Reading by Ear: The Benefits of Audio Bibles
The King James Bible, indisputably a cornerstone of English literature, is a challenge to read in more ways than one. With heavy hardcover printings, tiny type, or inscrutable idioms, appreciating this backbone of the canon isn’t easy. Audiobooks, however, could make it easier. Ahead, learn about some of the benefits of audio Bibles.
Unmatched Portability
The Bible is many things to many people, but portable is usually not one of them. The sheer volume of the Scripture means that readers will have to compromise in one way or another. To make the King James Version of the Bible easy to carry on the go, most editions will employ agate-point type on very thin paper. It can be like reading the back of the old sports page in your newspaper, only instead of poring over baseball statistics, you’re trying to study something much more important. Conversely, editions that don’t sacrifice legibility will be quite unwieldy—nothing you can comfortably carry on the train or bus, or read on the plane without overloading your carry-on bag. With an audio Bible, you can fit the entirety of this compendium right on your smartphone, comfortably and virtually nestled among your family photos, your favorite albums, and the games you play when you’re taking a break from Bible study.
Pick Up What You Might Miss Reading
It’s no secret that the KJV can be a little tough to read. Rewarding, yes, but it certainly comes with a learning curve. Unfamiliar lexicon, archaic pronouns, and long passages with idioms straight from their original languages can make one’s eyes glaze over. However, hearing those words rather than reading them can make the books of the Bible quite a bit more intuitive. One of the benefits of audio Bibles is this fresh perspective. By listening to the words of the Bible rather than reading them off the page, you might be pleasantly surprised with what you gain. Spoken inflections can clarify confusing passages, changes in voices can break up long conversations, and phrases that never quite connect can finally resonate.
The Joys of Listening
Before the advent of the printing press and widespread literacy, the Word was meant to be heard. While you should still read your Bible as part of your personal course of study, experiencing the spoken-word Bible can ground you into a centuries-long tradition. When translators wrote the soaring prose of the King James Bible, they intended for readers to appreciate its beauty, but also for listeners to appreciate it as well. Today, you can do both. We offer the 1611 KJV Bible for sale in its glorious, printed form, as well as a variety of audio Bibles, from an anthology of compact discs to a smartphone app or even a preloaded MP3 player.