Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The Names of God Bible, Ann Spangler

Open the door to a more intimate relationship with God



Discover the Hebrew names of God within the biblical text


Encounter God through prayers, promises, and devotional readings


Experience God's character more deeply by studying his names


One of the best ways to get to know God on a deeper level is to know his names and titles as revealed in Scripture. Now the bestselling author of Praying the Names of God and Praying the Names of Jesus uncovers the richness of God's character and love found in his names right within the Bible text.

The Names of God Bible restores more than 10,000 occurrences of specific names of God--like Yahweh, El Shadday, El Elyon, and Adonay--to help readers connect with the Hebrew roots of their Christian faith and experience a deeper understanding of God's character. Perfect for personal study, prayer, and reflection, The Names of God Bible includes these special features:


More than 10,000 names and titles of God restored to their Hebrew equivalent and printed in brown ink to stand out within the biblical text


Names of God reading paths lead readers to the next reference of the name so they can pray and study the names of God throughout Scripture


Name Pages feature


background information associated with the most important names and titles of God


key Scripture passages in which the name is revealed


devotional readings for each of the featured names


specific Bible promises connected to each of the featured names


Calling God by Name sidebars shed light on the relationship between biblical people and the specific names they called God

My review:
I snag a Bible for review any time I can. I enjoy reading and exploring new translations and new study Bibles, etc.

I was not very familiar with the God's Word translation, and though this review is not specifically geared for the translation, I do like what I have read of it. If you are unfamiliar with that translation, you can find out more about it on the website for God's Word Translation.

The Names of God Bible is very unique and unlike any Bible I have used. I, like most people very familiar with the Bible, am aware that originally there were different names for God used throughout the Bible: Jehovah, Elohim, etc, and that they were all changed to "God" and "Lord" for the most part. What this Bible does, is to change all uses of God back to the original names of God.

Before each book of the Bible in this Bible, there is an introduction to the book, and then a list of the key names of God used in that book, along with their meaning. Example from Psalms:

Yah, Yahweh...........Lord
Melek.......................King
Elyon.......................Highest

And so forth. "Yeshua" is used in the New Testament instead of "Jesus". This makes reading the Bible totally different. All too often it is easy to read over familiar passages without thinking about what we are reading. However, when  you are reading this Bible and running onto names like "Melek", it causes you to slow down, look up the meaning of the name, and think more on what you are reading.

I think this is more than a Bible. It is a valuable tool. In translating all of the names of God to "God" and "Lord", we have lost something: the meaning of the name originally used. This Bible brings that back and adds meaning to what is being read.

About the editor/commentator:

Ann Spangler is an award-winning writer whose fascination with the Bible has resulted in books that have opened the Bible to a wide range of readers. She is the author or coauthor of several bestselling books, including Praying the Names of God, Praying the Names of Jesus, Women of the Bible, and Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. Together, her books have sold nearly 3 million copies. She has held senior positions at two Christian publishing houses and lives with her two daughters in Michigan.


 
The Names of God Bible is available from Revell, part of Baker Publishing Group.

The Bible is available in hardcover, black, and mahogany duravella.

Thanks to Revell for the review copy.

Ann Spangler talking about The Names of God Bible:




The Names of God Bible overview:

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