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If You Use a Study Bible, Do it Well

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After taking a few posts to explain both the blessings and curses of study Bibles, I recently wrote about how to get the best out of your study Bible. I gave the following suggestions:

  1. Treat it as a reference work, not as your main Bible.
  2. Go heavy on overviews (book introductions) and historical background.
  3. Wrestle with the biblical text without your study Bible.
  4. Refer to the study notes when you have a specific, impenetrable question—then set them aside again.
  5. Read the articles and genre introductions.

Within a week, two other posts appeared on the internet saying very similar things. I want you to know I’m not the only one holding these opinions.

Exhibit A: Andy Naselli, Assistant Editor for the NIV Zondervan Study Bible. Writing at Desiring God, he gives these tips:

  1. Don’t use poor study Bibles.
  2. Use quality study Bibles.
  3. Don’t use the notes as a crutch or shortcut instead of wrestling with the text itself.
  4. Don’t combine the authority of the God-breathed text with the notes.
  5. Use a study Bible in the same way that you would responsibly use other resources that help you better understand and apply the Bible.

Exhibit B: Justin Taylor, Managing Editor for the ESV Study Bible. Writing at the Gospel Coalition, he makes these suggestions:

  1. Use your study Bible discerningly. (“The most important feature in a study Bible is the horizontal line that divides the biblical text from the biblical interpretation. Everything above the line is inerrant and infallible. Everything below the line is filled with good intentions but may not be true.”)
  2. Use your study Bible for more than just the notes. (“I am convinced that the most underutilized and yet important parts of a good study Bible are the introductions to each biblical book.”)
  3. Use more than one study Bible.
  4. Use your study Bible as an opportunity to interpret the Bible with the communion of saints. (“The best study Bibles don’t present startling new interpretations. They put you in dialogue with the best interpreters—teachers who are gifts of God to the church—to help us rightly handle His Word.”)

There you go. The point is not whether there should be 4 rules or 5, nor how exactly to state the rules. The point is that even the study Bible editors (who want to sell you their study Bibles) don’t want you to over-rely on their study Bibles.

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NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Too Much?

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Update: This Study Bible has since be re-named the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible.

“English-speaking people have no shortage of study Bibles,” writes Dr. D.A. Carson in his preface to the NIV Zondervan Study Bible. But do these English speakers need another one? Does the NIV Zondervan Study Bible stand out in this crowded marketplace?

What it does

NIV Zondervan Study BibleThe NIV Zondervan Study Bible (ZSB) offers a library of resources in a single volume, focusing on biblical theology—”the ways in which many important themes work their way through Scripture and come to a focus in Jesus Christ.” The body of the book contains:

  • the full text of the NIV Bible
  • study notes (commentary) on the text
  • introductions to all 66 books of the Bible
  • section introductions (wisdom books, prophetic books, gospels, etc.)
  • maps
  • charts
  • photos
  • cross-references

Between Malachi and Matthew lies a very helpful article and timeline on “The Time Between the Testaments,” which brings modern readers into the cultural shifts that took place in Israel in the centuries before the Son of God entered history.

Following this body come further resources for the curious Bible student:

  • 28 short articles on topics examined through a biblical-theological perspective
  • a 160-page concordance
  • 14 large maps indexed by location

What it does well

The ZSB has a lot of material. If you love swimming in large amounts of information about the Bible, you’ll love the ZSB.

  • The commentary generally directs your attention to the text and not merely to what others have said about the text. Tremper Longman’s notes on Daniel stand out as a prime example.
  • The book introductions have lots of historical, literary, and theological details. Along with the section introductions, they give much attention to the Bible’s storyline and historical context.
  • The 28 articles tell and re-tell the single story of the Bible (creation, fall, redemption, consummation) through different filters: Temple, City of God, Holiness, Sonship, Worship, etc.

The charts in this study Bible are outstanding. Page 197 has a full-page chart of Old Testament offerings and sacrifices, tracing the 5 main types of offerings and their materials, associated offerings, blood manipulation, portions burnt on altar, portions eaten, and purpose. Between John and Acts, a 7-page chart lists the 186 enscripturated events of Jesus’ life and places them in chronological order, with probable dates, probable locations, and references to show which Gospel records the event.

