The [Expanded] Bible

I was very excited when The [Expanded] Bible came in the mail. It's promoted as a Bible you can study while you read - plain and simple.

However, it took me a few days to get used to all the "lingo" and what every little symbol means.

For example, you have the text of Scripture (New Century Version) in bold. Then you have the dots beside words or phrases indicating there will be expanded information.

This is followed by phrases in parentheses with things like "L" for literal, "C" for cultural and other somewhat valuable information.

It might be because we've been saturated by the NIV Study Bible for so long that I'm just not used to having my Bible reading be so choppy. It pulls you out of the reading in order to learn more.

With the NIV Study Bible, you could read a passage on its own and then go back to review the additional text.

Another negative about this is the additional study material is very slim. This is by no means an exhaustive study Bible.

But if you're looking for a quick study on biblical phrases, The [Expanded] Bible may be a nice Christmas gift.