Customer Reviews

NIV Study Bible

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This review is for the hardcover edition of the NIV Study Bible 2011 in book form (not Kindle).

One thing to notice right from the start is that this new study Bible is called "NIV Study Bible" and not "Zondervan NIV Study Bible".

Initially I was reluctant to purchase another updated NIV Study Bible (since I've had several improved versions already of the NIV Study Bible); However, when I opened this updated edition and began reading it, I recognized right away that there were significant improvements.

A. The NIV text is revised -- this Study Bible uses the updated 2011 text rather than the 1984 NIV text. The main difference in the updated 2011 text is use of more gender inclusive language ("brothers and sisters" instead of brethren), and significant differences in translation than the 1984 NIV version.

Here are some of the significant changes:

1) Psalm 23: 4: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil ..." (2011 version); the older version (1984) reads "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

2) In Genesis 1:6 the 1984 version says, "And God said, 'let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water"; in the 2011 version, Gen. 1:6 says, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water."

3) Rom. 1:16: The 1984 version leaves out the conjunction "For" in the beginning: "I am not ashamed of the gospel .." The 2011 version correctly adds "For" in the beginning: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel.."

4) Rom. 8:5 The 1984 version translates the Greek word "sarx" as "sinful nature": "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." The 2011 version is much improved: "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance to the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." The 2011 translation "flesh" is much more accurate and closer to the original. I had a very difficult time accepting the 1984 translation "sinful nature" -- it is a mistranslation of "sarx," which should be translated as "flesh" (cf. ESV, NASB, NRSV)

5) Phil. 2:6 (2011): "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage" (1984 version says " .. consider equality with God as something to be grasped.").

6) 1 Cor. 7:1 (2011): "Now for the matters you wrote about: 'It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman'"; the 1984 version says "It is good for a man not to marry."

While I preferred Gen. 1:6 and Psalm 23:4 in the 1984 version, I liked the significant changes in the NIV (2011) as listed above. To its credit, this 2011 NIV text still retains the Messianic title "Son of Man" in Daniel 7:13; it did not go the way of the NRSV and translate it as "someone like a human being."

One thing that teachers using the 2011 NIV text need to know is that it reads differently from the NIV 1984 version. When I read from the NIV 2011 to my Sunday School students, they asked me, "Which Bible are you reading from?" Many of them had the 1984 NIV and the new 2011 version had different wording.

B. New updated features, charts and articles

1) There are colored introductions to each Bible book; colored illustrations, maps, and charts. These colored illustrations make this updated version much more appealing to read

2) Slightly updated notes -- the notes are very similar to the 2008 updated Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Some of the notes include a brief explanation of the Jewish understanding of biblical concepts (e.g. the notes to the Prologue of John in John 1:1-18).

3) New helpful colored charts and articles

Ancient Texts Relating to the Old Testament (all the Ancient Near Eastern Texts that are important for understanding the Old Testament)

In the Old Testament, there are explanatory articles and charts that explain key cities (e.g. the City of the Jebusites, Solomon's Jerusalem)

Explanatory articles on the Tabernacle, Tabernacle Furnishings, Old Testament Festivals, Old Testament Sacrifices, etc.)

Explanatory articles (and maps) on Important OT events (The Exodus, David's Conquests, Wilderness Wanderings, Division of the Land in Joshua's Conquests, etc)

In the prophetic books, there are charts like "Visions in Daniel" that explain and compare the vision of the statue (ch. 2) and the four kingdoms (ch. 7) in Daniel

Major Archaeological Finds for the NT (right after John chapter 21)

Colored Harmony of the Gospels

Charts that Summarize Christ's Life and Ministry (Jesus' Early Life, Jesus' Baptism and Temptation; Summary Charts on Christ's Life from Childhood, Baptism, Ministry, Last Week, and Resurrection -- (all within the "Matthew" section in the New Testament)

All the maps inside the text are in color (e.g. Paul's Missionary Journeys in the Book of Acts; Seven Churches in Asia Minor in Revelation)

Colored pictures and descriptions of important archaeological sites (e.g. Herod's Temple, Roman Colosseum, Jewish ritual bath, Temple of Trajan, etc.)

