Customer Reviews

Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible-NASB

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a very good study Bible for gaining insights into the original languages of the Scriptures. As other reviewers have noted, it contains condensed versions of Hebrew and Greek lexicons and dictionaries in the back of the Bible. This makes it handy to look up KEY (more important) words in order to get a better understanding of the text. This Bible was not meant to define every word (it would be too big to be portable), but it does a good job of handling many of the key words.

This Bible is only available in bonded leather or as a hardback. No genuine leather cover is available that I know of. The binding seems solid (time will tell). The pages are very good quality for the price. The print size if very good in the Bible's text but rather small in the lexicons and dictionaries. This Bible also has a very good concordance with many more references than many of the other study Bibles out there. It has a Notes area in the back and the standard full-color maps you would find in a good Bible. It also has a handy center-cross reference.

This version is the 1977 New American Standard, not the updated '95 version. Nevertheless, it is a good, accurate, formally equivalent translation.

What I appreciate the most about this Bible is the ability to look up some words for myself instead of relying on an abundance of commentary to try to explain the text. So if you would like to get past someone else's interpretation and discover what the text means to you, this Bible can be very helpful. If we are to know what God means, it is certainly beneficial to know what He originally said. And that is the main benefit of this Bible - looking up the original Hebrew and Greek words.

As I learn more about the Bible, I find more I want to study. It's funny that way. It's the only book simple enough to be understood by all, but complex enough that scholars can devote their whole lives to its study and not come close to plumbing its depths.

This Bible supplements my NIV Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible, as I wanted a more literal translation for this sort of study tool. I purchased the leather bound version, and am very happy with it.

All the awesome grammatical tools are present, except for a few differences, such as the dictionary being that of Strong's work, instead of the more modern Kohlenberger.

What this Bible contains:
Bible text of OT and NT
Grammatical aids to the NT
Lexical aids to the OT and NT
NASB Concordance of OT and NT
Guide to transliteration
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
Maps

Pros:
- This Bible is a little better suited to word studies, as it is a more literal translation.
- The layout of most of the Bible has slightly larger text for easy reading, without being too bulky.
- There are key notes that are usually extremely helpful and consistent with conservative, exegetical scholarship
- The cross references are very beneficial
- Despite this being a different and complicated system of notation, visual layout of the features on a two-page section in the front of the Bible make it easy to learn to use.

Cons:
- It uses Strong's dictionaries rather than Kohlenberger's lexicons. Strong's definitions are based on Thayer's Greek Lexicon, which is dated scholarship that is no longer the best source, and which confuses classical and Koine Greek frequently, causing incorrect assumptions. (This is the reason for this getting only 4 stars)
- The dictionary in the back appears to be a copy and past from another work, as the text is shrunk and very difficult to read, with a large blank space at the bottom of the page indicative of being copied from another sized page than what is used in this Bible. The Greek and Hebrew characters are very difficult to make out because of this.

In deciding between the NASB and NIV versions of this extremely valuable study tool, I am torn. On the one hand, you have the literal text of the NASB 1977 version but with Strong's dictionary. On the other hand, you have the thought-for-thought NIV Bible that is harder to do word studies in because of the way it is translated, but you have the Kohlenberger dictionaries, which are much more valuable for word study. This makes it very difficult to choose.

Overall, this is an outstanding tool for study and I would recommend adding it to your library of Christian study aids.

I am not too high on "study" Bibles. As John MacArthur writes, "Study Bibles tend to be built to fit lives rather than change them." I would concur. Here in the United States we have simply too many study Bibles that are written for particular lifestyles (or theology) rather than to transform the reader. We have the Spirit-Filled (charismatic), the Reformation (Reformed), the Baptist (Calvinist), the Ryrie (Dispensational, Non-Lordship, Calvinist), the MacArthur (Dispensational, Lordship, Calvinist), Wesley (Arminian), Life in the Spirit (Pentecostal), and every subject in-between from the prayer Bible, the worship Bible, the couples devotional Bible, the recovery Bible, the Orthodox Study Bible, the Catholic Study Bible, to even liberal study Bibles such as Harper Study Bible or Oxford Study Bible.

Thankfully this Bible doesn't necessarily fall into those "study" Bible catagories. This study Bible is designed to help the reader see the Bible in its original languages without having any prior knowledge of the languages. Key words are underlined with a number to help the reader easily flip to the back and see either the Strong's word study or see Zodhiates more in-depth study of the word. While not every word is covered, many of the key theological words are discussed in the back.

The only negative I can offer for this study Bible is two-fold. First, I prefer the words of Christ to not be in red. That however is my own preference. Secondly, the notes are Calvinistic. Zodhiates defends Calvinistic Evangelical doctrines such as eternal security or his arguments against tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. While I didn't totally disagree with his notes in all places I do believe this study Bible would be stronger without them. However this is a good study Bible and a good resource to have on hand while digging into the original languages or simply while performing exegesis on a text.

