How many Bibles do you own?

One leather bible gifted by my parents and one study bible. Don't think you can ever have too many bibles...also don't think you can have too few as long as you have at least one that's in use

more than 9

I have four.

1. My mother's A5 size black leather softcover KJV from 1962.
2. An A5 size pink-and-cream leather softcover NIV "gift bible" I bought in 2005 when this whole "Jesus thing" started bothering me.
3. A teeny-tiny red Gideons NIV NT-and-Psalms (or maybe that doesn't count cz it's not complete...?).
4. A pocket-sized black leather NJKV that I asked for for Xmas last year.

And how many Bibles do you think one should have? How few is too few, how many is too many? And why?

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Zero is too few. I think the maximum depends on why you're collecting them.

If you're obsessed with study to the exclusion of all else, it might be better to chillax yourself and stick to one for a while. You're not going to go to hell for reading the Good News translation for a year or two while you train your eyes back onto God.

If you're into studying and enjoy languages etc., I'd advise getting one thought-for-thought and one word-for-word translation, or at least one Bible on each side of the scale. The comparison is really illuminating sometimes.

Hence me getting a NKJV to use next to my NIV, which started feeling a little too extrapolated to me. I could have used the KJV for that, but although I love the translation, it's a little too esoteric sometimes with the old, old word usages.

I think it's also good to get a study bible if you're into that. I'm hoping to purchase the Orthodox Study Bible soon. I think then my collection will be pretty complete. Although I'd also like a Douay-Rheims... o dear... maybe I need to follow my own advice with the obsession bit

Do you prefer to buy cheaper hardback, or purchase nicer bonded or genuine leather? Why?

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Honestly, I don't care about the covers at all, although I prefer one that's quite durable, so I tend to get leather or faux-leather covers rather than paper or hardboard.

To me, the size/bulkiness factor is more important. I love my teeny Gideons NIV NT+Psalms and my pocket-sized NKJV. I made a brocade bag for them, and carry both everywhere in my purse with me. That way I can whip out my NIV for a quick Psalm reading wherever I am, but I can also bring out the big NKJV guns for an impromptu debate

So yeah, I would rather have a teeny, portable Bible than an unwieldy, massive one. Same goes for prayerbooks.

A family Bible (KJV); a Bible given to me at my christening (KJV); two study Bibles (NKJV, RSV); an Orthodox Study NT (NKJV); an LXX OT; New Jerusalem pocket version; Knox version NT; Ignatius Bible; pocket NKJV which I usually carry when travelling.

peace,

Anglian

I don't know how many I have, but it's more than 9.

Let me think... 1 KJV, 2 NKJV, 1 NASB, 2 RSV, 1 NRSV, 2 ESV, 1 NJB, 1 NIV, 1 HCSB, 1 NT with 8 parallel translations, 1 OSB.

I think that the number of Bibles is irrelavent. Having one that you actually read is far better than having 20 that just collect dust (most of mine collect dust, and I normally use just one, and it's the same one all the time).

12 - I love having different translations

laconicstudent said:

Just curious. Just to clarify, we're talking preferably physical, hardcopy Bibles. Whether or not it contains the Deuterocanon (Apocrypha) isn't relevant. Translation is irrelevant. Style is irrelevant. Anything from the most loose paraphrase translation to strict literalism. Child picture Bible to exhaustive scholarly study Bible. Poll is private. If you have a "family" Bible that is communal, please include it in your count.

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We have 3. Only 1 is used though.

laconicstudent said:

And how many Bibles do you think one should have?

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One is all that is needed, but there is no number which is better than the next. It depends on each family or individual.

laconicstudent said:

How few is too few,

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None.

laconicstudent said:

how many is too many?

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N/A

laconicstudent said:

Do you prefer to buy cheaper hardback, or purchase nicer bonded or genuine leather? Why?

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The only Bible which does any good is one that is opened and read. My wife has one that is for show, which make it of no use. I have an old KJV which I use to check that translation on occasion which doesn't make it of much use.

