Customer Reviews

The Message Bible

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This latest edition of the paraphrased Bible "The Message" is wonderful! The full title is "The Message: Numbered Edition, The Bible in Contemporary Language". It seems that with each new edition, The Message titles get longer!

I have enjoyed chapter after chapter since I received this edition a couple of weeks ago from Amazon. I keep my New American Standard Bible (NASB) and my HarperCollins New Revised Standard (NRS) Study Bible close at hand while I read The Message. Thus, if needed, I can look up a passage to make certain I am understanding the full context of the Message translation. This research in comparing passages is increasing my understanding of the Bible.

The Message makes clearer, in today's language, what many biblical passages mean. I find this wonderful paraphrase to be full of "aha" moments when a passage I may have glossed over or didn't fully understand, in the past, finally comes to life.

One of my favorite examples: The NASB gives Matthew 5:13-14 (a portion of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus is explaining how things are to his disciples) as:

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;...."

I have heard and read these words many times, but the complete meaning was not there (for me).

Now, read it in today's language. Here is The Message translation/paraphrase for the same passage:

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be the salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here's another way to put it: you're here to be the light, bringing out the God colors to the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill....."

Amazing! In my view, at least, The Message offers a more immediate sense of the meaning of the passage.

ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR: Eugene Peterson, a retired pastor and professor, is a superb translator, as well he would be after years of teaching Biblical languages at the University level. In addition, he is very much in tune with the language of American society today. His paraphrased translation was overseen by a large number of Bible scholars to ensure it's reliability.

ABOUT THIS EDITION: Many reviewers have discussed how wonderful The Message Bible is to read. So, I would like to address some of the features of The Message Bible itself. If you bring up The Message Bibles, either on Amazon or at the publisher's (NavPress) site, there are now so many editions, it gets a little crazy trying to sort them all out! Here is a little clarification:

1.) "The Message" (original) does not include verse numbers because it is meant as a reading Bible, rather than a study Bible.

2.) "The Message:Remix" DOES include verse numbers.

3.) The edition I am reviewing here, "The Message: Numbered Edition, The Bible in Contemporary Language", offers the verse numbers plus several new features over the Remix editions.

This edition I am reviewing is one of the less expensive of the new numbered editions, and I thought I had settled for one of those slick hardcover editions because of my low budget. However, much to my surprise, it comes in a beautiful navy blue, padded, hard cover that is wonderfully nice to the touch. The title is in silver. At Amazon's low price, I feel it is a great bargain!

The new Numbered Editions come with several updated features over the older The Message:Remix Bibles.

Though the font is a bit fainter than I would like (at age 62!), I DO find it to be surprisingly readable! The pages are of a very nice French paper, in a lovely cream color that is easy on the eyes. This edition is apparently one-half pound lighter than the older Remix editions. It's still hefty, so I will say that I am happy that the publisher managed to lighten it up a bit!

As mentioned above, The Message: Numbered Edition is much more a reading Bible than a study Bible. You will definitely want to keep your regular study Bibles on hand!

In all, I am very happy with this wonderful edition of The Message. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read the Bible with a more immediate sense of understanding and with great enjoyment! :)

While reviewing the various comments about this work, I kept thinking about my initial experience when the Message New Testament was being prepared for its introduction a few years ago. I was working the Customer Service desk at NavPress (the books publisher) at the time. Because of my religious training, I didn't consider this a Bible either, I thought of it as a devotional work, or a cute little paraphrase. It wasn't the authoritative "Word of God," however. Then something profound happened.

When the book was released, calls started coming in...incredible calls! People who would never read a Bible read The Message and made new commitments to walk a life of faith. Others who had experienced stagnation in their walk were renewed and strengthened. Because of this, I began to read the work, and experienced new depths in my Christian experience. In fact, several of the encounters I personally experienced were so powerful and life changing that to this day I can't discuss them without tears. Then, instead of putting my other translations into retirement, I began to study and appreciate them more fully, and I now read the KJV and NJB regularly.

I've shared the above because I've read recent reviews that accuse The Message of being a watered down Gospel, a failed rendering, or a comic book edition of the scripture. Maybe so, but the Holy Spirit uses it to change peoples lives. I know this from listening to hundreds of stories, and experiencing it first hand.

