The Children's Bible — Context and Discussion

The Preface as a Programmatic Statement

The preface is not mere front matter; it is a compact manifesto. Sherman and Kent assert that 'the Bible contains the foundations on which the religious life of the child must be built,' framing their work as both a duty and a privilege. They explicitly reject a one-syllable vocabulary, arguing that new words and idioms should be learned through reading. This pedagogical stance distinguishes their volume from simpler paraphrases. The preface also claims that after engaging with these selections, a child 'will be eager and able to read the Bible as a whole.' This is a bold claim, one that the excerpts both support and complicate. The Jeremiah passage, for instance, retains the prophet's confrontational tone and the legalistic logic of his defense, which may challenge a young reader but also rewards close attention.

Jeremiah's Defense: A Lesson in Moral Reasoning

The excerpt from Jeremiah presents a sophisticated ethical dilemma. The prophet does not plead for mercy; he argues that his execution would bring 'guilt for shedding innocent blood' upon the city. The people and officials then reason that 'this man does not deserve to die, for he has spoken to us in the name of Jehovah our God.' The editors preserve the back-and-forth of the debate, including the elders' citation of Micah's earlier prophecy. This is not a simplified moral tale but a model of communal discernment. The language is plain—'I am in your power; do to me as you think right and proper'—yet the underlying logic is complex. A child reading this passage must weigh authority, precedent, and consequences. The editors trust their audience to follow the argument, offering no explanatory gloss.

The Fall of Jerusalem: Unflinching Narrative

The account of Jerusalem's fall is remarkably graphic for a children's book. It reports that 'the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes' and then 'put out Zedekiah's eyes.' The destruction is cataloged in detail: the temple burned, the walls broken down, the bronze pillars broken and carried away. The editors do not soften the violence or the humiliation. Yet the passage also includes a note of mercy: Nebuchadrezzar commands that Jeremiah be protected, and the prophet is released from chains. This juxtaposition of brutality and clemency mirrors the biblical text's own complexity. The prose is stark and declarative—'So the people of Judah were carried away captive from their own homeland'—leaving the emotional weight for the reader to absorb. The editors clearly believe that children can handle such material when presented in clear, unadorned language.

Readers approaching The Children's Bible should attend to the editors' choices of inclusion and omission. The excerpts show a preference for narrative tension and moral reasoning over didactic summary. The language is simple but not simplistic; it expects the reader to grow into it. This is a volume that treats children as capable of engaging with the Bible's harder edges—its legal arguments, its political violence, its calls for accountability. The preface's promise of a heritage 'in language and form that he can understand and enjoy' is fulfilled not by dilution but by clarity and trust.

Reading the preface to the 1922 Children’s Bible, I kept thinking about how tenderly the old editors handled words meant for small ears. That same thoughtful care lingers in The Expositor's Bible: The General Epistles of St. James and St. Jude — Themes and Context, where patience with difficult passages feels like a quiet hand on my shoulder.