This page was migrated in July 2022 from my older website, biblicalambiguities.net.
24 July 2022
The Amplified Bible is a product of the Lockman Foundation, which is sometimes popular for devotional reading among people who like it's style. It translates in an incredibly verbose and repetitive fashion, as one might see comparing Proverbs 1:1-3 in the ASV to the same verses in the Amplified Bible:
ASV:
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding; To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and justice and equity;
Amplified:
The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: To know [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction; To discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight, To receive instruction in wise behavior and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, Righteousness, justice, and integrity
It might be useful to some readers, as the constant repetition could perhaps help some people understand some things. However, its wordiness means that the often intentionally sparse style of the Hebrew is lost, and its constant paraphrasing means that at times one is getting more of a sermon or commentary on the text than the text itself. Those drawbacks, along with its sectarian nature, will probably continue to keep it from receiving anything more than marginal attention in works of serious scholarship.
This page is released under the CC0 1.0 license.