My suggestion is that you read "The Message" and see if the Holy Spirit speaks to you through it. If the Spirit does, continue to read it, if the Spirit doesn't, put the book down and find something else. It's that simple...and there's no need to berate it if it doesn't suit your spiritual temperament.

By the way, I no longer work for NavPress or the Navigators, and I have no book to sell you on Bible translations. Sorry!

Since the complete Message Bible was introduced in 2002, I have enjoyed its translation but have often wished for numbered verses. I found that I was unable to use my Message translation in church or in Bible study.
I was thrilled to see the new numbered edition on my store shelf. It is just what I was looking for!
The Message is a wonderful translation because it helps the reader to relate today's events and language with what the Bible is saying. I find often that after I read The Message translation, I am better able to understand and more likely to read again the more complex translations.

I have a been an avid Bible reader and studier since 1987. I know the Bible well and have been reading it nonstop since then. But when I was givent his Bible as a gift I read the entire thing over a course of about four months and it changed my life. It makes the whole Bible come alive again. It explains things that are hard for us contemporary people to understand. I would recommend getting the new ones with verse numbers though. I have the original edition and it is frustrating when I cannot easily find a specific verse.

Let me say this first, I don't want to discourage anyone from buying this contemporary interpretation of the scriptures. I find the language used is refreshing and down right funny at times. I have enjoyed reading "The Message". I commend the job Mr.Peterson did on this interpretation. That said, I feel that "The Message" is not written in the language that I would use talking to friends over coffee about the Bible, nor the language that I would use telling my 4 year old granddaughter about the Bible, but I am a 50 year old man. I think this interpretation my be well geared to the high school or collage student. I am an educated man and I find some passages in the Old Testament I have to stop and clarify in my mind what is he saying. Some of the words he used are not words that I use on a daily basis. I would advise anyone interested in an easy to read and understand interpretation of the Bible to also look at the, NIV, New Living Bible or the New Century Bible. The "NIV/The Message" parallel is a great choice. I would give it "5 stars". If you are like me and already have The New Living Bible, NCB, or NIV, I would say, yes, buy the "The Message" It is fun to read. If you are using a KJV then I would say please buy one of the new interpretations in contemporary English, so you can understand what you are reading. It does no good to read the Bible if you don't understand what you are reading. The KJV is also an interpretation of the Holy Bible. God did not speak in KJV. It was written so people who lived in 1611 could better understand the Bible, so if you don't speak in 16 century English you are going to have a hard time understanding the KJV.

I've been so looking forward to the publication of The Message Bible for so long that I wondered how it could ever live up to my high expectations! I've enjoyed reading The Message New Testament and Psalms for quite awhile now.

This Message Bible is everything I expected and more. Genesis was the first thing I read and I couldn't believe how it flowed! The stories came alive in such a unique way! I've read Genesis in the NIV (my choice for Bible Study) several times recently, but reading it in The Message Bible gave Genesis a whole new breath of fresh air for me!

It might seem like a small thing, but having only the chapter numbers and no verse numbers included really improves the readability. It reads more like a regular book. You don't tend to stop at the end of a subheading like you might normally do. It really is hard to put this Bible down!

Perhaps this isn't the Bible you should use for serious studying - but for READING, and getting God's Word into you - it's awesome! As for the paraphrase-type of translation, I have the UTMOST respect for Eugene Peterson's interpretation and scholarship and I know he did not take this responsibility lightly.

Peterson is the author of many outstanding books for both pastors and laypersons. Two that come to mind are his excellent "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" (the title alone deserves a Gold Medallion Award, don't you think?) and "Leaping Over a Wall", which is about the life of David.

"Living the Message" is an excellent devotional which has short, easy-to-read, but profound thoughts for each day.

I highly recommend The Message Bible - get it for yourself and pick up one for a friend or relative as well!

Please check out my other reviews of Christian books and Bibles. I also have a ListMania list called "Great Bibles" that might be helpful.

May the Lord bless you as you read His Word!

This new numbered edition takes out all of the guesswork about where you are in the text. Peterson has some incredibly beatiful phrases that bring the text to life. I love reading it along with my New Revised Standard Edition. They make a great comparison possible.

