful as possible to
the original Word of God. The major flaw, I believe, was the removal
of a rendering of the Tetragrammaton as either Yahweh or Jehovah.
If the name was retained it could have been a version with a very
high standard of accuracy and faithfullness to the original text.
Since there is no such thing as a perfect Bible version, the NLT can
still be compare with other versions, especially the literal ones like the ASV or
Darby's version.
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nearly Perfect in Packaging, June 28, 2004
By A Customer
First, to set the record straight: This is a review of the New Living Translation (NLT) Bible, Personal Edition, Black Bonded Leather, ISBN: 0842354484 . Some of the reviews for different Bible products have been lumped together and somehow caused confusion.
This Bible is nearly perfect in terms of "packaging": compact, light, beautiful, and yet the typeface is amazingly readable. It is not much bigger than the palm of your hand, but its print/font is clear and easy on your eyes by any standard, complimented with adequate line spacing. It is even much more readable than most of the regular-sized Bibles that I own by other publishers.
Not everyone I've shown this Bible to is a fan of the New Living Translation, but they all love this Bible for the above stated reasons. It is a beauty inside and out AND it is practical and useful - now that combination is a rarity.
Now, unto the translation itself: I have studied most of the major translations available (NIV, NASB, KJV, NKJV, NRSV, ESV, NLT, and HCSB) and found that each translation has its strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I love the NLT translation and for now use it as a supplement to my study of the other versions. I find its writing style beautiful and the rendition inspirational ,even though the language is thoroughly contemporary. If I can someday find enough reasons to use it as my primary Bible, I will do so.
I would say that, if you are looking for an NLT Bible or an addition to your existing collections, and you don't "need" cross-references or study notes, then this Personal Edition in Black Bonded Leather is "absolutely" a keeper, whether you intend to use it for long study at home/work (and therefore desire comfortable print) or for occasional reading on the road (and therefore desire portability).
As for which translation is most "suitable" for you, you'll have to do some research and ultimately seek wisdom from God to reach the right answer.
By the way, I would really LOVE to see the other publishers come up with something comparable: a Bible that is compact, beautiful, durable, and yet has "clearly" and "comfortably" readable print/typeface. I myself am eager to own something similar in other translations. If Tyndale can do this with NLT, I really don't see why Zondervan, World, and Nelson (just to name a few) can't do the same with, say, NIV, NASB, and NKJV.
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