Fuel for the scoffers

I purchased this second-hand Bible (copyright 2007) online to have an inexpensive copy of this translation for my current Bible reading plan. I was impressed with all the extras that were included in this edition, so was eager for it to arrive in the mail.

The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible is good.  I have been diligently reading and highlighting it daily now for almost ten months. I’ve been using it for the two-year Bible reading plan on this blog. I’ve used other translations for comparison purposes and am encouraged that the translation is in agreement.

But I can’t voice the same approval over the commentaries.

The obvious underlying theme of the commentaries appears to be to dig out anything and everything that might cause a person to discount the Scriptures. They make a big deal out of nothing in most cases. For example: I read in the comments concerning Saul’s question about David after he killed Goliath, that the expression “…whose son is this young man” was idiomatic of “Who is this?” They use it to make the case that Saul didn’t recognize David who he had previously admired and had regularly in his palace. Yet I find it interesting that when David answered the question, he answered it as it was asked and gave the name of his father, not his own name. Saul knew David, but not well enough to know his family. Besides, there was the matter of compensation for David’s successful removal of Goliath from the scene.

This commentary will amplify anything that hints of confusion, and it will also introduce every skeptical line of thinking that so-called Bible scholars have come up with as they place man’s ability to re-think God’s written account from up to 4,000 years ago over what the Scriptures actually say. The commentaries include some useful information, so I do check it out regularly. But all too many times I have to just shake my head and roll my eyes. This is definitely the translation that will appeal to the scoffers, and not to serious Bible students seeking to understand and trust the heart of God.