At long last, after eleven years of hard work, Eugene Peterson has completed his translation of the Bible. Before reviewing it, I'd like to just say thanks. The Message has added a dimension to my spiritual life.

Having started the study of Biblical Greek myself about two-thirds of the way through Peterson's labor of love, I now have at least a partially complete picture of the joys and difficulties (or should I say impossibilities?) Mr. Peterson must have faced along the way. It has amazed me to see how much of the seething, vibrant, life that is so often removed from the New Testament in more formal and "stately" translations is brought by Peterson into powerful, everyday English--or as Peterson says--"American."

There are some places where I fear certain sections have lost theological nuances (James' letter being a prime example) but one cannot argue that Peterson does, in the end, faithfully and creatively present "The Message" of the Living God.

The Old Testament, which I am familiar with only in English, sings compared to other translations. Some high points for me in Peterson's Old Testament translations are: Job, 1 & 2 Kings, and Isaiah, (possibly my favorite of all of Peterson's translations: chapter twelve's ending especially gets me: "Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, oh Zion! The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.")

Believer or not, "The Message" will wake you up. It does not do this at the expense of the gospel. It does so by giving worn-out language new wings. Just as the writers of the original books were used by God to communicate His message to a hungry, thirsty and longing world, Peterson has allowed himself to be used to speak to the world of today.

I give "The Message" my highest recommendation. Get it today.

This is a small book. You can't tell from the description: you have to go down into the product details, and then get out a ruler to see how small 6.2 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches really is. It is very compact and portable, and the leather has a great feel, but be sure you have good eyes or good reading glasses for the small type, and nimble fingers for separating the thin pages.

As for Peterson's paraphrase, it will not speak to everyone equally. For me, some of his interpretations shed new light, some fall too close to the original to add anything new, and some he went in an opposite direction than I would have. I suspect that we would all feel that way, and that no two of us would agree on which parts fall into which category.

I find _The Message_ most useful when used in parallel with other translations (although I think it is not a translation but a paraphrase). In Lectio Bible study, we do three or four readings of each passage, and the group usually requests that at least one of them be from _The Message_. Whether we agree with Peterson or not, it always adds depth to the conversation.

First a quick personal testimony. Second an answer to some of the critics.

Please understand that my intent is not to bash reviewers with whom I disagree. My intent is to address some of the criticisms that "The Message" has been hit with. Many of these reviews use biblical texts to mislead and are based on personal biases, not biblical truth as they would have you believe. And many other criticisms don't provide any support whatsoever for their ideas .


I have found this version of the Bible refreshing. There is an assumption within the translation that the Bible is given to us for LIVING, not for mere thinking and forming religious systems. Many do not understand this, which is the reason that you will see criticism of the translation of words such as "salvation", "repentance", "faith" (which is not merely believing certain facts about God or Jesus), etc. It has opened my eyes to the meaning of the many verses of the Bible that I have struggled with. One of the strengths of this translation is how each chapter and paragraph, especially within the Epistles, is connected to the others. There is a logical flow, much like you would expect in a letter. It's easier to see the overall idea of a book, and enables doctrine to be formed by looking at the "message" as a whole, not in a chopped up way where doctrines appear to be unrealted to each other.

All that being said, I don't believe that this Bible is meant to be used on it's own, and neither does the author. From the intro to "The Message" - "Keep in mind that The Message is a reading Bible. It is not intended to replace study Bibles." This is from "The Message//Remix". You will find that this paraphrase complements the "word for word" translations very nicely. I repeat, USE IT AS A COMPLEMENT TO A MORE WORD FOR WORD VERSION. They are meant to go together. This doesn't make The Message any less true or useful.

The one criticism that I have is that there is no index in the back (once again, not meant to be used as a study Bible).

While "The Message" can speak for itself, I would also like to take the time to address the accusations of many of the reviewers. I can understand why some are wary of translation issues, I am one of them. It is important to understand the differences between "word for word" and "thought for thought" translations. But I am disturbed by the lies of those reviewers who accuse Peterson of not being a Christian, and amazed that people so freely use bible verses to mean that THEY are right about everything. They usually have their mind made up before hand and will seek diligently to prove their beliefs. They use verses like Deuteronomy 4:2 "You shall not add to the word which I command you to observe, nor take anything from it" and Deuteronomy 12:32 "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." and Proverbs 30:5-6 "Every word of God is pure..Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar."