What I find unique in this study Bible, however, is the photos. Perhaps other study Bibles include color photographs, but they haven’t hit my desk. Here I can see the ruins of ancient Laodicea, the massive theater in Ephesus, the shore of the Sea of Galilee, a preserved seal impression that mentions Baruch son of Neriah, a carved ivory of a chariot with horses, and a branch of hyssop. If you are a visual learner, you will love this study Bible.

I must also mention that Kevin DeYoung shines brightly over a sea of bland academese. One gets used to phrases like “The essential concerns,” “a regular part of life in ancient Israel,” and “among significant theological concepts, few are as fundamental and comprehensive in scope as….” But hitting DeYoung’s article on “Sin” is like voluntary shock therapy:

Sin is another name for that hideous rebellion, that God-defiance, that wretched opposition to the Creator that crouches at the door of every fallen human heart. Sin is both a condition, inherited from Adam, and an action—manifesting itself in thought, word, and deed—that when full-grown gives birth to death.

Would that more scholars wrote like this!

What could be better

The massive amounts of information may be this Bible’s greatest detraction. At almost 2900 pages, this is the largest study Bible I’ve handled. It’s huge and heavy, and unfortunately wordy.

  • In a world of search engines, do folks still use concordances? This Bible could have dropped a quarter of an inch right there.
  • The book introductions are long (usually 6-8 pages), and their length limits their usefulness. For example, you might want to know what 1 John is about. The answer is here to be found (“1 John was written to bolster their assurance by providing criteria they could use to evaluate the spurious claims of the secessionists and with which they could reassure themselves”), but it’s buried on the second page in the middle of a long paragraph.
  • The 28 articles at the end are concise in themselves, but they get repetitive when read one after another. I’m not clear on the need for separate articles on “The Glory of God,” “Worship,” and “Mission.” Or “Holiness” and “Justice.” Or “Love and Grace” and “The Gospel.”

The ZSB’s Assistant Editor, Andrew Naselli, recently claimed this volume to be one of the two best study Bibles on the market. If you’re totally juiced by color photographs of ancient ruins and archaeological finds, go for this one. If not, I suggest you’re better off with the other one.

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How to Get the Best Out of Your Study Bible

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Though quiet, I consider myself a thoughtful person. Yet I too often allow my “introversion” to excuse my failure to love my neighbor through active listening and engaging conversation. My strength becomes a weakness when I over-rely on it or pay little attention to the need of the moment.

Similarly, a study Bible comes with both blessings and curses, depending on how you use it. Here are some suggestions for leveraging the remarkable strengths and sidestepping the destructive weaknesses.

1. Treat it as a reference work, not as your main Bible

quadrapop (2006), Creative Commons

quadrapop (2006), Creative Commons

Chefs buy knives in sets because they need different tools for different jobs. They don’t use paring knives to slice bread, or chef’s knives to quarter a chicken. It’s faster and safer to use the right tool for the right job.

And while folks in some parts of the world have trouble gaining access to any Bible, most readers of this blog can have as many as they want. With all the editions available to us, there’s no reason not to collect a well-rounded set. I have a Bible for reading, another for marking up, and a third to preach from. On my reference shelf, I have two more English translations, a Hebrew Old Testament, a Greek New Testament, and three study Bibles that serve different purposes (one is good at historical background, the second at main points, and the third at trains of thought). I also have a pew Bible from my church, but just so I can put page numbers into my sermon notes for announcing to the congregation.

You may not need this many Bibles. Most people will do fine with a simple one for study/markup and a fancy one for reference. Though, if you enjoy reading, I highly recommend also having a reader’s version.

But a bulky “study Bible” doesn’t serve well as your main Bible. Not only are you unlikely to carry a heavy tome on a regular basis, but also it will train you in ways you don’t want to go (see the curses again). Better to have an edition that keeps your attention where it should be: on the God-breathed words of Scripture.

2. Go heavy on overviews and historical background

Because the Bible was written to communities far removed from our time and place, we won’t assume the same things the original audience assumed. We won’t have the same shared experiences or cultural artifacts. So we need help. Study Bibles excel at exposing this distance and closing the gap with helpful information.