Helpful charts that illustrate key biblical terms and concepts in the NT book (e.g. "Slavery vs. Freedom" chart in Galatians)

Helpful articles that explain key theological concepts ("The Church and the Tribulation" article -- taken from Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds set)

4) Study Helps Section in the Back

Table of Weights and Measures
Revised Spelling of Proper Names (compared to the 1984 NIV version)
Topical Index
Index to the Notes
Concordance
Index to Maps at the End of the Study Bible

What I found most helpful was the Topical Index, which helps the reader find the right Scripture passage for a given topic. It was helpful that the concordance followed right after the Topical Index.

The colored maps are excellent in the back.

5) Suggestions for Future Editions

I hope someday the NIV Study Bible would include a Brief Survey of Biblical Theology, a brief overview of church history, and articles on key words in the Bible. Study Bibles such as the Ryrie Study Bible, MacArthur's Study Bible, and the ESV Study Bible include these helpful articles.

However, the new NIV Study Bible is a pleasure and delight to read. I'm so glad the editors included the colored charts, articles, and maps within the text of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Highly recommended!!

First of, the content is amazing.. commentaries, maps, etc... exactly what I wished for.

Unfortunately, the layout (in Kindle) is disappointing. There is no index to go to a specific chapter or verse. To do that I would need to go way back to the table of contents. It's difficult clicking the commentaries (I was hoping it would show below similar to magazines or my annotations). To go to the maps if would take several clicks and by that time, it would be difficult to return to the verse I came from.

In summary, the content is really good and for a straightforward read of the Bible, functional. But if you would like to really study the Bible or use this for a study, it's really difficult.

UPDATE: After using the study Bible even more.. I now love it! The content is really good.. full of commentaries and even pictures. Navigation is not perfect, but it just takes getting used to. What I would do is to read the chapter, go back to v1 and read the commentaries for the rest of the chapter. I am now at Leviticus and what was a difficult and boring read for me, now is much more meaningful and insightful. It's nice to have all that info anywhere.

From the pre-publication hype, I really expected a blockbuster of a Bible. Add to that, this is the 2011 edition, which I was excited about reading. So my bias was very much positive when I first opened this version of the Book.

Let's start with the positives. The content is good, pretty much as advertised. There are many, many references, about 90 maps, etc. And it's the 2011 edition, which I wanted.

I'm out of positives. Here are my concerns and issues.

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1) By far the biggest: Navigation is really poor.
---- (A) When you are reading pane (i.e., somewhere in the text of the Bible), there is no indication of what book you are reading until you get to the next chapter. All you see are verse numbers. Tapping the screen once causes translucent bars to appear at the top and bottom. The top bar shows the book (e.g., Matthew), but the bottom bar shows the "location" -- a 6-digit number like 303531 (for Matthew, Chapter 10, verse 35).
---- (B) Your bookmarks use the same cryptic "location" code as their identification. If you have only a few bookmarks that may not be a problem, but if you create more than a dozen bookmarks the 6-digit reference system will have you tearing out your hair.
---- (C) If you press a cross-reference link, you are taken to that link on a one-way journey. There is no "back" function -- the regular "back" key takes you out to the Kindle icon on the main screen, not back to where you were before you touched the cross-reference. Restarting the application usually takes you back to the notes page, not the verse you were reading before following the cross-ref.
---- (D) When you add your own note to a page, a little blue box (with the note number) appears on top of the Bible text, covering it up so you can't see it any more.

