Customer Reviews

The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After studying Greek for a few years in college, my graduation found me wanting something a bit less intimidating than my Aland Greek New Testament as I entered back into the world of "mere mortals". Not wishing to come off as "that know-it-all Greek guy" in the small group Bible studies I attended by toting in the Greek-only Aland, nor wanting to lug around more than one Bible, I was fortunate enough to stumble on this Greek interlinear.

I bought mine the year it was published and have used it constantly since then.

My impressions:

1) Exceptionally well-made, with a textbook-quality binding. It's amazing how well it has stood up under hard use.

2) For its size, which is small (5.75" x 8.25" x 1"), the type and layout are excellent - very easy on the eyes. And despite the 913 pages crammed into an inch thick volume, the pages are thick enough to prevent type bleed-through from becoming a distraction.

3) The Greek font used is one of the more beautiful I have seen and is a pleasure to read.

4) It is perfectly suited for use as a single source in small group Bible studies. It also is helpful from a perspective other than the Greek resource in this regard, as the New Revised Standard Version is unique enough to be a counter to all the NIV, KJV, and NASB sources out there while also avoiding being a paraphrase. People in your group will eventually realize that when the inevitable question, "What does the Greek say?" comes up, someone will have a decent answer if using this interlinear.

5) Certainly some Greek geek will have quibbles with the interlinear translation, but I've found it to be very serviceable. Let's be honest - don't most people use the Greek translation in an interlinear Bible as a crutch of sorts? I almost always find a word, tense, or slang phrase I'm not catching immediately and the Greek translation helps. Other references are always helpful when doing in-depth study, but on its own this interlinear stands up.

All in all, this is a very well-balanced Greek/NRSV interlinear that I would heartily endorse for anyone considering such a Bible.

I have four interlinear Greek NT's, and this one is the most handy. The English words translated in this book are not as literal as some other interlinear's (i.e. McReynolds or Marshall) but they are much more readable/understadable.

This is a great sized book, a nice small, compact hardcover, that is great for "quick reference".

If your looking for a more literal translation of the greek, go with McReynold's interlinear (which also has Strong's number written above every greek word, and a great word study in the back). But if your looking for a good quick reference, that is understandable and readable, this is your book.

I would recommend getting BOTH this and McReynold's interlinear. Almost every other greek word, McReynold's and Comfort will choose a different English translation of that word. (McReynold's more literal/Comfort more understandable)....If your not very sharp in greek, it's nice to see how both authors choose to translate each word, and then compare that to how NASB/NAB/NIV, etc. chose to translate the word.

Both Comfort and McReynolds use the same Greek Text (UBS3/4) --- Whereas Marshall uses the NA-21 and Zane Hodges interlinear uses the Byzantine (KJV) text.

If you study several different Bible versions and compare word choice and word order between NIV/NASB/NRSV, etc., and want to check the greek to see what is the actual word order, definitly get this interlinear. If you want a more detailed and literal study of the greek, go with McReynold's.

I highly prefer these two over Marshall's are Zane Hodges interlinears.

Eric

I have been using this interlinear for some time now. I have many other interlinears as well, but I have found that this one is my favorite. Why?
1. It is a handy size. It fits easily in my zippered Bible cover along with my English translation.
2. The Greek text is very clear (and not too small). The literal English translation below the text also does not "crowd" the Greek text. Visually its just really nice and works for me.
3. Brown and Comfort do a good job on the literal English underneath the Greek text. And all in all, they DO capture the tenses in a thorough and consistent way. Not perfectly, but very adequately.
4. There is enough blank area on each page for me to write in my own notations(which is cool).
5. This work gives brief space to textual variations which is ok by me (that's what Nestle's text is for). But this work also provides brief relevant cross-references at the bottom of the page. Again, not exhaustively, but still points one to key cross-references for one to explore.

As far as production quality: I used the hard-back for some time. But after I realized that this was the interlinear I used most every day, I bought a calf-skin leather-bound version from leatherbibles.com. It's expensive, but the quality is unsurpassed.

As far as the New Revised Standard Version that attends this interlinear. Well, I remember the old adage--"Eat the watermelon and spit out the seeds." The NRSV does have its seeds (especially the politically-correct gender manipulation found in a number of passages). But I also find that it is also a very good translation in many, many ways. I would have preferred to see the English Standard Version accompany this interlinear. But there are not enough "seeds" in the NRSV to make me choke--just slightly cough here and there to clear my throat (LOL).

