Official Word: No NET Bible 2nd Edition in 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 7:58AM 
I've known this since November of last year, but have been waiting for official word from those at Bible.org to say anything on This Lamp. But as of yesterday, it's official: there will not be a second edition of the NET Bible in 2010.
Why was this a question to begin with? The preface of the first edition made these statement:
“The NET BIBLE text (notes excluded) has now been frozen for at least 5 years.
The next set of upgrades and improvements is planned for release in 2010. "
However, it was "determined that we did not have sufficient major revisions and changes to the text to justify a 2nd edition. In addition a 2nd edition would generate a lot of turmoil with print providers and software publishers who use the NET Bible."
A set of seven goals has been laid out for ongoing revision of the NET Bible which you can read in full at their website in the post "Will there be a NET Bible update in 2010?"
Personally, I believe this is a good decision. The NET Bible as it stands, while not perfect, is much more mature than the average first edition translation, undoubtedly due to the collaborative nature of its beginnings.
For those of you holding out on buying one, thinking a new edition was to be released this year, now you know there's no reason to wait. You should really order your copy today. As I said in my earlier review of the NET Bible, this is a Bible every believer ought to have a copy of, regardless of whether it's used as your primary translation or not.
NET in Faith & Reason
Reader Comments (10)
The “Will there be a NET Bible update in 2010?” link seems broken.
Thanks. It should be fixed now.
Good. Now they can complete the stuff they've half-started: audio and apocrypha.
Of course the size of a noted edition with apocrypha does give one pause....
I agree the NET Bible is an excellent resource. Just the notes themselves are worth it. I always keep the NET text and notes parallel my primary texts in Accordance to get the notes of a verse as I'm studying.
[...] NET Bible Update in 2010 By Jeff I read a post on the This Lamp blog about the possibility of an update for the NET Bible this year. The official word from bible.org is that there will not be an update to the NET Bible in 2010. [...]
I would have to say that I am disappointed. The notes for Gen. 3;16, Romans 16:7 and 1 Tim. 2:15 have a strong anti female bias and are not grounded in generally accepted scholarly work. It is very disappointing to see this kind of weapon against women.
I am also dissapointed. I love the notes but after using it a while I found a lot of mistakes in the notes and references (they usually led you to the right place but were inaccurate). I left my first Netbible with a pastor in another country in 2007. I held off buying another hoping the 2nd edition would now be out. I am sure the task is a great undertaking.
I'm all for continuous rigor and striving for increased accuracy in translation. But for once, it's kind of refreshing to see a group of translators step back and say,
"You know what? What we did several years ago is pretty good - not perfect, but really good. And we're okay with that."
For those (like me) who are obsessed with nuances of Bible translation, it's easy to forget how much we in the English-speaking world have to be grateful for. While I have my translation preferences, the truth is they're all great. At best, our comparisons tend to be between A and A+ translations. There's not one major translation out there I would advise someone NOT to use.
Hi, Rick. I know this is a very old post, but is there any change regarding the second edition? I literally just noticed in my copy of the NET in Logos and Accordance that the NET is in its "first edition." I got worried because, to me, such language implies a second edition, especially since the preface to the first edition itself even says that a revision will be out in 2010 (oops!). After doing a little searching, I discovered that it, in fact, did not happen. Well, here we are, the better part of a decade later, and still there seems to be silence. Any changes that you know of?
Taylor, from what I understand, there's a second edition in the works, but it's not complete yet. The promised 2010 edition definitely did not happen.