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2) Typographic issues: These may seem minor, but for me they seriously detract from the usability of the Bible in study mode.
---- (A) Pages are all justified (except for poetry). In a paper Bible this is not a problem, but in an electronic Bible on a 7" screen, rather ugly gaps appear in the word spacing. There should be an option for ragged-right viewing (i.e., turn off justification), but I can't find such an option.
---- (B) The choices for font sizes favor large to very large print. Even the smallest font size is too large (and I suffer from much less than perfect eyesight).
---- (C) There is only one reading font. You can't change it.
---- (D) Words of Christ are not highlighted. This is a real disappointment, as there is another "study" version of this Bible (due out October 25) that has "words of Christ in red" and that costs a buck less. (I suppose that version might not have some maps.)
E) There is way too much "white space" -- often pages have only 50-60% coverage. In a paper Bible that is nice, but on a tablet we need a bit more efficient use of space. For example, after the last verse of a poetic passage, there are 4 or 5 blank lines, only one of which is needed. (Actually, none are needed, since poetry is set ragged-right.)
F) Line spacing is inconsistent due to note marks. Lines WITH a note have a greater line spacing than lines WITHOUT notes, making for an awkward "stuttering" of line intervals.

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3) Problems with graphics
---- (A) For some maps, resolution is low. Zooming in on one of these maps in order to read a city name, for example, yields the blurry-fuzzy-ghosty image of a JPG file without sufficient resolution. As there are only 90 maps, a little more resolution would not have bulked up the book that much. Actually, the photographs seem to be at much higher resolution -- resolution that's not really needed. For example, I would easily have traded all resolution in the image of the temple of Trajan for more resolution in the maps of Paul's missionary journeys.
---- (B) Maps are sometimes rotated 90% from what you would expect. This might be a bug, or it might be the design, but it's disconcerting.

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BOTTOM LINE: If this were not the NIV version plus a huge amount of other resources, I'd give this book one star. I suspect that those who want to use this as a "study Bible" (as I do) will be very disappointed, as it's virtually impossible to flip back and forth between text and notes or to keep track of personal notes and bookmarks. Those who don't care about the reference material, but who just want the new NIV version in a readable format, won't be overly disappointed -- but that functionality is available for $9.99 in another Kindle version.

My next step? See if I can return it on the basis that it did not live anywhere near up to the hype.

With the release this year of the updated translation of the NIV, Zondervan has released an updated version of their well-known study Bible. I would like to review it briefly, with a review in three parts. First, some brief thoughts on the updated NIV text itself, on which the Bible is based; second, a note about the study features; and third, look at the aesthetics of the Bible and its production.

First, the translation. There has been much controversy surrounding the release of this latest revision of the much loved NIV text, much like the controversy surrounding the release of what became the TNIV in 2005. This most recent NIV does preserve many of the changes that were made in the TNIV, though there are a small percentage of changes where the language has reverted back to the familiar text, along with some places where further revisions were made. I don't want to go into all of the details here. But in short, this latest NIV preserves the tradition of an outstanding translation that is readable and comprehensible. The translation committee is top notch, and contrary to much press to the contrary, not out to foist an egalitarian position on the Biblical text (most of the committee members are of the complementarian position, including the chair, Doug Moo). From what I have seen of the translation, it will be an outstanding text for reading and for study, and I am happy to have this latest version in my hands.

Second, the study notes and features. I have owned three previous editions of this study Bible, and from what I can see, the notes are largely unchanged. Each book of the Bible has a general introduction, that covers issues of authorship, audience, context, major themes, and an outline. These provide helpful information for getting a handle on what is going on for each book of the Bible. The second major "study" feature is study notes that run along the bottom half of each page, helping to explain or give additional background on key words or phrases, people, or themes from the text. They don't cover every verse, though more verses than not probably have some type of note. The third major study feature is the cross-reference system that helps point to other passages in the same book, in the same testament, and across both testaments that use a word or phrase. These are helpful basic resources (of these features, I find I use the cross-references the most). The endmatter includes a truncated but still useful concordance (I love having this right in my hands, even though it's getting easy to just look up passages and word-references on the internet), an index of subjects (that is, a topical index of what biblical passages cover various themes), an index of the notes, pointing the reader to various notes that cover a person or topic, and some helpful study maps.

