Ready to purchase a new bible?  Then this guide is for you.

I just recently decided that I needed to get a new bible.  As I get older, I’m finding that large print is so much easier to read.  And the Bible that I have used since 1979 was getting pretty worn out.  Now, I’m the type that likes to make notes, and highlight so getting a new one was actually a very difficult experience for me.

I wish that I knew back in 1979 what I know now.  I’m hoping that this guide helps you purchase a Bible that will last you your lifetime and you’ll never have to go through this again.

When purchasing a Bible, you should view this as a lifetime purchase and buy the very best that you can afford. 

The first step in purchasing a Bible is to decide on what version fits you best.  Here’s a list of the most popular five by popularity.  A good place to start your research is to type in Bible Versions in Google Search.

1. New International Version (NIV)
2. King James Version (KJV)
3. New King James Version (NKJV)
4. New American Standard Bible (NASB)
5. New Living Translation (NLT)

After you’ve decided on which Bible version, now decide how much you can afford to spend.    There are so many options that you will need to prioritize what’s most important to you.  Here are some of the options that are available.  Please note this is not all-inclusive and there are so many publishers that offer unique options available to their publication.  So, do your research.  A good place to start is here on eBay.

Print Size – Generally the smaller the print the smaller the Bible.  If you’re looking for a small Bible, then large print is not for you.  But keep in mind, you will be spending many hours with this book and the larger the print the more comfortable you reading experience will be.

Red Letter – All the spoken words of Jesus are in red print

Thumb Index – Each book has a tab on the edge for easier finding.  As you become more familiar with your Bible this won’t be needed as much.  However, if you are fairly new to the Bible reading, than you may want to consider this option.

Concordance – This is an indexed listing, which contains alphabetical listing of words used in the bible.  Can be very handy, however this does add pages to the Bible making it larger and does add to the price.  You may want to consider purchasing a separate concordance, the downfall is that you will now have two books to carry around with you, plus your concordance won’t match page numbers.  The upside is that you end up with a more complete concordance and it’s easier to use two books than to keep turning pages back and forth when studying.  Note, on some of the more expensive Bibles, you’re not given a choice, the concordance is included.  I could not find one that had all the options that I wanted without a concordance.  If you do decide to purchase a concordance separately, make sure it’s the same version as your Bible.

Parallel Passages – This is a very handy option.  This is a list of other Bible passage that covers the same topic.  Usually parallel passages are footnoted at the bottom of the page.  However a few are indexed at the back.  I would recommend the footnoted type.  If you are new to Bible reading, I would strongly recommend that this be one of your must have’s with your new Bible.

Bible Maps – If your really interested in Bible Geographical, then you may want to purchase a Bible Atlas separately.  The ones included in most Bibles only covers major interest.  However, for the causal interest, this can be a very handy option.

Individual Book Analysis – Additional information on the Books, authors, date written, place, etc.  Interesting but you can find this information all over the Internet.

Cover  – Leather, paperback, pressboard (hardcover).  If your budget only allows for a paperback or pressboard then you may want to consider purchasing a Bible cover separately when the budget allows.

Binding – Lastly, but most important for the life of your Bible,  keep in mind that if you read the Bible everyday for the rest of you life (which you should), then you need to pay close attention to the binding.  You don’t want to end up with a lot of loose pages.  I would recommend a sewn binding and not glued.  This does add the price of the Bible but is well worth it.

Hope this helps with one of the most important purchases you’ll ever make.  More coming soon on Bible Versions.