Bible Translations and Other Literature

The Geneva Bible - This was actually the first complete English Translation from the Greek and Hebrew. It contained marginal notes from such as John Calvin and John Knox. This was the first version broken up into chapter and verse. Its commentary, with notes opposing tyranny and abuse of power, enraged both King James and the authors of the Inquisition. It was available only as a "facsimile" of a rather ancient edition online and as a (rather expensive) reprint from L.L. Brown publishing. However, it is now available with updated spelling and lettering from Tolle Lege Press at a reasonable cost and includes a disk with searchable PDF files. This is an excellent translation and the updated format makes it quite usable. The commentary alone makes it worth while. If you only have one Bible, this should be it!

King James/ Dake Annotated Reference Bible (Finis Jennings Dake) - This is an interesting reference Bible with lots & lots of notes. It has much truly outstanding commentary and explanations in it & also some very very wrong commentary and explanations. It was recommended to me many years ago by my Pastor in an Assembly of God church. It is written from the "Pentecostal" point of view, & is "Pre-Rapture, Pre-Tribulation, & Pre-Millenial". He interprets some scriptures to propose a "pre-Adamite" world ruled by Lucifer, until Lucifer's rebellion, at which point God destroyed the earth through "Lucifer's Flood", a much more devastating flood than "Noah's Flood". I admit I like this interpretation, as it doesn't force me to defend a 6,000 year old earth. NOTE - Dake thoroughly debunks evolution. It is obvious that his "pre-Adamite Earth" isn't just a cover for accepting evolution.

One of the most glaring errors of his commentary is that Dake interprets God's command to Israel in the Old Testament as justifying segregation of people of different colors and ancestries. This reflects the fact that Dake wrote his commentary decades ago when such nonsense was still accepted by some. Yet, I personnally know one gentleman of African ancestry who uses a "Dake". Also, some have claimed that he promotes "Tritheism" rather than "Trinitarianism", as well as a few other "heresies".
This should not be your only Bible, but is still worthwhile. Just be cautious with some of the doctrines and how the "End Times" are interpreted ("Dispensationalism").

New American Standard Bible (NASB) - My Large Print copy does not contain any commentary. It is my favorite "no commentary" translation. It flows nicely in modern English while maintaining the beauty of the old King James. It seems to be the most accurate or literal translation; for example - it translates the Commandment as "Thou Shalt Not Murder" rather than "Thou Shalt Not Kill".

New King James Version - I have a large print copy of this without any commentary. It is a good modern translation, but doesn't seem to flow quite as well as the NASB. I use it when I wish to compare several translations on a particular point.


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