When you begin to study a book of the Bible, read that book’s introduction from your study Bible. It will explain the circumstances of writing and any necessary context. It will set you up to read that book as it was meant to be read, and it will help you to avoid gross misunderstanding. In addition, as you study through the book, you may hit names of unfamiliar places or people. These also present a good time to refer to your study Bible. Perhaps there is a map or chart that will make strong visual connections or explain allusions you never would have seen otherwise.

Of course, it’s even better for you to simply read the Bible—a lot. You’ll become more familiar with these things over time. But study Bibles also do well to help you on your way.

3. Wrestle with the biblical text without your study Bible

If you trust in Christ, you have the Spirit of Christ within you. If you have the Spirit of Christ, you have access to the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), to the very author of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21). Do you trust that he can help you understand the things he has written (1 John 2:20-21)?

I’m not saying you can have perfect knowledge all by yourself, isolated from Christian community and history. I am, however, daring you to wrestle with the text—and with the Lord who inspired it—as an intelligent creature fashioned in his image. As a precious son or daughter who doesn’t need permission from the local police force to spend time with a doting parent. Just give it a try.

4. Refer to the study notes when you have a specific, impenetrable question—then set them aside again

See tip #3. If you hit a verse or passage that is difficult to understand (and there are plenty of them in the Bible), don’t run to your study notes like a shopaholic to a buy-one-get-one-free sale. Take a deep breath and count to 10. Put your nose back into the text. Discipline yourself to observe more closely and investigate more curiously. Read the paragraph in question at least 5 more times. Think and pray about your questions for at least 24 hours.

If after all that, you still have no answer—go ahead and check out what someone else has to say about it.

5. Read the articles and genre introductions

You’ve got this amazing reference library in a single volume. Take advantage of it! Most study Bibles have many articles on important topics, and they have introductions to the Bible’s major divisions (pentateuch, historical books, wisdom books, prophets, gospels/Acts, and epistles). Take your Bible education into your own hands and work these resources into your reading routine. You’ll be glad you did.

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Top 10 Curses of Study Bibles

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I’m facing a parental dilemma. The young man renting our spare bedroom offered to take a few of my children to a shooting range to teach them to handle firearms. This fellow is training to be an officer in the United States Navy, and he’s responsible and trustworthy—but still!

Should I allow it or not? I’m no curmudgeon when it comes to risk; I practically taught my children to climb trees before they could walk. But might they still be a shade too young and immature for this responsibility? We already tend ample wounds from plastic swords, light sabers, and Nerf weaponry; can these children handle a Marlin .22 caliber rifle or a Sig Sauer Mosquito handgun?

Sig Sauer Mosquito HandgunI’m mildly consoled by the fact that our resident midshipman has no interest in a joyride. On his watch, nobody can touch a gun without memorizing four rules:

Never point a gun at anything you don’t want to shoot.

Treat every gun as if it were loaded.

Keep your gun on safety until you are ready to fire.

Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.

Regardless of where you stand on pacifism or gun control, I’m sure you’d agree that guns are dangerous and require extreme caution. In this way, guns are just like study Bibles. We should have rules about how to use them safely.

Last week, I wrote about the 10 blessings of study Bibles. I also consider it my duty to caution you about their 10 curses. Some of these curses are inherent in the “study Bible” genre; other curses are common but not insuperable weaknesses. Thus, some study Bibles avoid some of the curses.

Physical Size

1. They are big and bulky—Rarely will you catch somebody carrying one in a backpack. To be fair, though, the ESV Study Bible has a compact version and convenient online access. Others offer similar options.

They draw your attention away from the biblical text

2. Not much text per page—Especially in the New Testament, and especially in Paul’s epistles. When study notes abound, there’s less incentive to read passages in the context of the chapter, section, or book (one must do a lot of flipping).

3. Cross-references receive greater attention—Not only do you get the usual center-column cross-references, but every 2 or 3 study notes highlight even more cross-references. But cross-references are way overrated. Along with word studies and harmonization, they are one of the most common distractions from rich, contextual Bible study. You’ll do better to ignore them, at least until you understand the passage at hand. Get the main point; then correlate with other texts.

They can be strong at “what” but weak on “why”

4. Study notes that miss the mark—They usually have only enough space to do one of two things: 1) observe the text well but leave no room for interpretation, or 2) provide interpretation that rings hollow because it’s not supported through explicit observation.

