One of the most important and useful tools for studying the Bible is the Parallel Bible. What is Bible Parallel? As you may know, the original Biblical documents were not written in English or any other modern language. If you are reading the Bible today, chances are that you are reading it in translation although some people can read it in its original language. Parallel Bibles are simply scriptural arrangements in which the biblical texts of different translations are printed side by side in parallel columns on each page.

The purpose of parallel Bibles should be clear: 

By printing the Biblical texts of different translations in parallel columns, you can easily compare and contrast the words between these different translations. You can also get a bible timeline with life antiquities from various online sources to get a clear idea about the purpose of writing a parallel Bible.

The Layman's Parallel Bible Ernst Reichl

Image Source: Google

Kinds of Parallel Bibles:

Most parallel Bibles are offered in one of two forms: The arrangement will only exist in the New Testament (Christian scriptures). The Parallel New Testament usually contains text from up to 8 different Bible versions. When you open the book, these 4 translations will be placed on the left, the other 4 translations will be arranged on the right side of the page. 

The text will continue in sync so that all the text for a particular section of the New Testament is displayed on the same double page. This setting allows you to read both pages to compare the text of each Bible translation for a single scripture passage.

Other types of parallel Bibles are printed as complete Bibles- both Hebrew and Christian scriptures (Old and New Testaments). As the complete Bible contains more material, publishers usually offer two or four different Bible translations.