Customer Reviews

NIV | The Message Parallel Study Bible, Personal Size: Updated Numbered Edition

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since I started to hear text from The Message version of the Bible, I was excited to get a copy of my own. The Message is a great way to understand the Bible in more contemporary language and is what I've decided to read daily for the next year. I however didn't want to completely give up the NIV version that is most often used in my church (and a more accurate translation) or some of the study notes that I'm used to having with my NIV Life Application Bible that I've used for the last few years.

When I started to look for something that would work for these three needs (The Message, NIV & Study Notes) there was nothing yet in the stores and as I searched Amazon, this book just was just set for release. I was thrilled and placed my order.

Now that I have it, I'm still just as happy. The Bible is bound in a great three color leather cover that looks even better than the picture. The text is small, but is clear and works well.

My only slight negative is that even though it contains study notes, it is shorter and probably fewer than in my Life Application Bible. The preface introduction notes that this book has about 10,000 notes (still a lot), but is about 50% of the Zondervan NIV Study Bible from which these are taken. I'm certain that the editors kept the most useful.

I recommend this multi-purpose Bible to anyone.

I love my new Bible. First, it is beautiful on the outside with the brown leathers and gold-gilded pages. It is not huge, so it can be carried around easy enough. Second, the NIV study notes at the bottom of the pages are very helpful. They are not as in-depth as a regular NIV Study Bible, but they are still useful for some of the difficult passages. Third, having The Message parallel the NIV is AWESOME! I have fallen in love with reading The Message -- as it reads very much like a novel. Yet, it is still nice to have the NIV right there alongside for reference.

I had been waiting for this exact version of the Bible to be released, and it was worth the wait. I highly recommend the NIV/The Message Parallel Study Bible.

After much deliberation I decided to get this Bible after reading the comments and the nice leather binding. However, if you can deal with 7.5-point print (i.e have excellent eyesight) for the text and even smaller (6-point?) study notes, then this is for you. I had to return it because the print type is way too small. Amazon doesn't put point-types in their descriptions but Zondervan does, so checkout Zondervan and the point-size before you buy any of their Bibles; will save you time and aggrevation. Now I have to make a decision whether to get the parallel NIV|The Message at all: the "Large Print" version is Type Point Size: 10, should be at least 12 to be comfortable. It's really a shame since the Personal Size edition has absolutely beautiful leather binding and opens pretty much flat so it hurt to return it. I'll probably just get The Message by itself and have both the NIV Study and TM together (if I need the Study Guide). It's "caveat emptor" on this one, but I do see a lot of people (who obviously have excellent 20-20 or better vision) giving this high marks. For me it's a 3 based on -1 for text type size 7.5 and -1 for the Study Notes which only Superman could read with a magnifying glass (it's also a different typeface for the Study Notes making it even harder to read). It's too bad Zondervan/Amazon don't have multiple images showing the inside and type size. But even an image would be inaccurate, I'm sure, since I can't even find one for this title on google images.

I wanted to read through the Message translation this year. The side by side with the NIV helps me read passages that may have a surprising translation in the NIV also; and helps me better spend my study and devotional time. Definitely recommend this. Also, the pages and leather covering is high quality.

At first I was a bit surprised at how thick the Bible is; while all sorts of other Bibles are getting smaller and smaller, this one was a bit of a shock to me. However, as a youth pastor I used to have to carry separate, smaller copies of both of these translations so I don't see how this is really any different as now I'm used to it and actually really enjoying it.

Great print size, very helpful study notes, great cover!

I already had the NIV study bible, but thought it nice to have one with the message translation next to the NIV to make it easier to study instead of having two separate bibles. The outside is beautiful leather with beautiful colors, and not hot pink as one reviewer suggested. Two flaws with it that took two stars away:

1. Why is it even called the study bible? There are some notations throughout, but pail in comparison to the regular NIV study bible. Luckily I have another source to go to for additional information.

2. How do you not have the words of Jesus in red? One thing I find important when reading the new testament is to know exactly when Jesus is speaking or being quoted. Granted, it isn't too difficult to know when, but you could possibly overlook it at times. I might be making more of a fuss than I should, but every bible I've read had it and so I'm just not used to it. It just feels like there is something missing with the text and it is not whole. It just feels wrong, like eating peanut butter with pickles.

All in all the bible is beautiful and of course that is not the point of buying a bible. It is very convenient to have another translation to compare and make more sense of a passage that is just stumping you. But if you really do not need the study notes because you are knowledgeable or have another reference, or do not mind that Jesus' words are not in read, you will really enjoy this bible and possibly give it five stars.

The set up is great. I love the two versions and the study notes. :) The Bible is VERY wide though. Almost cumbersome to carry around. But if you're just using it at home it won't be a big deal. It feels like the binding almost won't hold. Otherwise, it's great! It looks good too.

I recently purchased this parallel study bible after doing quite a bit of research and consideration. I own a few standard NIV translations and love them...but was seeking something more relate-able...something that I could share with my children so that I could be a more effective witness to them. Overall I love my newest Bible and intend on using it as my everyday study source...

Great study notes! The side by side is awesome and it's just pretty! After my mom and sisters saw mine they wanted one as well. My neighbor also bought one when she saw mine. This is a great price compared to what it sells for at a Christian book store.

First off let me say that I always worry some when purchasing an item online, when aesthetics is an important quality. I always find it hard to judge the quality of some materials from online pictures, but i was very pleased with the cover of this bible. The overall appearance of the book is nice, the binding is sturdy and the cover is thick enough that I don't have to worry too much about damaging, or bending it through regular use.

I bought this Bible for teaching a high school Sunday school class. I have always liked the message, because it is easy for modern teens to understand, but also wanted a more traditional translation to go along with what most people generally read. The parallel bible gives you both options on a single page. The study materials in this book are of average quality, I have seen Bibles with much more material, but considering this book has two copies of the Bible in parallel, space is at a premium.

A few things I don't prefer:

Pages are very thin and fragile, and book is very thick and heavy. (I understand that both of these issues are due to the amount of content)

Overall I have been very happy with this purchase.