The first Bible I bought after I trusted Christ was a NASB. That was in the summer of 1973. I still have that Bible. It has been rebound twice and needs yet another trip to the bindery to touch up the work that was done the last time. In the early 80’s I began studying Greek and Hebrew at Western Kentucky University. I continued that study at Dallas Theological Seminary beginning in 1987. As a result of that study, I have translated all the New Testament from Greek to English. I share that because I have found that the NASB is the closest version, speaking now primarily of the 1971 version, to what I have discovered as I translated the New Testament.
So, it may be needless to state, I am a fan of the NASB, at least the 1971, 1977, and 1995 versions. I have not evaluated the 2020 version yet. The Adventure Bible is based on the 1995 text. I use that text in my personal study. While, as I stated above, I have found the NASB text close to the original, it is always a good idea to compare English translations. Differences in the renderings can alert you to issues in the original that may require further investigation.
Overview
- Words to Treasure: This feature points out key passages in the Bible. They are highlighted for the reader with the suggestion to memorize the passage.
- Did you know? Points out interesting facts about the Bible.
- Life in Bible Times: Shares details about what it was like to live in the time of the characters in the Bible.
- People in Bible Times: Highlights many of the people of the Bible and points out interesting facts about their lives.
- Live it: Suggests ways to apply what the readers has just read. This may be the most important feature of this version. We are not given the Bible to make us smarter or to help us win a Bible trivia challenge. It is given so that we can know God and fall more deeply in love with Him, thus having our lives transformed in and through that relationship. This section helps one to do just that.
- Book introductions: In front of each book of the Bible there is a short introduction that answers the who, what, where, why, wherefore, questions in short sentences. The introductions are not long and do not overly communicate in that the reader will not be prevented from learning much about the book from simply reading it.
Finally there are in the back of the book:
- Subject Index: This is an index of topics that the student may want to pursue. Rather than give passages it gives the page numbers on which one of the features above deals with the topic.
- Activities: This was missing in my copy. I reached out to the publisher through Bible Gateway and was told that this index which will be in subsequent printings, will function much like the Subject index. In this case it will give the page numbers for suggestions about activities like flash cards which is mentioned in association with 1 Peter 2:9 – 12. This again, is a feature that aligns with the purpose of the Bible that we learn to apply what it tells us
- Dictionary Concordance – this gives a short definition of a term and then some places in the Bible it is used.
- Maps: There is an adequate if not extensive set of maps in the back of the Book
Conclusions
If you are looking for a first Bible for a new reader. This is a good, make that excellent, option. Both the base translation and the features are excellent, and the features do not distract from the most important thing, the text of the Bible. Zondervan has done good work with this.
As validation, my daughter walked in my office while I was working on this review and remarked that she had done research for a kids Bible and has concluded that the NASB Adventure option was the best for her four kids.
You can get the Adventure Bible here, or here, note that a small percentage of your purchase will be contributed to Entrusting Truth. Let me know if you have any questions.