5. Book introductions that answer questions you aren’t asking—Some book intros are superb; others get bogged down with too many details. Often the difference lies in whether the intro clearly presents the book’s logic (train of thought), or whether it delves into topics like the exact dating of Mark’s Gospel and whether Mark was written before or after Matthew.

6. Outlines that summarize but don’t explain—Most outlines focus on observation (summarizing content), not on interpretation or logic (following trains of thought). This helps you find certain episodes within a book, but it doesn’t do much to help you understand their placement. In addition, many study Bible outlines treat Bible books like stream-of-consciousness term papers: I, II, III.A., III.B., IV., etc. I just saw one that went from I to XVI with no further subdivisions! I always check out Dorsey’s Literary Structure of the Old Testament when I study an OT book. I wish there were a comparable volume for NT books.

7. Lack of clear main points—You’ll find pages of word analysis and historical background. And many study Bibles have summaries of content. But a summary is different from a main point. Only the most courageous editors take the risk of stating “the main point (or the main theme) of this book is ____________.” Even better is when they give you main points for not only each book, but also for each chapter.

They can hinder discovery

8. They train you to micro-analyze the text—Words often get more attention than sentences, which get more attention than paragraphs, which get more attention than chapters, etc. Study Bibles sometimes train our senses accordingly, like the young pastoral candidate I once interviewed who thought he’d attain maturity in his sermons when he could preach on a single verse.

9. They train you to observe (and observe small) but go no farther in the study process—This point follows from points 4-8 above. Some folks think they’ve studied the Bible because they’ve read the notes and looked up the cross-references. But have they learned to ask questions and answer them? Can they figure out (and fight for) the main points? Have they learned to apply the same truth to different groups of people?

10. They lead you to believe you can’t study the text on your own—If I locked you in a room with nothing but a pencil and a clean text (no study notes or cross-references), would you know what to do with it? Would you even think it possible you could know what to do with it?

Study Bibles deliver amazing blessings, but please use them with extreme caution.

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Top 10 Blessings of Study Bibles

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When I graduated from high school, my parents bought me an NIV Study Bible with a shiny blue protective cover. I knew I was in the big league with this thing. I could take my Bible and not merely read it; now I felt fully equipped to study it.

I still get excited by new study Bibles. When I first got my ESV Study Bible, I kept staying up late to read it. Now that I blog about Bible study, most publishers give me free copies for review. I just finished reviewing the Reformation Study Bible. In the last week, I acquired both the NIV Zondervan Study Bible and the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (reviews will take a few weeks). Eventually I’d like to write a post comparing and contrasting these study Bibles (and more), recommending the ones that best promote OIA Bible study.

As I immerse myself in study Bibles, I’m reminded of the many blessings we have at our fingertips in the English-speaking world. Here are what I consider to be the top 10 blessings of study Bibles.

1. One-stop shop

Study Bibles collate the best pieces of a wide variety of resources. Unless you must dig exceptionally deep, there’s no need for a Bible atlas, Bible dictionary, dictionary of theology, library of commentaries, archaeological papers, exhaustive concordance, church histories, or systematic theologies. These are all good resources, and they come in handy for higher-level students. But for the average Christian, a good study Bible can replace a small library and still address the essentials.

2. Quick answers to straightforward questions

I’m studying Job, and I’m confused by Behemoth and Leviathan mentioned in chapters 40-41. I want to know the different ways interpreters have understood these two poetic figures. I open my study Bible, find the text, and get a quick survey of different answers.

3. Book introductions

I use study Bibles for this purpose more than any other. If I want to become familiar with the main point and themes of a book, I read the book 10-20 times. But if I want to understand all the historical things an original reader would already know about the situation in which the book was written, I read a concise book introduction in a study Bible. Who wrote 1 Chronicles? When was Galatians written relative to Paul’s other letters? What first-century situation did Revelation address?

4. Historical background

This point is similar to #3, but on the level of verses or chapters instead of books. Study Bible notes excel at placing key historical information in the right spots to help you get what’s going on. For example, how far was Joseph and Mary’s trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem? How long would it have taken? Why couldn’t they just stay in Nazareth for the census?

5. Maps

Unless you grew up in the Middle East, you need to look at maps when you study the Bible. My favorite study Bible maps are in full color, but the less expensive options do them in black and white.

