Book Review: NIV Beautiful Word Bible

I love collecting physical Bibles (which admittedly is a bit of a problem since I do not have a permanent place to stay and often move 1-4 years…). As a result, when Speakeasy was offering the opportunity to get a free copy of the NIV Beautiful Word: Updated Edition, published by Zondervan, I jumped at the opportunity.

And I have to say, the Beautiful Word is a great edition to my growing Bible collection. The illustrations, which are in color, are beautiful.  The Beautiful Word incorporates some illustrations on the side of the pages and also has some full-length illustrations. This Bible also provides room to take notes, but the pages are pretty thin, and the ink might bleed through, so if you choose to highlight, make notes, mark bible verses, choose your writing tool careful.

In terms of translation, I am NOT a Biblical scholar, however one thing I learned in seminary was that translation is often an act of interpretation. Translating in general is complicated.  For example, take translating a text from Spanish to English. The translator has numerous decisions to make based on the text: what type of Spanish is being spoken and from what country/region? Would a word for word translation be best, or are there phrases and words that do not have an English equivalent? How should phrases/slang that only makes sense in Spanish, be translated?

If these are some of the questions translators must ask themselves when dealing with Spanish and English, the complexities only increase when dealing with an ancient text, written in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Not to mention the Bible was written and compiled over thousands of years. There is also the added complication of the Bible being viewed by many people as a sacred text and the Word of God.  How the translation committee views the Bible, impacts the interpretative decisions that they make.

The NIV Preface is clear that the translators view the Bible as the Word of God.  For example, the preface says, “The Committee has again been reminded that every human effort is flawed-including this revision of the NIV. We trust, however, that many will find in it an improved representation of the Word of God, through which they hear his call to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and to the service in his kingdom. (xiv)”

Now let me be 1000% clear when I say this, so there is no misunderstanding: me pointing out that the committee views the Bible as the Word of God is not me saying, “oh well that means the translation is sus.” Or, conversely, “their commitment to the Bible as the Word of God means their translation is beyond reproach.”

Again, I am NOT a Biblical scholar. It is simply a reminder, that translation is not a value neutral field. One’s theological background or lack thereof, as well as one’s educational background, will influence the translation decisions that one has to make. That’s not good or bad, it’s just a statement of fact. And it is helpful for readers to keep that in mind, not just when reading this specific translation or Bible, but all Bibles.

With that being said, the Beautiful Word, really is a great addition to anyone’s Bible collection.  The illustrations are carefully done and really highlight the text.

Note: I received a free copy of this Bible in exchange for my honest review from Speakeasy.