Customer Reviews

The Legacy Study Bible

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was a little surprised when I saw that Hank Hanegraaff had come out with a Study Bible, since I had never heard him speak very highly of Study Bibles on his radio program. However, when I looked at his "Study" Bible I understood. This is not really a "Study" Bible. Most Study Bibles have numerous notes explaining passages and verses. This one does not. It has an introduction to the Bible including Hank's thoughts on how to read the Bible and brief introductions for each book of the Bible but no verse-by-verse or passage notes. The margins are wide to allow you to write in your own notes. It is a nice Bible, which is why I gave it 3 stars, but it is not a "Study" Bible.

If you are looking for detailed notes on passages and verses, I would recommend you pass on this one and look at the Nelson Study Bible or the NIV Study Bible. If you are just looking for a Bible without many notes, this is one, however it is kind of pricey and you could probably find good non-study Bibles cheaper than this one.

I have no idea why this Bible exists....there is nothing to it. The back of these annoying boxes from Nelson state that the Book Intros each have the L.E.G.A.C.Y., (acronym) reason for the individual book.There are a couple articles in the back. Other than that, there are no annotations, so, again, why this is a study Bible escapes me. It has wide margins, and the text itself is contained in boxes on each page. I was expecting a really great annotated study Bible with Mr. Hanegraff refuting cults, standing up for doctrine, etc... Another interesting thing is that Hank has his name on the front of the Bible in gold letters...the binding is the usual cheap glue-bound garbage from Thomas Nelson. If you want a study Bible, this is definitely NOT it. Don't even waste your hard-earned money just for specialised book Introductions.(Note Feb. 2008: I saw these Bibles marked down at Ollie's for $19.99)

One of the marketing catch phrases for this Study Bible is that "it's like having Hank right there with you." Or something like that. I do listen to The Bible Answer Man, and I love Hank and his ministry. I just don't think that this "Study Bible" lives up to the hype. It offers nothing really other than wide margins. Every study Bible I have seen has the Legacy type of info in the beginning of each book. What makes "Study Bibles" study bibles is that there are experts who write commentaries to help guide us through God's word in a way that gets us thinking and forming more questions so that we are drawn in to research more and more. Hank's bible is just a wide margined Bible and nothing more than that. The Nelson Study bible is the best I have seen so far. I currently use it and it has taught me a LOT about the word and how to "read the bible for all its worth" (by the way, the book by that title is an excellent resource as well).

I think the term study bible is misleading. There is writing in the start of each book, but it's not like the standard study bibles I've seen. More likely should be described as each book has commentary in beginning with space sides of other page to write personal notes.

The Legacy Bible definitely fills a gap in the marketplace. It's the best wide margin Bible you will find for under $100. I appreciate the thought that went into the positioning of the text on the page, so the space is much more usable for making notes. (You don't have to try to write down the center gutter, on on the bottom edge of the page while your hand hangs off the bottom.) Also, this Bible already includes sections on Hank's acronyms for witnessing/apologetics (FACE, FEAT, MAPS, DOCTRINE, etc.), which I always used to copy into my Bibles; now I don't have to. The size of the font is also very user-friendly, which I consider a plus. I have excellent vision, but still like my font to be at least a size ten.

Now, to the minuses:
The NKJV is a very good translation. But it's your only choice if you want a Legacy Bible. I would love to have this Bible in an ESV. Not enough choices are available in the ESV yet, and it is awesome. It's as smooth as the NIV, but more literal/word-for-word. Since the NKJV is the publisher's proprietary translation, I suppose it was the most cost-effective to use.

A better quality leather cover would be great. There's nothing wrong with this cover, it's just bonded leather, which I wouldn't choose if genuine was available.

Some blank note pages in the back would have been very helpful.

This isn't really a study bible in the traditional sense. There are no in-text notes. The material in the front and back of the book is very, very good, but that makes this essentially a self-guided study bible, or an elaborate wide-margin bible. The name should be Legacy Bible, not Legacy Study Bible.

With all that said, this a great resource. I bought two copies, one for me and one for my wife, and we are reading through the Bible together using the Legacy reading plan.

Way to go, Hank!

Negative reviews all seem to revolve around the same lack of attention.
The purpose of the Bible is to teach people how to do basic hermeneutics. It teaches people how to study the Bible for themselves instead of simply giving them a commentary, which Hank accurately proclaims as a far cry from "study". If you desire to become a student of the Bible, this is a great tool. If you desire to be spoon fed notes while never learning how to plumb it's depths, don't. Those negative reviews have missed the point by not paying attention.
It's not the gospel, but is a great tool. Thus 4 out of 5.

If you've read and listened to Hank Hanegraaff very much, you know that one thing he does so well is to get the right tools to those who desire to study God's word, not just spoon feed all the answers. This bible does just that. Hank introduces each book in a way that gives the right footing to study it for yourself. To me, Hank's introductions through the "LEGACY" acronym, and his "LIGHTS" bible study principles make the scripture come alive. I love the idea and implementation of this "study bible". Great wide margins, two, no just one on the outer column. Print size is just right. Other spaces for notes. Give this one a chance. Thanks Hank.

This bible is not intended for us(the reader) to be taught by man, but to guide us to hear the Holy Spirit for ourselves. This way we can pass on a personal LEGACY for our families. I applaud Hank for developing this and urging others to hear the Lord for themselves. If Hank wanted to create a study bible with his own extensive thoughts and interpreations he could have done that. I have seen study bibles with annotations longer than the actual bible itself!!! The Spritit will/can guide us into all truth(I John 2)!

I have been reading Living by the Book by Howard & William Hendricks. They recommend studying the Bible using one that has Large print, Wide margins, no notes, no subheadings, cross references, and good paper quality and binding, a concordance in the back, and maps. Except for the cross references this Bible has all of the above. It's the only one I could find that does and just happens to be the NKJV which is my favorite translation. I wasn't sure if I would like just having pages of Biblical text without anything else. I can't study any other way now. I love it. It's great to read the text and not be distracted by any opinion other than the leading of the Holy Spirit. This will be my "go to" Bible for the rest of my days.

This bible is not exactly what I thought it was when I purchased it, but it is a great study bible. Its in the New King James Version, and has lots of space to write notes in the margins, and down the center of the pages. It has places in the front of the bible to write your family tree, births, baptisms, testimonies, etc. I was thinking there were going to be more insites from Hank Hanegraaff (aka The Bible Answer Man), because I enjoy his radio show, and learn a lot from it. I took it to church with me, though, and could write sermon notes right there in the pages of the bible we were reading from, which was kind of cool.