My friend Bob Hayton reminded me in his post earlier this week titled Get Your Daily e-Bible Reading Plan, that it’s time to choose a Bible reading plan for 2011.  I decided to give YouVersion a try next year.  What I like most about YouVersion is that it has numerous Bible reading plans built in and it is accessible through my iPad, windows phone or laptop.  I’m going to try the Bible in 90 Days plan.  Once I complete my first time through the Bible this year, I’ll be adding some time in the original languages to my daily Bible reading routine.  I’m hoping to knock some of the cobwebs off my original languages skills.  Another benefit I’ve found is that working with original languages causes me to slow down and concentrate more, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  No matter what reading plan you choose, the important thing is that you get into God’s word as much or more in 2011 as you did in 2010.

In his sermon yesterday, John Piper encouraged the congregation by saying that if they hadn’t already begun a Bible reading plan for 2010, it’s not too late.  I wholeheartedly agree.  I don’t know if there’s ever really a bad time to start reading the Bible.  This year I’m trying Professor Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System.  It has you read 10 chapters a day ( 1 chapter from 10 different books).  I’m finding I like this much better than plowing through a single book at a time.  This is very much the way I read books.  I’m typically in the middle of 5-10 books at once.  If you’ve not had good luck with other Bible reading plans, this may be fore you.  You can learn more about it below:

Professor Grant Horners Bible Reading System

• Read the Greek New Testament in 2009:  LINK
• Read Calvin’s Institutes in 2009:  LINK
• Read the Bible in 2009:  LINK

We’re nearing the start of 2009.  Most of us are probably coming up with resolutions and goals to make life changes and improvements in the new year.  One of my goals for 2009 is to become more proficient and productive with the electronic tools I use every day.  Many software companies are offering free tutorial videos to give users a jump start with their software.  While my first inclination is always to poke around with software and try to figure it out on my own, I’ve found that I’m able advance my skills in a software package much faster with brief tutorials.  If you’re a LOGOS Bible Software user, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the free training resources links on their training page.  Click the picture below to learn more.

A man who made a difference

Thanks to Justin Taylor for pointing out Lee Irons’ Annual Greek New Testament Reading Program for 2009.  You can download the 1 page PDF reading guide here:  LINK.

General Editor: A. Phillip Brown II, Bryan W. Smith
Binding: Italian Duo-Tone
Page Count: 1680 Pages
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: March 2008
ISBN-10: 0310269741
ISBN-13: 9780310269748

Based on the success Zondervan had with A Reader’s Greek New Testament, you knew it was only a matter of time before they’d put together a similar resource for the Hebrew Bible. To the delight of many, A Reader’s Hebrew Bible was released this past March. I’ve been looking forward to writing this review and wanted to express a word of thanks to the folks at Zondervan for sending me a review copy. I’ll be breaking this review into two parts. Part one will discuss the physical characteristics and also the packaging for this Bible. Part two will take a look at what’s inside this Bible.

Let me start by talking about the physical characteristics of A Reader’s Hebrew Bible. It has a very appealing look about it; one might go so far as to say it’s beautiful. The binding is a light brown Italian Duo-Tone. You will find the title stamped on the front cover and the spine in silver lettering. The page edges match the lettering as they are also gilded silver. This volume measures 7.2 in. wide by 9.9 in. high by 2.1 in. deep, which makes it a bit larger than the other Hebrew Bibles I am familiar with. The paper used for this Bible is a bit thinner than the paper used in some of the other Zondervan Bibles in my library. It is slightly transparent as you’re able to make out some of the text on the other side of each page. However, this in no way hinders the readability of the Hebrew text. I felt that the decision to go with this paper was probably design-related as it lends to the overall elegant look and feel of the Bible. In addition to the great look and feel of this Bible, Zondervan went the extra mile by creating great packaging for it. This Bible comes in what I would consider a presentation quality box. The front of the box is windowed to show the front cover with the title in silver lettering. The back of the box has a well laid out list of information that will be important to someone who is looking to buy this Bible.

