NBLA Biblia Ultrafina
The Premier Collection is now available in Spanish.
In addition to publishers like Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, HarperCollins Christian Publishing also has an imprint called Editorial Vida that publishes Bibles in Spanish, and they are now beginning to publish premium Bibles under the “Premier Collection” banner, or as it’s called in Spanish, Colección Premier.
First up is a large print, thinline edition in the NBLA translation (Nueva Biblia de las Americas) that comes in five different colors of goatskin, including the bold “Azul” copy that I received for my review. I’ve already recorded an unboxing video of this Bible, but now I want to give you a closer look. You can watch my video review below to see a full walkthrough, and keep scrolling to read my full review with high-resolution photos.
NBLA Biblia Ultrafina, Letra Grande, Colección Premier – Overview
Fans of the Premier Collection will immediately recognize the quality and design of the NBLA Ultrathin Bible (release date: May 18, 2021). It features a soft, edge-lined goatskin cover, perimeter stitching, and three double-sided satin ribbon markers. Inside you’ll find an interior gilt line, art gilding on the pages, and a Smyth-sewn text block. With this edition, Editorial Vida opted for a very clean spine without raised spine hubs or tooled ribs.
One thing that’s unique about the NBLA Biblia Ultrafina is that it comes in five different color options – Azul, Negro, Azul Marino, Caramelo, Café – all of which look great. I would actually love to see Thomas Nelson and Zondervan shake things up a bit with their premium Bibles and offer some edition with these bolder color choices.
I also like the size of this Bible. The word “ultrathin” makes me smile, because this Bible is 1.5” thick, but the overall trim size (5.375” x 8.5”) makes it quite manageable for a fully loaded reference Bible. Inside you’ll find a 10pt NBLA Comfort Print typeface designed by 2K/Demark, line-matched on 36 GSM paper. This edition comes equipped with cross-references, textual notes, a topical index, and a ministers’ manual between the testaments that is filled with resources for leading a congregation.
FEATURES
• 10pt typeface
• 5.375” x 8.5” trim size
• 1.5” thick
• 36 GSM paper
• Edge-lined goatskin
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Art gilding
• Three ribbon markers
• Cross-references
• Topical Index
• Resources for Ministers
• Full-Color Bible Maps
NBLA Translation
I’m fairly certain that most of the churches and ministries I have worked with in Spanish-speaking countries have used the Reina Valera (RVR60) translation. It is the most beloved Spanish translation of the Bible, often compared to the King James Version in English. That said, I was not familiar with the Nueva Biblia de las Américas (NBLA), so I did a little bit of research, and that’s when I learned that the NBLA is a translation that is published by the Lockman Foundation, best known as the publisher of the New American Standard Bible.
It seems that the NBLA has a lot of similarities with the NASB, like how it uses small caps in the New Testament to indicate Old Testament quotations and italicization in the text to indicate implied words not found in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. On their website, Lockman describes the NBLA as “an accurate and faithful translation of the inspired Word of God from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages into Spanish… translated as literally and word-for-word as possible from the original languages. The NBLA uses understandable modern Spanish common in Latin America to clearly communicate the accurate and precise meaning of the original texts to the reader.”
Right For You?
If reading the Bible in Spanish is something you enjoy, then this new Premier Collection Bible from Editorial Vida is a fantastic option for your Bible library. It looks beautiful, it feels fantastic, and the NBLA is a solid translation. I am very impressed.
BUY THIS BIBLE*
🛒 AMAZON: Azul / Negro / Azul Marino / Caramelo / Café
*Pricing and Availability subject to change, and some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you purchase something after clicking the link. Many of the Bibles I review have been provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
