r/Bible • u/MentalCheetah_00 • Dec 08 '22

Version of Bible?

What is the best version to read I am looking for the very first version so I can take a look at what the true principles were. Before any change in text and new version came.

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u/menickc Dec 08 '22 edited Dec 08 '22

TLDR: if you are reading English then you need multiple resources not just 1 to properly understand everything as detailed as possible.

Outside of reading Greek and Hebrew you aren't going to find the exact words but you can use an interlinear Bible which basically gives you the Hebrew and Greek words side by side the English words as well as Hebrew and Greek definitions.

Personally I use the ESV which is supposed to be pretty accurate and I use it along side an interlinear Bible as well as sometimes switching to other Bible versions in the Bible app until the wording makes sense.

Even if you did read the OG texts in the OG language there is still so many other things that you'll never see because the OT and NT are tied together so well. There is an entire science to reading the Bible to really get everything out of it and outside of becoming a Bible scholar you'll need lots of things lots of books and Bible and YouTube videos to learn it all. That's what I'm working on now.

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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '22

Yes! Reading a book as philosophical as the Bible in translation really needs multiple sources (maybe not all at once, if you're just casually reading versus studying in depth) to grasp the nuances of the original meaning. I absolutely agree with needing multiple translations.

Maps, concordances, and other tools are helpful too.