The third aspect of this Bible upon which I want to comment is the aesthetics. The major change, besides the updated NIV text, from previous editions, is that the Study Bible is now set in four colors throughout. Select color images have been added throughout the text, both in the book introductions and in the text itself, and these add some visual interest and also illustrate the text with archaeological images from relevant contexts. The four-color interior does add a little bit to the overall feel, but the main improvement is in the charts and the already-mentioned images. But it's not an overly exciting interior; the layout is quite functional, with all of the elements working together on the page, just like in most previous editions of this Study Bible.

Overall, I give this Bible four stars. It's a nice, functional Study Bible. It is relatively conservative in its overall approach, but it isn't slanted to a particular tradition, and its notes are dependable, and provide a solid resource to draw on. I love the TNIV Study Bible that I have used over the last few years, with its one column layout, and hope they will soon bring out this new NIV Study Bible with that same format, which makes for easier reading and leaves nice room for notes. The color, images, and revamped charts and maps make this a nice Study Bible, and certainly a strong option.

This study Bible has everything! The full color charts and documents are a huge plus. For example, one chart shows the distances in miles between Old Testament cities. There are some photos of included as well as maps and sidebars explaining extra information.

The footnotes at the bottom of each page are thorough and offer many cross-references to other verses in addition to the cross references listed in the center margins on each page. The beginning of each chapter has an extensive history of the chapter and the author as well as an outline for the chapter and a summary of the main teaching. The book brings the Bible to life in a visual way. For example, diagrams in the book of Numbers include a photo of a model of the temple and a chart showing the layout of the tribes of Israel when they camped.

The notes have color coded icons for additional study. A beige shovel icon shows what they call "trowel points" for notes that have archaeological information available. A green seedling shows scripture that contain study notes that have personal application points. And a blue icon of a man indicates references related to character profiles available. Each section is also color coded with a solid-colored bar across the top of the introduction to the book. These are grouped by the five books of Moses, History books, The prophets, etc.

This is so thorough! It even includes raised italic letters giving notes about alternative translations, meanings of Hebrew and Greek words, and explanatory notes. These are listed separate from the study notes at the bottom of the page so they are easily found. The cross reference system also includes references for parallel passages that contain content in other books/chapters.

Study helps in the back have an index to topics section, an index to the notes (study notes, charts, essays, book introductions, etc.), and an extensive concordance section.

It will take a user some time to get familiar with this Bible because there is so much included, but the front matter is great about explaining the tools. It's a very heavy book and just over 2 inches thick, so I don't think very many people will want to carry it around with them, but it's such a valuable resource that it wouldn't be so bad to have it for just home study.

I highly recommend this resource.

A little over 15 years ago, I was licenced as a minister at Armourdale Baptist Church. When I received this honor, the deacon board at the church gave me an NIV Study Bible. It has been well used since then.

About one year ago, the people at Zondervan updated their NIV translation. Recently, they have published a revision of my beloved NIV Study Bible. So, I picked up the newer version, and have been looking through it off and on ever since.

I am truly impressed with what the new NIV Study Bible has to offer. Changes from previous versions of this bible include:

*stronger introductions to sections of Scripture, instead of simply introductions to books
*A layout that has a much more readable font and much clearer delineation between the "notes" section and the actual Scriptural text.
*More visual aids.
*Most of the visual aids in the new NIV Study Bible are now in full color. This makes the maps and the charts much easier to look at, and adds to greater ease in understanding these study tools.

