The Orthodox Study Bible Revisited

A review of the 21st printing (2018) of the Orthodox Study Bible published by Thomas Nelson (ISBN 9780718003593). This volume is a red hardback with a glued text block, 9 1/2 x 6 9/16 x 1.63 inches in dimensions.

The New Testament is in the standard New King James Version, and it comes with a truncated set of text and translation notes, as well as a limited set of references.

The Old Testament is based on the Septuagint (LXX), so it contains more books than you'll find in most Protestant or Roman Catholic Bibles. Unhappily, the translation often strays from the LXX, as I show in this video beginning at the 25:33 point.

The text is laid out in two columns, each 65 mm wide, with about 45 characters per line. There are as many as 57 lines per column. The margins are narrow. The font in the text is 10.5 to 11 pts in height. It appears dark gray to my eyes, and it is not particularly bold. The text is not line matched.

I estimate the paper weight at 31 grams per square meter (gsm). The lack of line matching combined with the relatively low opacity of the paper creates a "newsprint" effect, which makes it challenging to read the text on the cluttered, gray background.

Page-bottom annotations are in an 8.5 to 9 point font. They are conservative and Orthodox, and they are not overly long-winded.

The volume contains 47 study articles on a variety of subjects, and 12 color icons are interleaved with the text.

Ten color maps spanning eight pages are located in the back of the volume. The paper the maps are printed on is neither glossy nor matte, but something in between.

In the back one also finds a 24-page index to annotations and a one-page index to study articles.

This Bible has red and yellow head and tail bands, but no ribbon markers. A concordance is not included.

Errors in this video:

Detailed contents

00:00 Introduction
02:23 Page layout
07:11 The typeface and print quality
07:47 Paper qualities
08:50 Book introductions
09:14 Articles
09:36 The material in the back
14:04 It lies open in Genesis
14:24 The contents and introductory material
18:25 A glance at a few book introductions
19:18 A glance at a few study notes
23:14 Font comparisons
25:33 Translation errors
33:21 Harmonizing the two testaments
38:43 Tapping into the early Christian writers
45:14 Errors in the New Testament references
47:10 Summary

[RGrantJones]

At about the 44:31 point, I mention the OSB's translation of ἀνατολὴν as 'Orient', but say that I prefer 'Dayspring'. I just noticed (23 June 2022) that the OSB translates ἀνατολὴν as 'Dayspring' in Zechariah 3.8 but as 'Orient' in Zechariah 6.12.

[j.godfrey]

As an Orthodox I know one of the translators of the LXX personally. He told me that originally working with Thomas Nelson they were given strict limitations on how much the NKJV OT text could be edited to conform to the LXX (for cost considerations). Hence some longer passages which differed could not be fully translated. It was difficult for them to work within the parameters. The OT translation was not meant to be a full translation and is widely known within Orthodox circles that it has its own limitations. One can only hope for a complete Orthodox translation OT/NT in days to come!

[geraldxlvii]

Thank you so much for the time and effort you’ve put in to this. I really wanted to love the OSB when I first obtained a copy, but having to constantly reference other translations of the LXX to see what the Greek *actually* says is a chore, and really defeats the purpose. I too would like to see a revision, and I’m hopeful that the right people happen upon this video. Though I’m not Orthodox, the type of revision you’ve suggested could easily make the OSB my primary translation. Thanks again.

[Mechtrekica]

Very detailed video. I don't think the ship has sailed with this Bible they can fix it's issues and make it identical to the LXX. I'm glad you spent so much time showing what is wrong with it. Thank you.

[Meteor_pending]

I purchased this Bible this year in 2024, and the binding of my copy is sewn, not glued. So I guess Thomas Nelson saw the light on bindings...

[bradgoodnight]

I loved the concept here, but in referencing the feedback given by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch during the formation of the RSV NOAB (with apocrypha expanded), it was difficult for me to understand why some of the things requested then were not considered when creating this book. One primary example would be the missing 4 Maccabees appendix, and maybe even the additional Esdras (the apocalypse one, given different names under different jurisdictions). Though neither are canonical, both books were important in the ecumenical dialogue for the RSV NOAB expanded (Esdras from the Russians and others, 4 Maccabees from the Greeks). If the book was intended as a pan-orthodox book— even just among the Greek Orthodox communion— I don’t know that it was successful, since these pieces were critical enough for the RSV. I also notice the lack of collective reception among the Orthodox regarding this text. Everywhere I have attended, the RSV (with Septuagint Psalms, and not the OSB’s version of them) is what is read aloud and sold in the parish bookstores. I don’t see that the OSB has had a formal and/or universal acceptance to this point, especially in comparison to the RSV NOAB. I’m also unsure why the NKJV NT is used over the EOB NT for this text. The OT, as you’ve clearly articulated, give minimal scholarly explanation and/or criticism for the wording choices, and the notes do not always reflect (again) a pan-orthodox perspective. In general, I think this text would be greatly improved by more scholarly feedback and pan-orthodox dialogue for a higher quality text that earns collective reception in the various Greek Orthodox Church jurisdictions.