6. Charts

Sometimes I like making my own charts; it helps me retain the information better. Once I created two timelines of the Kings of Israel and Judah—one from 1&2 Kings and another one from 1&2 Chronicles—and tried to understand the similarities and differences between them. But I’m no graphic artist, and others make such charts much more visually appealing.

7. Articles

Not every study Bible has articles in it, but those that do try to make them useful. Introduction to the Prophets. How to read the Bible. Key heresies from church history. Why different Bible manuscripts say different things. The challenge, however, is to remember that your study Bible has these articles in it. Otherwise, you can spend a lot of time searching  Google for something worthwhile on a topic that comes up.

8. Illustrations/Photos

Similar to maps and charts, good illustrations stimulate visual learners. What would Noah’s ark look like next to a football field? How was Moses’ tabernacle or Solomon’s temple laid out? And here’s a sneak peek of my reactions to the NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Photographs! Why haven’t I seen other study Bibles that put real photographs on the page? I can see a threshing sledge, a cedar of Lebanon, a dead sea scroll, a signet ring, and a view of Samaria from the north. This is genius.

9. Verbal clarification

Don’t miss out on untranslatable word plays. (Why do people keep laughing when they hear about baby Isaac?) Don’t get confused by Hebrew or Greek idioms. (Does a man sleep with his fathers because the Supreme Court legalized it?) Don’t get caught buying into common misunderstandings. (Because God knows the plans he has for you.) Study Bibles thrive on clarifying the meanings of words and short phrases.

10. Teams of editors

Usually, a commentary is written by a single scholar. Like it or not, you get a single perspective on the text. Granted, the commentator still has an editor, but the editor is most likely better at writing and grammar than at theology and interpretation. Study Bibles still have individuals working on particular sets of study notes, but teams of editors review the whole and create alignment among the parts. Such spreading out of responsibility usually makes the product more cogent.

Let’s praise God for these incredible blessings, while keeping them in perspective. Next week, I’ll list the top 10 curses of study Bibles.

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Disclaimer: While the blog post above was authored c.2015 CE, the Amazonian links had affiliations. Such links enabled inhabitants of the 21st century to provide patronage for the web logs they read, with nothing extra added to the cost of their purchases. It was common for internet writers to use such affiliations to cover the expenses of their hosting services.

Reformation Study Bible (2015 Edition): It’s Big

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There must be quite a market for study Bibles, because they keep making more of them. And some older ones are being updated and revised. Like The Reformation Study Bible.

It was published in 1995 as The New Geneva Study Bible, using the New King James translation. 1998 saw the name changed to The Reformation Study Bible. In 2005, a second edition emerged, switching translations from NKJV to ESV. Now in 2015, a third edition hit the market with a long list of new features. It’s already out in ESV, and an NKJV version is on its way.

Study notes multiplied from 760,000 to 1.1 million words. Ten more maps, fourteen theological articles, ten creeds and confessions, almost 600 pages, and an extra 3/8 of an inch in thickness expand the contents. In addition, purchasers of this Bible gain access to over $400 worth of e-books, subscriptions, and online teaching series.

There’s a lot here. Is it worth it?

First Impressions

This study Bible is beautiful. I’ve been reading the leather-like light gray version, but cheaper hardbacks are also available. I’m tempted to judge this book by its cover, with its soft leather-like substance and three marvelous, protruding ribbon bookmarks.

Upon opening and flipping, I find the page layout pleasing. The font of the biblical text is easy to read and in single-column format. Theological notes in shaded gray boxes pepper the volume. The back matter (articles, creeds, and maps) draws my attention.

This study Bible is a delight to handle and to read.

Reformation Study Bible

Diving In

The Reformation Study Bible (RSB) will appeal to some and not to others. I trust it will help many; I fear it will hinder some. The difference depends on how it is used.

If you know how to determine the main points and trains of thought of Bible passages, you will find some real help here. The RSB will clarify the meanings of words. It will connect many passages to each other. It will tie things nicely with larger theological issues. But if you look to the RSB to give you the main points and trains of thought of Bible books, I think you’ll be disappointed. The RSB is heavy on correlation and observation of words, but it is light on main points, trains of thought, and application.