Each of the changes in the NIV Study Bible adds to its quality instead of detracting from it. This product still keeps its most helpful features including:

*excellent notes about verses and passages at the bottom of each page
*helpful maps, drawings, charts, and other visual aids to help the reader to understand the context of each passage a little bit better
*a helpful topical index AND
*a decent but not exhaustive concordance

For evangelicals this study bible is the standard bearer for all study bibles. It maintains that standing with this new edition. In the process of transitioning to the 2010 NIV text, the folks at Zondervan have show that they are not afraid to step up their game to make an even better product. For that they should be commended.

(This bible was provided in exchange for an honest review)

Since its inception, the NIV has been very popular due to having a very readible, yet fairly accurate (as perceived by most reviewers) translation, and due to lack of serious competition among dynamic translations. The latter statement is no longer true: the field is now flooded with HCSB, ESV, ISV, NASB 95, NLT, NT Wrights New Testament, the CEB, NRSV, Barnstone's New Testament, and many, many more. Had the NIV text not modernized, it would drop precipitously in the rankings, IMO.

First, to the translation updates. The 1984 NIV had been updated to make, eventually the TNIV, an outstanding improvement, but using inclusive language (bad bad bad) and condemned by the conservative voters. So, in typical spin fashion, the NIV committees condemned the TNIV, vowing to fix the "mistakes." They created the new NIV, which actually incorporates the vast majority of the TNIV changes! And the new spin justifies that which it once condemned! (Sounds like political nonsense, like when the conservatives roundly condemned the old RSV for its liberality, then made a few word changes, called it the ESV, and praised it to no end!)

Most of the NIV textual changes are beneficial and clarifying. I wish they had made more, in fact. Here is my short list:

1. "LORD Almighty" is simply not correct for "LORD of Hosts". The NIV translators state that "Hosts" is an archaic term, no understood by Bible readers; I agree. But even while they acknowldge that the term "Hosts" refers to God's army of angels (and possibly earthly armies also), they say that this is a reference to his power being unlimited, so they translate the term as Almighty. I see this as confusing and over-translating. Many tranlations now use "LORD of Armies", or "LORD of Heavenly Forces", or something similar. Such wording is more evocative and meaningful, as in James 5, where God's Armies are in a position to attack the rich oppressors.

2. 2011 NIV retained non-intuitive words, words not used in normal discourse in modern society. In 1 Timothy and in Titus, the NIV retains "temperate." This word has multiple dictionary definitions, and the reader will just read over the term unthinkingly. Other translations have made better choices. Every time I hear a speaker refer to the word temperate, he uses it improperly; it does not mean abstinence from alcohol. Another example: Is the "vault" referred to in Genesis 1 a bank vault? Use "dome" instead; that is what the writer envisioned in his pre-scientific mind. Another: "Truly truly" is truly a KJV hangover. "I assure you" is current speak. Some awkward phrasing in NIV: Romans 5:3 reads, "Not only so, but we also glory..." What? In my neck of the woods, we would say, "Not only that, but..." or "Not only is that so, but..." Many more examples could be given. (Religious jargon is necessarily maintained.)

3. Use contractions! The CEB does this masterfully and, for the most part, it reads like real people speak. The NIV talks about keeping the language current, then violates it's own principle. We don't say "Do you not know...?" We use contractions, and we use tham uniformly. And look at Hab. 2:6 "Will not all of them taunt him...?" What? Seriously? I don't know anyone on this planet who speaks that way. What is wrong with "Won't all of them taunt him...?" Again, if NIV committee wants to compete with other versions, it better update its text for real. The reader needs a comfort level with the text.

Despite my criticisms, the 2011 NIV team did some good things: finally replacing "sinful nature" with "flesh," and giving a great explanation in the footnote. Prov. 3:5 "submit" instead of "acknowledge." The addition of "No one" in Rom.8:34. All the changes in Romans 8 are great and clarifying.(The TNIV was confusing in some portions of Romans 8) "Adoption to sonship" is preferable to the old "adoption." Hab. 2:4 "faithfulness" is correct, if one is using the MT, not the LXX, as their text. The inclusive language is done in this version about as well as it can be done; the English language has defects.