[Charles-jjsu]

Mr. Jones, have you heard of the New Catholic Bible? It was commissioned by Bishops of the Philippines in recent years. It has a ton of good footnotes and it’s actually a brand new translation as opposed to a revision or an adaptation of a Protestant/ecumenical one. I must say it’s a breath of fresh air, translating “hail, full of grace!” As opposed to the common “favored one” or “thou who art highly favored.”

[dino]

Thank you for this review - I have owned a copy of the OSB for sometime - and interesting to say the least what you shared here for a relative new comer to the written word. I follow a morning Bible study given daily here on YT by a Greek Orthodox Priest who uses this copy always. It will be interesting to take up some of the points raised here with him - who by the way is an excellent teacher. Wonderful work you are doing here and so happy to see your channel growing ++

[seekeroftruth]

Brilliant review yet again. Appreciate the effort you put in. Thank you for the very helpful cross examination on various bible passages. Take care and God bless

[MatthewMcknight]

This is an incredible review of the OSB! Your meticulous checking of OT LXX is amazing work! Hopefully one day there will finally be a full English version of the Orthodox Greek OT/NT. Maybe they could use the Lexham LXX with a NT translation someday.

Speaking of Lexham, do you know when/if the 2nd edition of the Lexham LXX comes out? I haven’t notice anything, but could be wrong.

[rmarcusshort]

David Bentley Hart mentioned in a recent podcast appearance that there will be a 2nd edition of his translation of the New Testament. He mentioned that there will be changes in renderings that he has changed his mind on. Hopefully they have changed their minds on capitalizing the first letter of every verse! That convention really hurts readability.

[icxcnikalastname]

Regarding your recommendations to modify a few of the Orthodox Study Bible's NKJV passages, the copyright owners probably didn't give the publisher permission to modify the NKJV text. Which probably is why the NT has italics for translator supplied words but the OT doesn't. Wish the Orthodox had done their own NT instead of using half-measures

[Catholic_Papalist_Hunter]

Thank you for your presentation, keep up the good work. God bless you

[brandonlwestbrook]

Hello sir - just wanted to say I love your videos and keep up the good work! Your voice is very pleasant to the ears and you present the information very well. Thank you for all that you do! God Bless!

[panokostouros]

Along with the updates to the translation, I think that the notes should be updated/expanded and published separately as supplemental commentaries. They should have more of a focus on primary Patristic texts with very little interpretation thereof, maybe a footnote or 2 to help direct the reader. The existing notes in the old and new OSBs would serve as brilliant footnotes of this sort.

They should maintain/expand the outlines, book introductions, and study articles. They should incorporate more icons, festal, liturgical, and hymnographic references, many of these explicitly interpret the Scriptures and profess the theology directly.

The Scriptures are primarily liturgical documents read in conjunction with all the others (Menaion, Triodion, Pentecostarion, Octoechos, Horologion, Holy Week).

My point is that in the Orthodox Church, the Scriptures are the nucleus, the heart of a much wider "organism" of liturgical and patristic texts that actually do most of the heavy lifting already with regards to "study" and "interpretation". Call me old school, but we need to get back to the idea of textbooks being books of mostly "primary texts"

[adamturner]

The orthodox study bible publishers really need to knuckle down and get it right. The CSV has done a real wonderful Job with theirs. They need to get a reasonably priced with commentary

[pastorforthemaster]

Thank you for both the original review and this “revisit review “. I own a copy of the Orthodox Study Bible and, although I’m not Orthodox, I enjoy reading it and learning about their traditions. I just wish the paper quality was better on this edition. I’ve recently ordered a copy of the Eastern Orthodox Bible New Testament in paperback and am looking forward to reading it as well. Are you aware of and leather versions of the OSB or the EOB? Keep up the great reviews!

[allwillberevealed]

Wow. I was thinking of buying this book. Now, I'm going through an Orthodox English app to make sure it lines up with the NET version shown here.

Edit: Just compared a few verses. Seems Genesis 4:8 matches close to what is in the NETS version shown here. And a few others as well.

I'll stick to the app for now until I decide what English Septuagint version to get.

Thanks for this comparison.

[peterpapoutsis]

I have come to the conclusion that the LXX was used as a base but they also used the DSS. That is the only way I can justify their departures from the LXX. Just a guess.

[orthodoxphronesis]

Your “Proposed Revision” is quite close to “The Orthodox New Testament” Vol. 2. (Vol. 1 contains the Synoptic and the Gospel According to St. John)

Both volumes are put out by Holy Apostles Covent Dormition Skete.

They’re a non-canonical group so we do not worship with them. However, many of the Orthodox use their books for study due to their devotion to remaining accurate to the Greek.