The Newer Kid On The Block: A World English Bible Edition Review

by ggeurs

In this time of myriad Bible translations, the World English Bible (WEB) is a unique Bible to consider, especially since the only nice edition available currently is a leather softcover edition available Broken Yoke Publishing. Initially, Broken Yoke released a leather-over-board hardcover edition -unfortunately no longer available (for the time being???). A few months later, they released a leather softcover edition. While there are some marked differences between the soft and hardcover, they are both worth considering.

The purposes of this blog are three-fold (with an indirect fourth reason):

1. To provide a brief overview of the WEB;
2. To provide a detailed comparison of the leather hard and softcover editions of the WEB from Broken Yoke Publishing; and
3. To provide an introduction to Broken Yoke Publishing (And with hopes, convince the reader to jump over to the Broken Yoke website and pick up a copy of the World English Bible).

THE WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE:

The WEB is a modernized edition of the public domain American Standard Version of the Bible (1901) (ASV) put together by senior editor and translator Michael Paul Johnson, who received help from many individuals along the way. The WEB retains the cadence and syntax of the ASV, while making such changes as updating archaic words, contemporizing punctuation, and including contractions in speech.

See this example from Jonah:

And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah (1:7, ASV).

They all said to each other, “Come! Let’s cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah (1:7, WEB).

A notable feature of the WEB is that it is one of the few complete translations available in print whose New Testament conforms to the Byzantine Majority text instead of either the Critical Text or Received Text.

Note this example from Revelation in comparison to the a representative of the Critical Text -New International Version (NIV) and a representative of the Received Text -New King James Version (NKJV):

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen (22:21, NIV).

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen (22:21, NKJV).

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. Amen (22:21, WEB).

Other aspects relevant to mention regarding the WEB include the use in the Old Testament of Yahweh instead of either Jehovah (ASV) or LORD (many other modern Bible translations), the use of “he” where the word could mean “he and/or she,” and not capitalizing pronouns of deity -treating them the same way the ASV does.

With 16 other translations spanning from the King James Version (KJV) to Berean Standard Bible (BSB) which I have read in their entirety give me my baseline, I can testify that as a translation, the WEB is an orthodox, reliable, faithful translation of the Christian Scriptures, and a lot of fun to read, too! Being a highly literal translation, some of the verse renderings might seem quirky to reader who spends more time reading dynamic translations. A friend of mine who published a blog post on the topic of the WEB does a great job of talking about some of them. I invite you to check his post out here.

THE EDITIONS:

For all practical purposes, both the hardcover and softcover WEB editions from Broken Yoke have the same text block (the paper, what’s printed on it, and how it is held together). The dimensions of the block are approximately 7 7/8 in. x 5 1/8 in. x 1 1/4 in. Or in other words, these editions of the WEB would be considered personal size or “handy size.”

While the softcover and hardcover editions are more or less identical in size, the hardcover edition is just a hair larger (Literally? Figuratively? In any case, it is noticeable but only if the analyst is looking really, really closely).

Both the softcover and hardcover have smyth-sewn bindings, with 40 gsm paper and an 8-point serif font. The words of Christ are printed in red. The exterior of both the soft and hard covers consist of a black “recycled leather” (product description from Broken Yoke) with gold foil stamping. The interior is a simple paste-down lining with white paper. The hardcover has pointed corners to match the pointed corners of the pages. The softcover’s pages and exterior cover have rounded corners. The hardcover comes with two red ribbon bookmarks, and the softcover comes with two as well, one red and one yellow. As you can see from one of the pictures above, I knotted the ends of the ribbons on the hardcover as they were beginning to fray. I may end up removing them and either keeping the hardcover with no ribbons, or replacing them with something thicker. I left the ribbon bookmarks as they are on the softcover.

One feature that I find neat -I didn’t originally, but it has grown on me- is that throughout the pages, there are small, color illustrations, reminiscent of the Good News Bible and its illustrations, except in the WEB the people faces. In the back of the WEB are also a glossary and color maps. The text includes footnotes with a thoroughness that reminds me of the translators’ footnotes in the NKJV -a definite plus! 

Now that that all the technical specs are out of the way, allow me to share some observations about the hardcover and softcover.