In addition, if you’re already familiar with the significance and teachings of the Reformation, you’ll be at home with the RSB. It explains the Reformation and Reformed theology (the covenants, Christ-centered interpretation, doctrines of grace, etc.) with plain language and clarity. It makes lofty concepts understandable and accessible. But if you’re not sure about Reformed theology, or if you’d like to understand how these teachings are drawn out of careful literary analysis of the Scripture, you’ll be disappointed. While I wouldn’t say this study Bible imposes its teaching on the Scripture, I must admit it often doesn’t show its work by drawing its teaching from the Scripture.

Study Bibles serve well as reference works, but sometimes they distract people from studying the text itself. Therefore, if we think of study Bibles as commentaries, we can be on guard against detrimental addictions. If you can resist the addiction, I’m happy to recommend The Reformation Study Bible. You can buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.

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Study note: Disclaimer. Amazon and WTS links are affiliate links, so this blog gets a small commission if you click and buy anything. The Greek word for disclaimer is “disklaemeros.” Pliny the Younger used this word in his famous work Natural History.

NIrV Study Bible for Kids: Fine for What it Does

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NIrV Study Bible for KidsAs soon as our children can read, my wife and I are committed to giving them each a Bible and teaching them how to use it. Four of our five now have full title to their own copies of the Good Book, and said property has quickly become used, bumped, beaten, carried about, dropped, and otherwise handled with great frequency and fervor. Just as we’d hoped. (Hardbacks are a must at these young ages.)

The first two children to reach this milestone won themselves the ESV Grow! Bible, which appears to be out of print now and drawing a high price on Amazon. I wouldn’t recommend capitulating, though. The Bible has a solid hipster feel to it, but there’s generally too much on the page. Kids can struggle to figure out which words are Bible words and which words are not.

Because that design was too busy, we took a different route with the third child and provided her with the ESV Children’s Bible. This Bible is nice and clean, giving full attention to the sacred text while peppering it with full-page pictures of key stories. This was great for her, but we still found our new reader struggling with the ESV translation. The words were too big, the sentences were too long, and she regularly lost her place. She often gave up and went back to board book children’s Bibles.

So we changed it up altogether for the fourth child. While our church uses the ESV, we wanted to make sure our child would develop motivation to read on her own. And since we had no problem with simplified children’s paraphrases (like those found in the board books or in The Jesus Storybook Bible), we decided to try a simplified translation keenly focused on being clear. We went with the NIrV.

Now our 3rd child (6 years old) and our 4th child (almost 5 years old) generally share the NIrV. Both love it and can read it well. Just the other day, I overheard my 6-year-old reading about designing the priest’s clothes in Exodus 28. She had a blast with it, and I’m all about encouraging such delight in even the stranger parts of the Bible.

I was delighted to receive a free copy of the NIrV Study Bible for Kids from BookLookBloggers.com in exchange for an honest review. Small price to pay to get a second NIrV in the house.

I like many things about this Bible:

  • My youngest readers can read it well on their own.
  • The “study Bible” parts of it aren’t too bossy. Full-page pictures are scattered throughout. There is generally one small box of extras every 4-5 pages (though the frequency is higher in the gospels).
  • The extras highlight memory verses or simple cultural facts that children can relate to.
  • Books have one-paragraph introductions followed by a list of “good verses [really, passages] to read” within the book.
  • The front has two pages to orient young children to the Bible’s layout.
  • The physical volume has a sturdy cover and binding.

This edition has limitations, of course.

  • I love it for beginning readers, but I want to graduate these children to another translation as soon as they’re ready for it.
  • I tried to read Ephesians in one sitting, and it drove me nuts. Because the sentences are so short, many words must be repeated, thus making the text longer than other translations. For example (I’ve italicized the repetitions that don’t show up in most translations):

God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. We are God’s creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do. (Eph 2:8-10, NIRV)

  • For these reasons, we’ll never read the NIrV out loud as a family. The children do just fine listening to adults reading a mature translation.

But that said, I must agree with the NIrV’s preface: “People who are just starting to read will understand and enjoy the NIrV.” For it’s intended purpose, it’s great. I’m happy to recommend it as a stepping stool, but not as a cornerstone, for early childhood Bible education. 3 out of 5 stars.

