There are a lot of Bibles available. I have not read them all and any Bible is better than none. But some recent translations have been so influenced by churches that have lost their way that I do not trust them. Never be a one-Bible-only stick-in-the-mud! Interpreting the meaning of dead languages is a big job, so most translators bring out meanings that others have missed. Gradually collecting additional translations is a good habit to get into. I bought some of mine used, for cheap. I’ve listed the Bibles and books I’ve found most useful below.
There are three main versions of the Old Testament. I use them all. The most common source is the Masoretic Texts. Most Bibles are translated from them. The Masoretic Texts have a peculiar history. The early Christians collected many copies of the Old Testament but after a few years, no Christians could read Hebrew anymore. So they hired a group of Jewish scholars called the Masoretes to translate them for them. Here’s how that was a problem from the start. Since Christ came, all Christians can receive the guiding, Holy Spirit but non-Christians cannot. Therefore the Masoretic Texts were translated without the guidance of that Spirit. On top of this, the Masoretes destroyed the original manuscripts when they were finished, which means that no-one could check the accuracy of their work. There is only one way to check and that is by reading older versions of the Old Testament, such as the Greek Septuagint and the Peshitta Texts. It is worthwhile to check, because you will find whole passages in the Greek Septuagint which have been deleted, twisted, or even reversed in Masoretic Bibles. Sometimes the Masoretic Bibles are clearer but sometimes they’re confusing, so I always like to compare them with the ancient Greek Septuagint. The third source, called the Peshitta Texts, is translated from Aramaic. That is available as The Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text, translated by George M. Lamsa. I have gotten a lot of use from this source too and I list that Bible below. Here are the Bibles I used the most.
The Holy Bible in Modern English, by Ferrar Fenton, Destiny Publishers, Merrimac, Massachusetts. Originally published in 1903. This is a Masoretic Bible most people in church have never heard of. It never seems to be stocked by Christian bookstores. Fenton brings to life many meanings from the New Testament which others overlook and his insights into the Old Testament are often profound. This translator also discovered that the prophet Isaiah wrote several historical books of the Old Testament, in addition to the book of prophecies which bears his name. The only drawback is that you cannot look up the meanings of the words in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. You need to check the wording in other versions and look them up that way.
The Greek Septuagint, by Sir Lancelot Brenton, Hendrickson Publishers, originally published in 1851. The Septuagint is a very old version of the Old Testament. It is quoted in the New Testament and it is a must for checking the accuracy of other versions. Brenton also includes very helpful footnotes, which offer alternative meanings for ancient Greek words. It also contains The Apocrypha, a series of valuable historical books which have nowadays been deleted from most other Bibles. The Apocryphal books fill in gaps in the Bible’s history and cast more light on other books in the Old Testament. The only flaw in the Septuagint is that the book of Jeremiah is a mess. Other than that, it’s mind-blowing. I believe there is a Concordance to the Septuagint but it’s very expensive, because this version is rarely used and I’ve never had one. The Greek Septuagint is the Old Testament used by the Orthodox church.
The Revised Standard Version, by the World Publishing Company, Cleveland, Ohio. Original copyright 1946. This is a Masoretic version which uses some meanings from the Septuagint. It is commonly available in Christian bookstores and it’s a very good, all-around Bible. I have often found it in the dresser drawers of motel rooms. It is important to read the footnotes of this version, because they often reveal important suggestions not found in the text. The meanings of its words can be looked up in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
The Bible: A New Translation, by James Moffat, published by Harper and Row, 1922. Dr. Moffat compiled his version by comparing the Masoretic Texts to the Greek Septuagint. Moffat’s translation is a paraphrase of the ancient languages, not a literal translation. This means his words cannot be looked up in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. However, he clarifies some symbols which might otherwise slow the reading down. It is very lively and and easy to read. His translation of Zechariah is a masterpiece.
The Companion Bible, by E.W. Bullinger, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Copyright 1990. This is a King James Version, otherwise known as the Authorized Version. Although, at times, the King James can be piercingly clear, there are said to be some 22,000 errors in it, not counting the changes in the meanings of many English words and expressions since it was first published in 1611. The King James is a translation of the old Latin Vulgate, which itself was a translation from the original languages. So why use it? The editor of this edition, Bullinger, compiled 197 appendices at the end of the book, revealing a ton of knowledge which saves the reader much research. From these I learned the symbolic meanings of numbers and lots more. Also, his notes to the text show deeper interpretations for many words. For example, in a note to the first page of Genesis we learn that an entire, evil civilization populated the earth before Adam and Eve arrived–which God largely destroyed with the dinosaurs. Because it’s a King James Version, the words can easily be looked up in Strong’s Concordance. This is a very handy reference.
The Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text, by George Lamsa, HarperCollins Publishers, original copyright 1933. This is a Peshitta, or Syriac Bible. Because it was translated from Aramaic, I have found it useful for its interpretations of ancient place-names. This version shows that “Gog,” from Ezekiel 38 and 39, is China, which is vital to our national security today. It also corrects many mistranslations from Masoretic Bibles. Overall, its language is incredibly clear, in places where other translations can be obscure and cloudy. It’s well worth the money. The important letters of Paul, which can seem cryptic in some translations, are crystal clear in this version. (Romans 8.20 is a shining example). Now let’s check out a couple of other valuable books.
The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, by James Strong, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. This big, thick book enables you to look up the meaning of words in the ancient languages, as used in the King James Version, the Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, and the New American Standard Bible. Looking up the words can be very educational! Something really fun about this reference is that you can look up the meanings of people’s names, or place names, to to see how this colors their roles in prophetic, biblical “skits.” You can use it to look up words form the Bible you’ve forgotten the location of. [Nowadays you can also just search the words on the internet, by typing “bible verse” and the words you want to find.] A concordance is handy for looking up word-symbols, to compare their meanings in various parts of the Bible. This concordance is widely available in Christian bookstores.
Tracing Our Ancestors, by Frederick Haberman, numerous publishers. Original printing 1934. There are many fascinating books about the heritage of the Western peoples in the Bible. This, I believe, is the best. It’s a small book that will open your eyes very quickly. It also shows how the Noah Flood did not cover the whole earth, as most churches claim. [The Hebrew word erets means both “earth” and “land,” so the flood covered the whole of that land in which Noah lived.] It is available on the internet, from sources such as abebooks.com and amazon.com.
These are some tools I used to write The Death and Resurrection of the West and Home Christianity. I have read many books but those listed above, I believe, have been the most helpful. As you can tell from the shortness of my list, you do not need an entire library to figure out symbols. I started with one Bible and I have been helped by many other people along the way. I have written this to save my readers time in understanding our true destiny in the Bible–which is the purpose of everything I write. If you are new to the Bible, I recommend starting with a modern English translation and then later comparing it to an older version, to make reading easier.
Speaking of books I recommend, have you read my “Secrets in Biblical Symbols” series? Book 1 is The Death and Resurrection of the West Foretold in Prophecy, which shows how the Bible’s symbols lock into a pattern to predict where we are in history and where we’re going. Book 2 is Do-it-Yourself Home Christianity: How to Please God and Receive His Help Without Preachers, Churches, or Money and the title says it all. Both books are available on this website.
Never doubt that you can understand the Bible and please God, without a church. Getting the truth and getting God’s help is actually much easier this way. It’s intriguing and fun too.
Thank you for joining me.
