Scripture engagement leads to knowing God—and lives changed forever. Now more than ever, Americans need to know God’s Word and the hope we have in its transformative message. The State of the Bible is a yearly, in-depth study, asking Americans their opinions and practices relating to the Bible, all made possible by generous supporters like you.
These Bible insights can provide critical information and give you direction for your Biblical ministry to help better serve the needs of people in your community.
I found a “Life Boat Bible.” What can you tell me about it?
The Scripture you have is a New Testament in the King James Version produced by the American Bible Society during World War II. It was probably printed in 1942. Between 1941 and 1945, ABS distributed to our service personnel 4,440,119 copies of the New Testament and a total number of 7,419,366 Scriptures. Some of them were packaged like yours and…
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Making an Impact
Rev. Simon Barnes. Photo by David SingerThe Rev. Simon Barnes has served the American Bible Society for more than 14 years. This has taken various forms. Most recently, he led a partnership with Geneva Global Inc., where he helped demonstrate the effectiveness of the Bible Society’s programs in some of the most difficult areas of the world.Drawing on his research…
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Old Bibles: Toss or Treasure?
There is no Christian ceremony or procedure for the disposal of old, worn Bibles. Although everyone agrees that if a book is worn and no longer usable, it should be discarded, discarding a Bible is a difficult act for many people. It should be remembered that a Bible is a book. It may be helpful to think of the ways…
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Number of English Translations of the Bible
I am afraid no one can give you an exact number for the English translations and paraphrases of the Bible printed since Tyndale's New Testament of 1526. In part this is due to the difficulty of determining what should be defined as a new translation as opposed to a correction or a revision of an existing translation. There is the…
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Palm Sunday
How does the quote from Zechariah 9.9 found in Matthew 21.5 relate to Palm Sunday? — Jonathan Hobbs, by e-mailMatthew realizes that Jesus’ action of riding into Jerusalem on a donkey suggests the prophecy of Zechariah 9.9 and introduces the passage in Matthew 21.5, “Your King is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey. He comes…
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The People of Moab
What can you tell me about the people of Moab in Genesis? — Mickey Formato, by e-mailGenesis 19.30-38 tells the unusual story of the births of Lot’s sons Moab and Ben-Ammi. Moab is said to have become the father of the Moabites, and his brother the father of the people of Ammon. Moab is both a personal and national name.…
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