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Self-pronouncing Bibles?

B

BobinKy

New Member
Publishing bibles with self-pronouncing text used to be fairly common, 50 to 100 years ago. Self-pronouncing text was used to pronounce names and places mentioned in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. To accomplish the self-pronouncing feature, the publishers made use of diacritical marks. Now a days, self-pronouncing text in a new bible is hard to find. Why is this?

...Bob
Kentucky
 
M

Mexdeaf

New Member
BobinKy said:
Publishing bibles with self-pronouncing text used to be fairly common, 50 to 100 years ago. Self-pronouncing text was used to pronounce names and places mentioned in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. To accomplish the self-pronouncing feature, the publishers made use of diacritical marks. Now a days, self-pronouncing text in a new bible is hard to find. Why is this?

...Bob
Kentucky
Click to expand...

Because Moses, Paul and Jesus didn't use them. And if they didn't then I ain't going to either!
 
R

RAdam

New Member
Probably because it would be more expensive to put the marks into the text body. Most of these mainstream companies are all about making money, not necessarily quality.
 
S

sag38

Active Member
Ok RAdam, loosen you shoe laces. Take a deep breath and allow yourself to laugh. Those of us with slip on shoes don't think sarcasm was intended.

There are so many separate reference available to aid in Bible study that this is probably deemed as overkill. I even have a program on my computer which pronounces the words. It's been a great help especially when it comes to pronouncing the names of some Biblical characters.
 
M

Mexdeaf

New Member
RAdam said:
Great answer! There's nothing like attacking a thread with sarcasm when an innocent question was asked. Keep it up.
Click to expand...

You need to loosen your tie a little bit. It wasn't an attack.

I thought it was a great question and that little bit of humor was the best answer I could think of at the time. I don't think I've seen a self-pronouncing Bible since the late 80's. That was about the time the "SPBO" group at my alma-mater disbanded, too.
 
Jerome

Jerome

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Used to be saints would read aloud Scriptures together.

Good luck with that now.
 
B

BroChris

Member
There's a lot of disagreement as to how the original languages were actually pronounced. Greek and Hebrew are still spoken today, but the pronunciation has surely changed since the biblical texts were written.

The truth is, we can't be completely sure how the original languages sounded. I learned one method of pronunciation in college, then a slightly different method in seminary. Usually it's the vowels that trip us up. Should they be long or short vowels? What vowels should we insert into the Hebrew text? The original Hebrew text didn't include any vowel pointings at all.

So here's what I tell my church. When you get to a name in the Bible and you don't know how to pronounce it, just say it with confidence! No one else knows how to pronounce it either :thumbs:
 
S

sag38

Active Member
Instead of trying to pronounce the name of Hannah's rival in I Samuel 1, I simply called her "Penny." I guess I failed the pronunciation test.
 
A

Amy.G

New Member
Self pronouncing bibles are still available. The Cambridge is one and I have another that is a cheapy Nelson large print I got at Lifeway. I have to say that they have helped me to learn pronunciation, but I agree with the poster that said just sound confident when you pronounce a name and no one will know the difference. :laugh:
 
J

Jim1999

<img src =/Jim1999.jpg>
I have a 1769 Oxford KJV (Not sure what year it was printed, 70's or 80's) that is self-pronouncing on names. I'm not sure whether it helped or hindered when preaching from it.

Cheers,

Jim

Ever pronounce a name as "and El-e-a-zar......picture the accents over the letters..... (Numbers 3:32)
 
B

BobinKy

New Member
I want to thank everyone for you explanations about self-pronouncing bibles.

I have started reading aloud the assigned scripture with my daily prayer time. Using a self-pronouncing bible is a big help. At times I compare my pronunciation with some online helps. I must admit that even with the diacritical marks of a self-pronouncing bible, I still miss the pronunciation on some names and places.

I also like to listen to the online pronunciation of the original Hebrew and Greek words. I think grasping the meaning of a word or passage includes the sound of the place or name, as well as the spelling and meaning of the word.

Thanks again.
 
T

tonyhipps

New Member
I didn't read all the threads, but I believe that most of the Bible publishers have good intentions. Thousands of hours of research are done before a new Bible is put on the market.

Bible publishers actually want people to learn the Word of God, and they try to make it as easy and unencumbered as possible. Thats why you have large/giant type set, paragraph format, study notes, etc. The self pronouncing marks may have been deemed a distraction from God's Word. Thats just my two cents.
 
J

JoseO123

New Member
BobinKy said:
Publishing bibles with self-pronouncing text used to be fairly common, 50 to 100 years ago. Self-pronouncing text was used to pronounce names and places mentioned in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. To accomplish the self-pronouncing feature, the publishers made use of diacritical marks. Now a days, self-pronouncing text in a new bible is hard to find. Why is this?

...Bob
Kentucky
Click to expand...
Hello,

Does anyone know if every word/name that is self pronouncing in the Bible has the same pronunciation throughout the Bible? For example, the word "Nebo" will always have the same pronunciation throughout all the Bible?

Thanks.
 
Deacon

Deacon

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
[sarcasm] Publishers ran into a problem when southern readers wondered why “LORD” had only one syllable,

The correct Southern Baptist pronunciation is
Low -are- da

[/sarcasm]

Rob
 
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