In hand, the hardcover WEB feels sturdier, in part to the fact that the covers are a little thicker than the softcover’s. Because of that it holds up better when tossed into a backpack without first placing the Bible into a case. I also may have accidentally dropped the hardcover WEB on the sidewalk twice from a height of about 42 in. and the only issue was that it earned a couple scuffs on the edge of the rear cover near the corner.

The hardcover, with its sturdy exterior, is a lot better of an edition for making notes and highlights in. The paper is not exceptionally thick, so the reader should try to do a pen test on the introduction page with various marking tools and then check the back side of the page to see if there is any bleed-through. I, however, have used Mr. Pen gel Bible highlighters and Sharpie fine point pens and have had no real problems with bleed. The ghosting (the back side of a page, as well as what is printed on the next page) is there but not bad. 

The softcover WEB is much more comfortable for sitting and reading. The softcover conforms to the hands of the holder. It also rests more comfortably on the lap. Over time with repeated use though, the softcover can tend to no longer stay flat (see photo). I did not find that to be a problem.

If I am being honest, when I first opened the shipment from Broken Yoke with the hardcover WEB, I was underwhelmed. I felt like the cost-to-excitement ratio (the hardcover cost at the time was almost $70 before shipping!) was disproportionately skewed; for the price it felt like there should have been more. It was just…simple. And when the softcover arrived, the feelings were similar. (FULL DISCLOSURE: Broken Yoke generously provided me at no cost the softcover edition so that I could complete this comparison review blog post and I am exceptionally grateful!). 

An interesting thing happened though, as soon as I started reading the hardcover -and this experience repeated itself with the softcover. The beauty of these editions of the WEB is in part their simplicity. Without some of the other more premium features that other nicer Bibles from other publishers have, it was a lot easier to focus on the words on the page and get drawn into the Scripture itself. The WEB’s humble appearance is part of why I really like it. I don’t have to sit holding it and feel disappointed like I wish I had sprung for the nicer edition. And every time I pick up either of these WEB editions from Broken Yoke, I still get that same feeling of excitement.

Sometimes those of us who read the Bible regularly and like to use multiple translations run the risk of getting sucked into a problem which my buddies and I have a code name for, but I am going to refer to as “Bible paralysis,” where the number of translations and editions can be overwhelming. One doesn’t have to worry about Bible paralysis with the WEB.So, trust me when I say that what Broken Yoke offers is the best of the best. Although, while I am not complaining, if Broken Yoke decided to sell an edition of the WEB that was black letter, had gold-edged pages, and was large print, I would be all for it.

BROKEN YOKE PUBLISHING:

Broken Yoke Publishing as a publishing group has a very simple goal, “…to publish and distribute books that inspire freedom – and through well-written, intriguing stories, introduce you to The One Who came to set us all free. Jesus. The Messiah. Our Redeemer” (taken from their “About” page). 

A quick perusal of the Broken Yoke Publishing site shows that their goal is more than a platitude. The titles available line up with the publishing company’s principles. Through direct interactions with Templa -who I also have the pleasure of thanking publicly for helping me out for this blogging project- it is also apparent that an ethos which reflects Christ to the outside world is more than just business orientation; it is what makes up Templa, her husband Chris, and everyone else behind Broken Yoke Publishing.

It is my hope that Broken Yoke Publishing continues to expand its available offerings. Because while a publishing company like this is has a smaller market-share and reach than a Thomas Nelson or Crossway, they do have what can only be describe as a personability that the Christian publishing market needs. And if along the way they can perhaps add more Bible offerings -I heard a rumor about a leather, large print WEB with the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books included coming down the line- there are plenty of readers who would jump at the chance to support a smaller operation like Broken Yoke Publishing.

TO SUM IT UP:

The World English Bible is a Bible translation with a unique backstory in the tradition of the American Standard Version. That there are very few high-quality editions of the WEB available makes the two editions that Broken Yoke Publishing carries all the more unique (Again, as of the publishing of this blog, the hardcover is out of stock so your only choice is the softcover if you purchase through Broken Yoke). While the differences are noticeable to the individual who would use both the hardcover and softcover regularly, in the long run either the softcover or hardcover would make a great addition to anyone’s Bible library. 

*DISCLOSURE*

As stated above, Broken Yoke Publishing graciously provided me with a gratis copy of the softcover to complete this blogging project. I was not obligated to write a positive review in this post. The thoughts and opinions expressed are mine.