What is the reviewer trying to say here? That all thought for thought translations are perverted forms of the Bible. Clearly some people have no idea what the "Word of God" is, as if it is merely black lines scribbled on ancient parchment, confined to space and time. Taking this logic to it's conclusion, we'd all have to learn Greek and Hebrew! Let noone tell you that the "literal versions" don't have translation philosophies, they do. That doesn't mean that we can all just go out and produce our own Bibles. There has to be accountability. But there is no reason to accuse Peterson of "preaching a different gospel".

Maybe you will read someone using Galations 1:8 to prove that there is a "different gospel" being preached. Please note that they probably don't tell you how, but simply use this verse to prove that they're thoughts on The Message are right. If there is some sort of a reference, investigate it. You will find that the message has not changed.

Or another comical one was that "The Message" doesn't use the word "Lord" when referring to Jesus, using "Master" (which they say to be a new age word) instead. Here is the definition of "lord" per Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - a person having great power and authority; ruler; MASTER. Check it out for yourself, lord and master have virtually the same meaning. While the true understanding of the word "lord" has been lost to us, the meaning of the word "master" remains. This is the whole philosophy of "The Message"!!! There is NOTHING occultic about the word "master".

Here are some other specific criticisms:

Acts 20:21
KJV: Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Message: urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus.

The reviewer than says "Faith is changed to "radical trust", and repentance toward God is removed in favor of a "radical life-change"."

Tell me, what is "faith"? To the reviewer, it must be different that trust, it must be an understanding of doctrine or something. The criticism that "Christians don't believe in God, they believe in their beliefs" is justified by this thought. And this reviewer does not fully understand what repentance is. Repentance IS life change. Not merely "feeling bad" as this reviewer supposes. Repentance is not a thought, it's a reality, a CHANGE in heart that leads to a CHANGE in life. An important idea to understand, it contrasts with what we usually think of as "repentance". True repentance is defined as (per the complete word study new testament) as - "to repent with regret accompanied with a change of heart toward God". Not feeling bad and then believing a new set of doctrines. My point here is to show that the reviewers criticism is not valid.

Acts 16:31
KJV: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Message: They said, "Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you'll live as you were meant to live--and everyone in your house included!"

The reviewer said: "The above paraphrase also changed the message of salvation into living your life, actually deleted any reference to salvation."

There is a very important doctrinal difference between the reviewer and the Bible here. The reviewer views salvation as merely "getting forgiven" or maybe just "not going to hell". " What does life have to do with salvation?" this reviewer would say. "Salvation" cut off from actual life, viewing salvation as little more than a doctrine, is the main reason that Christians don't seem more moral, joyful, or hopeful than anyone else. Contrast this thinking with Luke 13:18-22 where you see the Kingdom of God compared to a growing seed or yeast pervading the entire life. Salvation cannot be reduced to a thought, or a doctrine, or some kind of a legal condition that we're never really sure if we're in. It is a REALITY, a new life given to us by God through Jesus. This is a VERY important issue, and The Message does illustrate the difference between the Bible and the commonly taught and understood concept of "salvation"!! It's good that people have noticed! I encourage you to think more about the relevance of God to our lives NOW for yourselves! Don't reduce Jesus to some kind of pawn in a dogmatic game of "getting to heaven". That is a far cry from the true message of the Bible. My point here is not to preach, but just to demonstrate that the reviewers criticism that there is no reference to "salvation" is not true.

One criticism that is true is that Eugene Peterson did the translation himself. This doesn't, however, automatically make it bad or wrong or "new age" or anything. But it is a reason to use it alongside another version. ANY translation should be used that way, including KJV, NIV, NASB, etc. (all of which will contradict each other in translation in places).

Once again, please understand that my intent is not to bash reviewers with whom I disagree. My intent is simply to address some of the criticisms that "The Message" has been hit with. These reviews mislead and are based on personal biases, not biblical truth as they would have you believe. And don't underestimate the power of crying out to God for understanding! He is the Author and the Way! There are important issues here!


Mike Herzberger