Recently, I got my hands on The Expanded Bible, New Testament, a new edition of the New Century Version that promised to incorporate the best of both the Formal and Functional Equivalence schools of interpretation in one volume. Coincidentally, I also needed to utilize a Bible for a youth curriculum I was writing for an upcoming weekend event at church. Recognizing that there are no “coincidences,” I opened the Expanded Bible to 1 John and read.

What I found was a version of the Bible that any teacher should love! Incorporated into the text, not as footnotes, which can be missed, are literal, alternative and traditional translations for words and phrases, giving the reader a fuller understanding of the text. Commentary is also incorporated. Unlike some Bibles, though, the Expanded Bible doesn’t overwhelm readers with opinions choosing instead to give the options for how to interpret passages to its readers.

At $29.99, the Bible is costly for a New Testament only version. But it’s thick pages, hard bound design give it a weighty, sturdy feel, which does seem to justify a slightly higher retail price point.

I highly recommend the Expanded Bible for all teachers and students of the Word. It’s an excellent addition to any library.

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Scott Asher is the founder and administrator of BookGateway.com. Along with his contributions to BookGateway, he reviews for the commercial site BuddyHollywood.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he cartoons and writes on anything he finds funny and Christianity, which sometimes overlap.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.