Bottom line: This is an excellent interlinear. It's compact, clear with a pleasant Greek font, and obviously has solid and excellent scholarship behind it. I give it 5 stars. If you want this interlinear in very lush "leather", you can find it at leatherbibles.com. Again, it's expensive. But it's the only company that produces this interlinear leather-bound

Text: UBS4 Greek text (same text as Nestle-Aland 27th ... the very latest) with interlinear translation by Brown and Comfort, placed parallel with New RSV. Since the NRSV is based on this version of the Greek text the Greek and English translation match up very well. The interlinear wording does not follow the NRSV wording, which is either good or bad depending on your point of view.

Layout: Greek interlinear occupies about 3/4 of the page ... NRSV appears in smaller type in a narrow column at the outer edge. The English text runs a little short so there is always a couple of square inches at the bottom for notes.

Type: Greek interlinear is large and readable ... Greek is a bolder face than interlinear so that you can read the Greek without being too distracted by the English until you get stuck. NRSV is in fairly small type.

Size: big and heavy. You won't be reading this lying down. There's also personal size version which I have not seen. (amazon cleverly lists that one under Brown & Comfort ... Douglas is the editor)

I've used Marshall's Interlinear for over twenty years. I bought this more for comparison and have found it to be quite nice. The vocabulary is modern as opposed to Alfred Marshall who used some older vocabulary which doesn't communicate as well. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well some passages have been translated, even better than many standard translations such as the NASB or AV. Some words catch the translators and I can only surmise this is due to the difficulty of the idea rather than the actual words. I'm not particularly happy with the NRSV margin. It is a little too interpretive at times. The attempt to do away with gender which the translators felt was simply cultural has undermined some key biblical distinctions. "Sons and daughters" is not the same idea as "son" in the Greek language, a term which communicated special privilege within a family, not merely a family member. This is a minor matter for me as I seldom use the margin.
I have pastored and taught Bible studies for almost 20 years and always use an interlinear so that I can have access to the Hebrew or Greek and have found this interlinear very nice both in church and in home studies. My eyesight is still good so the personal size is convient for my briefcase. If you struggle seeing you may want to look at the regular size version of this bible.

This is the smallest parallel/interlinear I have ever seen. It is exactly the same page for page (913 pages) as the regular version. Very high quality type fonts (3 different fonts NRSV/USB/INTERLINEAR). Beautiful embossed alpha and omega on the front of the Hard Cover Version! Dimensions are as follows: Regular: 9.50 x 6.75 x 1.75 Pocket: 8.29 x 5.80 x .96

Being a student in Greek, This New Testament Greek Interlinear Bible witht he NRSV translation has been a blessing during my studies.

This is a great interlinear version.

I especially like the readable Greek font. It's also larger than the font in other Greek/English interlinears.

After struggling with Plato, Sophocles, and Aristotle, Biblical Greek is a simple and profound joy. The forms are less complicated and more regular. The content remains profound. Reading the New Testament in Greek has never been more fun nor simpler than with the aid of this edition.

Translation: This edition has two: interlinear (parallel with the Greek) and the NRSV in the margins. Both are excellent. The interlinear translation helps identify obscure phrases and idioms and the NRSV is a wonderful aid to shaping one's translation. That said, the NRSV's only negative qualities are in its "gender-inclusive" language, rendering "brothers and sisters" for "adelphoi". This may bother some, inserting a meaning that is not literally present in the original, but otherwise the NRSV is impeccably accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Aesthetics: This is a big deal for a Greek NT. If the Greek font is ugly (take the revolting UBS font, for example) it can really kill the mood. But this Greek font is gorgeous and a pleasure to read. Likewise, all type, though small, is clear and easy on the eyes.

Durability: Exceptionally well-bound. The hardcover binding is sewn and withstands tremendous abuse. However, the pages are onionskin-thin, so turn them carefully.

Size: Ideal. Large enough to place on a desk and use as a translation exercise, small enough to plop in your lap and read for hours. 913 pages are condensed into an inch of volume, but it's never overwhelming. This is a perfectly sized volume for study or reading.

Price: Unmatchable. All combined factors above rate a price only a hair above fifteen dollars. If you wanted an interlinear New Testament, what on earth are you waiting for? Wait no longer! This is the best interlinear this amount of money can buy. Period.

This is an excellent intelinear, only I think surpassed by the McReynolds version, because McReynolds has Strongs numbers and a concordance in the back. But this book, Comfort/Brown/Douglas has its own benefits. It's much more compact (if you get the Personal Size Edition), it's more readable (because it uses an appropriate word for the situation, rather than just using the same word-for-word), and also it has a few other minor features - textual variants, and a few other minor features for understanding the fine details of the text. For this reason I would recommend this book over the McReynolds for more "casual" reading (if there is any such thing as casually reading ancient Greek). On the other hand, the fact that McReynolds always translates the same word the same way makes it less biased, and in my opinion better for making your OWN translation from the text without external interferance.

The printing quality in my edition was a bit variable - some pages darker than others, but no big deal.