Amplified Bible
Encyclopedia
The Amplified Bible is an English
translation
of the Bible
produced jointly by The Zondervan Corporation and The Lockman Foundation. The first edition was published in 1965. It is largely a revision of the American Standard Version
of 1901, with reference made to various texts in the original languages. It is designed to "amplify" the text by using a system of punctuation and other typographical features to bring out all shades of meaning present in the original texts.
The Amplified Bible was published in six stages:
The bulk of the work of producing the Amplified Bible was done by Frances Siewert, employed by the Lockman Foundation (Paul 2003:209).
TITLES OF DEITY: are set off with commas.
BRACKETS: contain clarifying words or comments not actually expressed in the immediate original text.
ITALICS: point out certain familiar passages now recognized as not adequately supported by the original manuscripts. "And," "or," and other connectives in italics indicate they have been added for readability in English.
CAPITALS: are used in names and personal pronouns referring to Deity, but sparingly elsewhere.
REFERENCES: are intended to cover any part of the preceding verse to which they apply.
SYNONYMS: are limited to what the text seems to warrant, both as to number and wording.
Acts 16:31, King James Version
: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:31, American Standard Version
: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.
Acts 16:31, Amplified Bible: And they answered, Believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ—that is, lgive yourself up to Him, mtake yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping, and you will be saved; [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.
The Amplified Bible references two sources in the above verse: l) Thayer, and m) Wuest's
"Golden Nuggets from the Greek New Testament."
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
produced jointly by The Zondervan Corporation and The Lockman Foundation. The first edition was published in 1965. It is largely a revision of the American Standard Version
American Standard Version
The Revised Version, Standard American Edition of the Bible, more commonly known as the American Standard Version , is a version of the Bible that was released in 1901...
of 1901, with reference made to various texts in the original languages. It is designed to "amplify" the text by using a system of punctuation and other typographical features to bring out all shades of meaning present in the original texts.
The Amplified Bible was published in six stages:
- Gospel of John (1954)
- New Testament (1958)
- Old Testament Volume Two (Job-Malachi) (1962)
- Old Testament Volume One (Genesis-Esther) (1964)
- Complete Bible (1965)
- Updated Edition (1987)
The bulk of the work of producing the Amplified Bible was done by Frances Siewert, employed by the Lockman Foundation (Paul 2003:209).
Explanation of arbitrary punctuation from the March 1985 printing
PARENTHESES and DASHES — —: signify additional phases of meaning included in the original word, phrase, or clause of the original language.TITLES OF DEITY: are set off with commas.
BRACKETS: contain clarifying words or comments not actually expressed in the immediate original text.
ITALICS: point out certain familiar passages now recognized as not adequately supported by the original manuscripts. "And," "or," and other connectives in italics indicate they have been added for readability in English.
CAPITALS: are used in names and personal pronouns referring to Deity, but sparingly elsewhere.
REFERENCES: are intended to cover any part of the preceding verse to which they apply.
SYNONYMS: are limited to what the text seems to warrant, both as to number and wording.
Comparison example
Acts 16:31 is the example used in the Publisher's Foreword, illustrating some of the features of the Amplified Bible, in comparison with other translations:Acts 16:31, King James Version
King James Version of the Bible
The Authorized Version, commonly known as the King James Version, King James Bible or KJV, is an English translation of the Christian Bible by the Church of England begun in 1604 and completed in 1611...
: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:31, American Standard Version
American Standard Version
The Revised Version, Standard American Edition of the Bible, more commonly known as the American Standard Version , is a version of the Bible that was released in 1901...
: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.
Acts 16:31, Amplified Bible: And they answered, Believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ—that is, lgive yourself up to Him, mtake yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping, and you will be saved; [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.
The Amplified Bible references two sources in the above verse: l) Thayer, and m) Wuest's
Kenneth Wuest
Kenneth Samuel Wuest was a noted New Testament Greek scholar of the mid-Twentieth century. He is sometimes referred to as Dr. Kenneth Wuest, though it is unclear if this title refers to an earned Ph.D....
"Golden Nuggets from the Greek New Testament."