Customer Reviews

KJV Cornerstone UltraThin Reference Bible (Black Bonded Leather) (King James Version)

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When I bought this Bible, I was very pleased and surprised to find that it contains what most printings of the King James version don't seem to have: the original translators' footnotes. These are similar to the footnotes you find in a modern Bible that explain the literal meaning of a word or phrase or an alternate meaning. (I'm not talking about the study notes you see in a study Bible.) But it's obvious that these footnotes were not added by later commentators because they are in the same familiar "King James" English.
Let me give some examples. Genesis 41:15, "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it and I have heard say of thee, that **thou can understand a dream to interpret it." Footnote at ** says "Or, when thou hearest a dream, thou canst interpret it." Many of the footnotes give more information about the literal meaning, for example: Job 20:2, "Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I** make haste." The footnote says: Hebrew "my haste is in me." Job 21:17, "He shall not see the rivers, the floods, **the brooks of honey and water." Footnote says "Or, streaming brooks." A few mention differences in manuscript evidence: Luke 17:36, "**Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." Footnote says: "This 36th verse is wanting in most of the Greek copies."
It's not that these footnotes tell you anything earthshaking, but I think it's nice to have the footnotes that the translators originally wanted you to have! And it could be interesting to compare them to similar footnotes in other versions.
This is a lovely Bible in general apart from the footnotes. It has center column cross-references, a beautiful style of type, and a nice leather cover. The size is convenient, not too big and not too small. With so much recent interest in the history of the King James version, I thought some readers might be interested in knowing about these footnotes. Just a very nice plus! A great value for the price. (It would be great for gifts because it comes in a nice box.)

Comes in a stylish and artistic red and gold box suitable for a gift. Underneath the glossy box, the Bible itself is wrapped in flexible plain black leather with just two gold words on the front cover, "Holy Bible", as well as essential wording on the spine.

Each page is divided into three full length vertical columns. The text is contained in the first and third columns. The second column contains references. It is like reading from a newspaper because the first and third column are each just 2 inches (5cm) wide. The small second column is less than an inch (1.7cm) wide.

To demonstrate the center column references, the main text for Psalm 23:1 reads:
1 The Lord is (k) my shepherd; (l) I shall not want.
(Note that the (k) and (l) are discreet superscript letters without brackets.)

The associated second column references are as follows:
23.1: (k) Isa. 40:11; Jer. 23:4; Ezek. 34:11,12,23; John 10:11; 1 Pet. 2:25; Rev. 7:17 (l) Phil. 4:19.

Features (as described by the glossy box):
- Words of Christ in Red
- Premium Bonded Leather
- Center Column References
- Gold Page Edges
- Concordance
- Presentation Page
- Family Record Section
- Full-Colour Maps
- Ribbon Marker

There is also a Study Helps section containing a number of detailed tables and references: Parables of Our Lord, Miracles of Our Lord, A Harmony of the Gospels (with events such as the Baptism of Jesus, or Christ blesses little children, and the location in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament, Predictions Made by Jesus, and Prophecies of Jesus' Second Coming.

Being Ultrathin the pages are very, very thin (and sweaty fingers may temporarily warp a single page). The paper is non-glossy.