The book is written by Tim Wildsmith and published by Zondervan, Copyright 2024.

I think the title says it all. It is a simple guide to finding a Bible that is right for you. If you
go over to his YouTube channel, you will hear him say that very catchy phrase. His videos are extremely engaging, and he and his wife are just fun to watch when they unbox a new Bible or Bible Rebind together.

I own a digital copy of his book through Logos Bible Software.

It is simple book. This is not deep theologically, that is not his intent. There are two trains of thought when it comes to Bible translations:

Formal Equivalent Translation – Word for Word
Dynamic Equivalent Translation – Thought for Thought
Formal Equivalence - King James Version (KJV)
Dynamic Equivalence – New International Version (NIV)

The book is laid out very simply and works its way through the Bible versions that are
commonly used today for at home reading and studying to the ones that are commonly
used in churches across America.

Tim gives a brief history of each Bible translation. Then he works through the textual basis for the translation and the philosophy behind the translation. At the end of each chapter Tim leaves the reader with about 17 verses from each translation in their translation heading. The references are the same.
Some of the Bibles to me are not even a translation, but a paraphrase. He also at the end of the chapter asks the question: Is this “insert translation” right for you?
The book has multiple charts explaining where each translation falls on the translation chart. They are from one end of the spectrum (Word for Word) to the other (Thought for Thought). The paraphrases on his chart are the New Living Translation and The Message. I concur.

It is a very quick and easy read and easy to understand. There aren’t any words too hard to understand. He wrote it that way. You don’t have to read it from front to back. You can pick and find out his thoughts on the King James Version or The New King James. Read that section and you will have a basic understanding about that translation. The book is also not very extensive on the translations, and he says that in the beginning. It would be a much thicker book. The book also has photographs courtesy of different archives about the different translations and the manuscripts that
they were translated from.

That being said, I do have some disagreement with some of the Bible translations. All in
all, though, I liked the book, because of its simplicity. I wish Tim would have done some
more research concerning the manuscripts used for the more modern translations of the
Bible.

The Professor’s Commentary
Not all Bible Translations out there can be the word of God. There are counterfeits out
there. The title alone gives way to the thought, 'can we trust any of these Bibles simply
because of what the supposed “scholars” say'.

 

You get to pick and choose what kind of Bible you want that fits your life instead of you fitting into God’s will for your life.
3 out of 5 Stars