NET Bible Review - Full Notes Edition of the New English Translation from Thomas Nelson

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

The NET Bible (New English Translation) Full Notes Edition is a lovely Bible. The copy I purchased and that is shown here in the photos is the genuine leather-bound, comfort print edition. It has a smooth, veg-tan leather feel with a camel brown colored cover and three attached satin bookmarks. The Bible itself is quite hefty and thick. It has a good hand feel, though it is large enough that I might not carry it around everywhere with me.

I took about eight months to read through the entire edition and kept notes about some of the things I appreciated about it along the way. Overall, I really liked it but I did notice a couple of things that kept it from becoming my favorite translation.

Things I loved about it:

• The abundance of translators’ notes. This edition boasts over 60,000 translator notes and is the most comprehensive edition (in terms of such notes) I have ever come across.
  
  Most Bibles I have read have brief footnotes to indicate where there is a case for an alternate translation of a word or phrase. Study Bibles also often have contextual notes that can cover a large part of the page. In this edition, though, those three columns of extras that you see in the photo above are translator notes. In these notes, the translators shared their process for arriving at the translations they chose and share their reasoning for choosing the translation they did, as well as alternate translations and the reasons why some translators lean toward those alternate options. They reference different original texts and codices, differences in original languages, where some copies of original texts differ, and more.
  
  I really appreciate the transparency the edition provides through these notes. I was able to glean so much from the information provided, and there are also some contextual notes included in these sections throughout. Having access to these notes made me wish there was a Full Notes Edition for every Bible translation out there.
  

• The language is engaging and easy to read and understand.
  

• Many of the translator’s choices were linguistically inclusive.

Up until I reached some passages in the New Testament, this edition was tied with my current favorite Bible translation as one of my favorite versions. There were times when I thought it might even inch ahead of my favorite and become my top preference. However, there were a few things about it that kept it from usurping my favorite version’s position in my heart.

Things that kept this edition from becoming my favorite:

• Luke 13:10-17 presents what, in my opinion, is an unfortunate translator’s choice. The chosen wording in the passage implies that a woman’s disability was demonically induced. Though the translators acknowledge that the Greek does not read the same way they have worded the English translation in their notes, not everyone is going to read all of the translators’ notes when they are reading the passage, and I can see this passage being misused to harm disabled people if taught without discernment.

• Romans 16:7 demotes the status of Junia and Andronicus to that of “well known to the apostles” rather than “outstanding among the apostles,” and Romans 16:1 demotes Phoebe to “a servant” of the church in Cenchreae rather than a deacon.

• There are a couple of places where the translators have added words that they acknowledge are not in the Greek. For example, in 1 John 1:5 and 3:11, “gospel” is added before “message.” This adds clarity, perhaps (depending on your perspective, I suppose), but is not there in the Greek. I also did not think it prudent that they changed “brother” to “fellow Christian” throughout the book, as it is a less inclusive reading than “brother.” “Brother” could mean “any fellow or man.” Translating it “fellow Christian” changes the meaning of the text to one that only requires love for other Christians.

Overall, I did truly enjoy reading the translation and the plethora of translator’s notes. I will revisit it often and would definitely recommend reading it but it will probably not become my daily reading translation.

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