Next, I wanted to take a look at the inside of A Reader’s Hebrew Bible. There are 28 pages of worthwhile introductory material at the front of the Bible. This includes the Author’s Preface, a Quick User’s Guide, an Introduction, and Abbreviations & Sigla. I am very excited to note that all of the introductory material is written in English. Many of the Hebrew and Greek Bibles available in the bookstores of Bible Colleges and seminaries come from the German Bible Society. The difficulty for many American students is that the introductory material is written in German. Since most of the students are not fluent in German, they miss out on the introductory information, which will help them to make the best possible use of their new Bible. Following the introductory material is the actual Hebrew text. I really appreciate that the Hebrew text goes across the entire page, with all of the notes appearing at the bottom. This serves to make the text more readable as you don’t have any notes or references in the margins, breaking up the text as you’re trying to read it. I think this will be especially useful to first year students who are working on their Hebrew reading as it will minimizes the distractions on the page. When the reader comes across a word they’re not quite sure about, they can refer to the notes at the bottom of the page which contain glosses and definitions of Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less and Aramaic words occurring 25 times or less. These notes will prove very useful to the 1st year student as well as the more casual reader whose Hebrew skills may be a bit out of practice.

Let me summarize by saying that I think Zondervan did a great job with A Reader’s Hebrew Bible. It’s a very attractive and high quality Hebrew Bible at a reasonable price. The layout and notes will be invaluable for the 1st year student or the more casual reader. It will make a great gift for students, pastors, or the layperson interested in Biblical Hebrew.

A. Philip Brown II (PhD, Bob Jones University) is associate professor of Bible and Theology at God’s Bible School and College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the author for the 4th edition of Handbook of New Testament Greek, a publication for Bob Jones University.

Bryan W. Smith (PhD, Bob Jones University) is Bible integration coordinator at Bob Jones University Press.

You may download a PDF of this review here:  LINK.

Buy this book on Amazon:  A Reader’s Hebrew Bible

General Editor: John Schwandt
ESV Text Editor: C. John Collins
Format: Hardcover w/ CD
Page Count:  1376
Publisher: Crossway
Publication year: 2006
Language: English / Greek
ISBN-10: 158134628X
ISBN-13: 9781581346282

I wanted to extend a word of thanks to Michele Bennett at Crossway for furnishing me with a review copy of The English – Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament.

It’s always an exciting day, when the UPS or Fed Ex truck stops by my house with new books.  I was especially excited when The English – Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament showed up at my door.  The first thought I had when I began to page through it was, “Where have you been all my life?”  In my pursuit of biblical & theological studies over the past 12 years, I’ve used a number of different Greek new testaments.  However, none of them were interlinear.  This is mostly due to the fact that I was unable to find an interlinear Greek new testament with the right combination of features that would make it a compelling addition to my library.  That being said, The English – Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament is just the interlinear I’ve been looking for.  Crossway has raised the bar for interlinear new testaments with this publication!

First, I’d like to talk about the binding.  I think Crossway made the right choice to publish this work in hardcover.  Many of the bibles available today have a soft or flexible cover.  For many of the thinner and smaller bibles, I think this is definitely the way to go.  However, for a work of this size, I prefer hardcover for several reasons.  Hardcover books tend to hold up better on the shelf.  They also tend to wear better than soft / flex cover books in the backpack or laptop bag many of us have in tow as we travel to class, church, or the library.  Lastly, hardcover books tend to be easier to keep open on a desk or library table, whereas soft / flex cover books are nearly impossible to lay flat.