The Study Bible portion is good, as far as SBs go. Lots of info. The problem with the NIV SB is that it is targeting a conservative base, so the commentary will not seriously consider modern scholarship, as pointed out by other reviewers. Simple as that. Unfortunately, the NIV SB failure to seriously consider critical issues such as the dirth of evidence for the Exodus, problems with correlating archaeological dating with Biblical timetables, inability to historically identify Darius the Mede, problems with Daniel's prophesy concerning Antiochus Epiphanes, creation timetables and the old earth, multiple authorship of Isaiah, etc. will marginalize the fundamentalist viewpoint amongst analytical thinkers. Don't get me wrong- there may be some good answers to these problems. I am simply saying that the fundamentalist community, as expressed in the NIV SB commentary for example, fails to engage in honest inquiry; they start with their conclusions and argue backwards. Summary conclusions by SB contributors is not real dialogue. I guess what I am saying is that to the analytical mind, this type of slanted commentary will seem diverting and dishonest. Honesty encourages dialogue.

The NIV SB is a great publication. It is bound well (but glued, so longevity is an issue), is voluminous, has great pictures and graphs, good print size- in the standard edition- and readibility. Well worth the price. Future SBs will have a high bar.

I was weary of purchasing this Bible after reading mixed reviews about links not working on the Kindle. However, for the price, I figured the risk was pretty small. I can now say that I am very pleased with the format and hyperlink systems of this bible on my Kindle app on my Motorola Xoom. I have yet to find a link or reference that does not work. This bible is easy to navigate and the graphics are clear, even when zoomed in. I wish there were a way to have a quick drop down with links to all of the books, but I simply bookmarked the glossary, and the links to the books and chapters work very well. This bible is worth every penny, speaking for Honeycomb users.

Cards on the table: The scholars that wrote the commentary and study aids "all confess the authority of the Bible as God's infallible word to humanity. They have sought to clarify understanding of, develop appreciation for and provide insight into that word." So, you shouldn't expect to read study aids about how the historical Jesus compares to the Jesus portrayed in the Gospels. Now, that we have that out of the way...

This is a study bible for the new translation of the NIV Bible. It contains study notes, text notes, introductions to the books of the Bible, an extensive concordance (they say it is "the largest ever bound with an English Bible," maps, charts, notes and all sorts of other stuff. There is a wealth of information in this study Bible and you can spend many fruitful hours delving into the Word of God. It also has very nice and appropriate color photographs though the text, which adds a nice touch. For example, in Psalm 18 they have an photo showing a plaque of a storm god to illustrate how it "was common for people in the ancient world to connect natural phenomena with their gods." It is touches like that that make me appreciate this study bible.

The book is well made and has a sewn binding. The type font is easily read and the font size is not too small. You can comfortably read this Bible without having to squint or reach for the reading glasses. The editors did a fine job of the layout of the book and it is fairly easy to following the textual notes and commentary.

I don't have anything to say about the actual translation because I don't have the knowledge to speak of that. I did notice that the translation has been gender neutralized; so if that upsets you, be warned. As to the Bible itself: it is the Word of God, so I am not going to criticize the author. All in all, this is a good study Bible and you should be able to learn a lot by using it. Enjoy!

I bought the kindle edition hoping to lighten the load in my backpack. For sure the print edition is a hulking load. But navigating the kindle edition is a big headache. I never know where I am in the text. Jump to a text note, then try to get back. Sure you can click to go back, but the pagination will be different when you go back. Try to jump to a new spot in the bible using the grab bar at the bottom? Good luck! Your chances of landing on a page of text notes or cross references are higher than landing on the text itself. Location 3256 out of 178,008 is meaningless. You have no idea where you are in the book unless you navigate by way of the table of contents. There are no page headings to let you know what book chapter and verse you are looking at. Sometimes you have to scroll back a page or two to find the next chapter heading. It will lighten your load, but your head will spin trying to use it.