Bestselling novels are often printed in a variety of formats throughout their lives in print. Hardcovers, paperbacks, first editions, 10th anniversary editions, deluxe editions etc. can all be expected for blockbuster classics. Is it any wonder then, that the world’s all-time #1 bestselling non-fiction title – the Bible – is available in such a plethora of translations, formats, editions, and so on?
The newly released Transformation Study Bible from David C. Cook combines the fourth best-selling Bible translation (2008/2009) – the New Living Translation or NLT – with Bible teacher Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe’s highly respected commentary. The NLT is a modern English translation of the Bible, featuring easy-to-read language, and is based upon a translation method that relies both upon formal equivalence techniques (word-for-word), and dynamic equivalence (thought-for-thought).
This being my first encounter with an NLT Bible, I was quite pleased with the easy-to-read, yet accurate text. After reading several important passages, I’ve found that this version supports a literal seven-day creation period, and in no way detracts from God’s absolute sovereignty and authority over the earth and all that is within it. Though this is certainly a given for long-time NLT readers, the modern equivalencies of weights, measurements, time, etc. are a huge blessing. Easy to read without a Bible dictionary at hand for looking up formulas for translating these antiquated measurements into ones I’m familiar with, this is incredibly convenient (original measurements and such are provided in the footnotes.)
After satisfying myself with the content and theological basis of the translation itself, I turned my attention to Wiersbe’s commentary. Drawn from his vast collection of popular “Be” series titles – 50 expositional Bible studies which focus upon the application of God’s word to the lives of believers – this commentary is the result of over 30 years of work. I found Wiersbe’s commentary to be both helpful, and accurate; whether dealing with Paul’s theological writings in Romans, or narrative stretches of scripture, Wierbe’s explanations are clear and balanced.
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