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NIV Proclamation Bible: The Best Non-Study-Bible Study Bible I’ve Seen

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The NIV Proclamation Bible does everything I want a study Bible to do and nothing I don’t want a study Bible to do. It gets the Bible student moving in the right direction, and then it gets out of the way. Perhaps that’s why the front cover boasts Timothy Keller’s polarizing endorsement: “There are many Study Bibles, but none better.” And for these reasons, this “Study Bible” won’t feel like a study Bible to typical users of study Bibles. In fact, I prefer not to call it a study Bible. The NIV Proclamation Bible is not much more than a Bible with helps, and therein lies the beauty of it.

NIV Proclamation BibleIt has a hardy cover and binding, along with two shiny ribbon bookmarks. The paper is slightly thicker than average for Bibles. It has the text laid out in two columns, with center-column cross-references, translation footnotes, and other typical apparatus. The back offers a decent concordance and 14 terrific maps. But there are no study notes beneath the biblical text, no inline maps or theological discussions, and no charts or tables of the kings of Israel or parables of Jesus. So why might someone shell out 30 or more bucks (US) for this volume?

Because of the essays. Seventy-seven of them, to be exact. Don’t be scared, though; most of them aren’t much more than a page long. Let me explain.

Ten essays stand at the front, averaging 5 pages each, on the following topics:

  • What is the Bible?
  • A Bible overview
  • The historical reliability of the Bible
  • Finding the “melodic line” [main point] of a book*
  • From text to doctrine: the Bible and theology
  • From text to life: applying the Old Testament
  • From text to life: applying the New Testament*
  • From text to sermon: preaching the Bible*
  • From text to study: small groups and one-to-ones*
  • Biblical interpretation: a short history*

The essays I’ve marked with a * are solid gold. The rest are okay, but not much different from what you can easily find on the Internet.

The other 67 essays are merely introductions to each book of the Bible, plus a few introductions to large sections of the Bible (Pentateuch, Histories, Poets, Prophets, Gospels, Epistles). Each of these essays is barely more than a page long. And while half of the introductory essays are solid gold, I consider most of these book intros more valuable than vibranium.

Each book intro follows the same formula:

  1. A single-sentence main point for the book
  2. A 2-4 paragraph walk-through of the book explaining or defending the stated main point
  3. An outline of the book’s structure
  4. A 2-4 paragraph summary of key points to consider when teaching or leading a Bible study on the book
  5. A bibliography of three recommended commentaries for that book or section of the Bible

I haven’t kept perfect statistics, but I believe about half of the proposed main points hit the bulls-eye with a vengeance. For example:

  • Ecclesiastes: “Death and judgment are the only fixed realities in life, and everything else is uncertain and often subject to frustration and sorrow.”
  • John: “Believe that Jesus is the Son who came from the Father to reveal him, and has returned to the Father to open up the way to life for his people.”

The other half aren’t wrong but perhaps just slightly off-center. For example:

  • Genesis: “The Creator God is faithful to his covenant promises and redeems humanity through the promised line, despite their sin and rebellion.”
  • Proverbs: “Proverbs recognizes the difficulties of living in God’s complex world and offers wise words to live by.”

There are a few I thought were off-center, until the explanations convinced me that I was the one off-center. For example:

  • Ephesians: “You are one in Christ now, so be united and stand firm in him.”
  • Luke: “You can be confident that Jesus, in his life, death, resurrection and ascension, heralds the fulfillment of all God’s promises in the Old Testament.”

I don’t typically use the 2011 NIV translation for my study, so I probably won’t use this Bible much as a Bible. But I will refer to it often when I study a book and want concise, accessible help with a book overview. I won’t let this thing get far from my fingertips. I commend the NIV Proclamation Bible as a strong help with OIA Bible study.

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Disclaimer(s): I received a free copy of this Bible from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Now you know what I think. And while I might lend out my copy if I’m not using it at the time, I’m also happy to send you to Amazon to buy it. Should you choose to accept this mission, you’ll also support the blog at no extra cost to yourself. What a great way to steward God’s resources all around! I’d say it’s like an Acts 2:44 moment, except I’d possibly be missing the point of that book: “The ascended Lord Jesus continues to draw people from every nation to himself, growing his church through the preaching of the word and the ministry of his Spirit.”

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