Customer Reviews

NASB Compact Reference Bible

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When Marge Simpson (blue-haired matriarch of "The Simpsons" clan) was asked why she had an uncanny obsession with potatoes, she replied, "I just think they're neat." That's how I feel about this little Bible in the New American Standard translation. It's a squarish, thick book that can sort of fit in your pants pocket -- though it will stretch the pocket out a bit. The text is small, but dark and crisp. The gilt-edged paper is thin but not tissuey. There is a ribbon for marking your place. The leather cover is flexible and has a nice texture. (No "snap" closure on mine, though another reviewer mentioned one -- maybe two different editions?) Brief introductions to each book suggest the time and place of authorship, the theme and message, and offer some pious speculation about the authors themselves. (Those of us who are skeptical that Moses wrote the Pentateuch may not find much help here.) Color maps at the back are titled The World of the Patriarchs, Exodus, Land of the Twelve Tribes, Kingdom of David, Jesus' Ministry, Paul's Journeys, and Jerusalem in Jesus' Time.

The book has two columns of text divided by a narrow column of text notes and cross references. Here are Genesis 22 and 23: "The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, /'This is now bone of my bones,/ And flesh of my flesh;/ She shall be called Woman,/ Because she was taken out of Man.'" Text notes indicate that "fashioned" is literally "built," that "She" (twice in Verse 23) is literally "This one," that "Woman" is "Ishshah" in Hebrew, and that "Man" is "Ish" (thus explaining the play on words). Cross references direct you to 1 Cor 11:8,9; Gen 29:14; and Eph 5:28,29. As you can see, the translation is clear and readable without being dumbed down, and where liberties are taken, the literal meaning is supplied in the notes. All this, and it fits in the palm of your hand. As Marge would say, I just think it's neat.

I really enjoy this Bible. It has the text I like with topic heading that are not overdone but very adequate. I collect Bibles and have many, most of the compact editions on the market, and this is my favorite by far. I use it as my daily reader and enjoy the size and type as well as book introductions, maps, paragraph format,(good for reading but a little difficult for cross referencing), and agree with most reviewers when they say why doesn't Zondervan issue this in a genuine leather format? One of the best compact Bibles on the market should have this option available. Overall, great little Bible.

Quite simply, this compact Bible gives you the complete package in a small but effective format. The words are very legible and the button flap helps protect the pages. This Bible has a thorough Concordance and center collumn references to assist you as you study. I prefer this format to traditional Study Bibles; I've found that I have a tendency to get a little lazy and depend too much on the commentary in Study Bibles.

This is truely a great find for me!!

I love this Bible. It is really really compact and fits perfectly into my purse. The type is very clear and easy to read. I like that it has book intros, references and a concordance. This was a very very good purchase and I highly reccomend it.

I prefer my thinline NASB for everyday use. I ordered this compact Bible for travel to save the wear and tear on my old favorite (which I just had rebound). This compact Bible fits nicely in a quart-sized Ziploc bag and has weathered airline baggage treatment very well.

Yes, I too would have liked real leather instead of bonded, but I can't afford the $101 goatskin version from Cambridge.

As far as travel toughness with this one, I'm not really into the snap cover (flaps get in my way and snaps break etc. -- to each his own), but I found something else that might work for carrying it during travel:

Eagle Creek (and I don't work for them either) has a product called:
Pack-It® Padded Quarter Cube, which measures 7.5 x 5.3 x 2. This sounds like a good case for packing the compact NASB, as it's padded, not too much larger than the Bible itself, and the fabric is stain and water resistant.

For a small bible the font's are large and I reall like it. Great for taking on trips and camping. Ken

This version gets no star, but that was not a permitted option. I was shocked to see so many crucial verses missing or mutilated in the NASB. For example, 1 John 5:7 is completely deleted. Verse 8 is halved as a new 7 and diluted 8. The original verses 400 years old speak of the Holy Trinity and to see them deleted grieves my heart. A major prophetic verse: Zechariah 13:6, has said for the last 400 years "...What are these wounds on my hands?" The NASB says "What are these wounds between your arms?" The Lord's prayer in Luke 11 eliminates heaven, the kingdom of God and deliverance from evil. These are just a few examples of the errors that have mysteriously surfaced in the new versions as of 1960. I am keeping it just to demonstrate the boldness of its errors to a genuine believer in Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and God. The bible was translated 400 years ago in English by William Tyndale and others like him who were martyred for giving us God's word in English. Since 1960, new versions make a mockery of what Tyndale and his fellow martyrs did to give us the precious gift of reading the perfect Word of God.