Next, let’s move beyond the cover and binding and talk about the many important things you’ll find within the pages of this new testament.  If you’re like me, you’ll want to jump right into the biblical text and start reading.  I’d encourage you to hold off for a few minutes and spend some time reading the introductory material following the table of contents.  Spending a few minutes here will definitely help you to make the most of the textual features found within.  The introductory material is as follows:
•    Preface to the English Standard Version (explains translation methodology for the ESV)
•    Explanation of Features, English Standard Version (discusses features in ESV text:  section headings & footnotes)
•    Preface (explanation of interlinear and reverse interlinear, brief essay by John Schwandt – Overcoming the Objections of the Dangers of Dabbling in Greek)
•    Introduction (explains layout of interlinear text:  ESV, Greek, transliteration, parsing codes, Strong’s numbers)
•    Guide to Parsing Codes  (further explanation of parsing codes)

Once you finish with the introductory material, you’ll be ready to jump into the biblical text.  The English text is based on the ESV Text Edition:  2007.  The Greek text is based on the Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th Revised Edition.  An example of the interlinear layout from John 4 is below:

The reverse in reverse interlinear comes about by displaying the English text on top of the Greek text.  Traditional interlinear new testaments tend to display the Greek text first.  One of the things I appreciate about this layout is that with the English on top, I feel it allows me to effectively use this new testament for my devotional time as well as my academic study time.  If it was laid out like a traditional interlinear, I think I’d be rather distracted by the Greek text above the English.  The 2nd line contains the Greek text.  The Greek text is ordered, so it lines up with the corresponding English word or phrase above it.  This sometimes puts the Greek text out of order from how it appears in a traditional NA27 Greek new testament.  Please note that there is a number to the right of each Greek word to indicate the word order for the entire verse as it appears in the NA27 Greek new testament.  The third line, which follows the Greek text, is the English transliteration of the Greek word.  This is very helpful for the less experienced reader who may not know how to correctly pronounce all of the Greek words.  The fourth line, which follows the transliteration, contains the parsing codes.  These parsing codes allow the reader to understand the morphology of the Greek word.  Trying to remember what these codes mean looks like it could be difficult.  Have no fear, each two-page spread of the new testament text, has the most significant parsing codes listed at the bottom.  Finally, the 5th line lists the Strong’s number.  This is an important feature, because it allows the reader to quickly look up that specific Greek word in an electronic lexicon.  While I to do this through Logos Bible Software, I realize that many may not have access to this software.  As an alternate, there are many free lexicon resources available on the internet.

Let me close by saying that I am very pleased with The English – Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament.  This is a prime example of the quality of work that is possible when three fine organizations like Crossway, The German Bible Society, & Logos Bible Software collaborate on a project.  As I stated earlier, I have found this new testament useful for both my devotional time and academic study.  I highly recommend this new testament for anybody wishing to expand their new testament study to include both Greek and English.  My only word of caution is to 1st and 2nd year Greek students.  You would be better served by having a standard Greek new testament as your primary Greek text for school work.  The English – Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament would be a great resource for double-checking your parsing and translation after you’ve worked over the Greek text on your own.  Finally, there is one additional bonus to this new testament.  Attached to the back cover of this book, you will find a CD-ROM containing an electronic copy of the English Standard Version and several other study tools.  All things considered, this is a great resource for a very reasonable price.   Let me end with one final thought.  While I understand there would potentially be a smaller audience, I’d love to see a similar resource for the Hebrew old testament.  I’ll be so bold as to suggest the following title:  The English – Hebrew Reverse Interlinear Old Testament.

You may download a PDF of this review:  LINK.

I wanted to take a minute to write about another aspect of my personal devotions.  Over the past several years, I’ve realized many benefits from writing in a journal or notebook.  My writing seems to fall under several categories:  Written prayer, people / things I’m praying for or about, life circumstances, and what God has been teaching me.  I don’t write in my journal every day, but I seem to find something to put down as much as 3 or 4 times per month.  In my case, I find that there are times when I can more clearly express my heart and mind to God in writing.  I especially like that I can go back and review my past journal entries for the past several years and see the path that God has been walking me on and how I’ve been transformed in some areas and still struggle in others.  If this is something you’d find beneficial in your own devotions, you can start with something as simple as an inexpensive notebook.  A wide-margin or journaling bible may also be appropriate for entries centered around specific passages of scripture.  Crossway has a very affordable ESV Journaling Bible.  I also recommend the pocket-sized moleskin notebooks.