This review is not about the quality of the NASB Translation or the usefulness of the Greek/Hebrew lexicons in the back of this Bible. That is beyond question. They are excellent. My problem with the new printings of this Bible is the serious lack of quality of these "new and improved" editions that are being forced upon the public by AMG.

The binding in the new printings is cheap and shoddy when compared to the earlier editions. My two earlier editions (1999 and 2000) have a sewn in binding of folded sections (signatures). You can see the white thread in these older printings joining the pages to the spine. These "New and Improved" editions are simply single pages glued onto a cardboard spine - no sewing found here at all. I do not think these new editions will stand up to prolonged or intensive use. I now see that AMG has gone the way of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan (and most others) of cheating their customers with a substandard product in order to save money (and maximize profits) while hoping we are all too blind or stupid to notice the change.
Changing the color of the box it is sold in while producing a cheaper quality Bible that will not last more than a year while touting it as "improved" is disingenuous at best and unethical at its worst.

Sorry for a negative review but someone had to call AMG on this.....

This Bible is VERY convenient and helpful when you want to find the Hebrew and Greek definition of certain words (the ones that the editor chooses to expound on). It is easy to use as well. Its only drawback is that many words are not defined and the editor's choice of words to define do not seem consistent (i.e., not always based on importance to the text).

As for the NASB version, it is the 1st edition of the NASB. i bought this Bible knowing that to be the case. NASB 1st edition isn't bad and in some cases (e.g., 1Cor. 1:18), it is closer to the original Greek than the NASB 2nd edition.

Lastly, the editor does have his opinions and views on certain verses and words but, seriously, find me a commentator or scholar who does not. Zodhiates does try to be objective and offers helpful insights on many words that you would otherwise have to go home to look up. For a quick, easy to use, etymology-focused study Bible, this version cannot be beat.

This Bible is the equivalent of a thick New York Strip steak. It may be a little much for tender (inexperienced) pallettes, but is an absolute treat for the hardy.

For the serious student who wants to explore the true depths of Scripture via exegesis, a literal translation is an absolute must. Easy-read translations such as the NIV are not suited for this type of study. The gold standard of literality in English versions is the 1977 NASB. Most NASB Bibles are now based on the "updated" 1995 NASB text, which by its own admission sacrificed some of its literality for an easier read. This edition is one of the few (along with the Thompson and Open Bibles) to retain the 1977 NASB text.

Another essential feature of this Bible is the inclusion of the ENTIRE Hebrew and Greek lexicon from the Strong's concordance. As the Bible's name suggests, key words are underlined in the text and their Strong's number is provided. While I wish that more of the words were given this treatment, there are enough of them so that the full meaning of a passage can be determined. A supplemental set of lexical aids to Old Testament terms is also included and is quite rich in content.

A huge plus in the New Testement is the indication of verb tenses in the text body. Greek has a much richer array of verb tenses that does English, and all the different notations (44 in all!) are explained in the appendix.

One might find Dr. Zodhiates notes and commentary spotty in content (very sparse in spots), but I don't think that is the main point of this Bible. It is for in-depth word study, and in this it excels above all others.

As I mentioned, the content is meaty. The inexperienced Bible reader might not find it useful (at least at first) as this volume is meant to be used by those who already have a decent amount of Biblical knowledge. By all means, however, one should strive to increase their knowledge of Scripture as this book will become all the more useful along the way.

This Bible deserves a spot in every serious student's library!

I ordred this Bible on Monday and it arrived by Friday. And it arrived in excellent condition.

I bought this Bible so I could have something handy to carry with me to look up a word in the middle of a Bible study or sermon.

I also was looking to gain new insights into the original languages of the Scriptures. I like what this study Bible does in pointing out the more important "KEY" words in order to get a better understanding of the text. I knew when I bought this Bible all the words would not be indexed so it can't be used to define every word, and that is okay with me. And using this study Bible sure beats continually referencing my 3,000 page Strongs.

Also I bought the NASB version because this version is the most accurate and closest to the translation. This Bible does contain the 1977 version and not the 1995 version.

I will have to say I wish the margins were a bit wider for my notes.

Overall this is a good study Bible.

great bible! if you are looking to get underneath the language barrier and study hard greek and hebrew, go with this bible! it's the closest thing to the original manuscripts as you are going to get...NASB is a great translation too!

I have owned mine for almost 10 years and it has been the best Bible I have ever owned. With the dictionary and lexicons in the back, I am always prepared to look up words to find their meaning in the original text without carting a library! These are condensed, but offer the "key" words needed for understanding. Full versions of the OT and NT are available separately.

I already own the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible:King James version and found it an invaluable study bible. The New American Standard translation is considered by many biblical scholars as ther best translation available today. That coupled with the key word explanations, better than average concordance and lexical aides make this a very good tool for studying the word of God.