I also have a Good News Translation which I use most of the time. It is starting to fall apart but still has a few good years left in it. When I buy a new one, I'll keep the old one around because it has all of my notes written in it.

I have two: a NASB and a NIV translation.

More than 9.

I like to have each of the major translations.

23 by my count, including NT-only translations, DSS Bibles, apocrypha-only translations, and original languages.
Would anyone like one?

You can never have enough bibles, i have a special software that allows me to translate it into just about any language

Martyr17 said:

You can never have enough bibles, i have a special software that allows me to translate it into just about any language

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Mind if you share the name of this software?

bibleworks, i think im running version six right now, its up to version 9

I have Bibleworks 7. It provides translations of the Bible in many common languages, but "just about any language" is quite an exaggeration

I have four.

1 - My Women's Devotional Bible, NIV - a gift from a friend years ago during one of the only interventions from God I've had, one of the most amazing weekends of my life. I'm not crazy about the NIV translation but I love this bible, it was an amazing gift. I also really do enjoy the women's devotionals.

2. - The ESV Study bible. This is the one I go to, a birthday gift from my boyfriend. It's my favorite translation. I use the study bible as my primary bible. I don't mind lugging around the large thing I don't see why I would need a primary other than this study bible.

3. A family bible - this I purchased when I was 20 and with someone I thought I would marry but ended up not. It's KJV and there's nothing special to me about it.

4. My great-grandmother's bible. It's a condensed message and I stay from those, but the bible was the first I read as a teen beginning my deeper journey. It was also the only thing my mother inherited from her grandmother, and she passed it on to me knowing this. The bible is very special and stored up along with the NIV.

I voted 9, but I actually have a lot more.

I recently gave away 14 (I think) to a recovery center that needed them. I have about 2 dozen left. They're in every popular translation, and a few that aren't so popular. They're in all sizes, from tiny pocket editions to weighty tomes. They range from used paperbacks bought at a thrift store to fine goatskin leather.

A few of my favorites:

• Cambridge ESV Pitt Minion, in brown goatskin. (My daily carry bible. Also my most expensive bible, and well worth it. But any of several R.L. Allen editions I have my eye on will set a new $ record.)
• ESV Study Bible, in burgundy bonded leather. (My primary study bible. I would've preferred the premium calfskin leather, but it was what I could afford at the time. In retrospect, the faux leather ("TruTone") would've been better.)
  
• Archaeological Study Bible (NIV), hardcover. (Wonderful historical and cultural notes.)
• Apologetics Study Bible (HCSB), hardcover. (As the name suggest, with notes and articles geared to apologetics.)
• Cambridge Cameo KJV, black French Morocco. (A lucky thrift store find.)
• New Oxford Annotated Bible (RSV), Expanded Edition with Apocrypha, hardcover.

I only have one that I use, it's an NIV Men's Devotional Bible.

ittarter said:

23 by my count, including NT-only translations, DSS Bibles, apocrypha-only translations, and original languages.
Would anyone like one?

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Haha, I wouldn't mind having an NASB around.

ittarter said:

I have Bibleworks 7. It provides translations of the Bible in many common languages, but "just about any language" is quite an exaggeration

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I wouldnt quite say that it is quite an exaggeration, many other languages that are not in the original install of the program can be downloaded

i've got two...

NKJV - it is well worn, the cover fell off years ago, and the binding is shot, the first section is hanging in there by a thread. (incidentally the NKJV is my favourite translation).

CJB (complete jewish bible). I know this is not for everyone. The book order is different to most christian bibles, being Torah, Prophets and Writings so the last book in the 'OT' is Chronicles. The names are only transliterated and some terms are left in a jewish manner. One good thing about this bible is that because the word use slows you down, you tend to pay better attention to what is being read. But the best thing is that the bible does not translate with a theological bias against the Law as it is written from a very Jewish perspective.



Steve