Customer Reviews

Zondervan NIV Study Bible

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The only statement the publiser/editors make about how this revision differs from the landmark first edition (1985) and the well-received second edition (1995) is found on page xviii: "In this fully revised edition of the NIV Study Bible, the Associate Editors and I have added hundreds of new study notes, improved the book introductions (e.g., paying greater attention to the rhetorical, structural and other literary features) and enhanced other helps."

A certain amount of the "Evangelical defensiveness" I found bothersome in the 1995 edition has been burnt off in the nicely-conceived, thoughtful re-expression of book introductions found here. Compare, for instance, these statements from the Introduction to Job:
[1995 ed.] "Two dates are involved: (1) the date of the man Job and his historical setting, and (2) the date of the inspired writer who composed the book."
[2002 ed.] "Two dates are involved: (1) that of Job himself, and (2) the composition of the book."

While the editors have not gone overboard trying to turn the NIVSB into a "pc/inclusive language" text, they have restated a few things here and there that, to my sensibilities, seemed worth fixing. For instance:
[1995 ed., from Wisdom Literature Introduction] "The Jews sometimes speak of the OT as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings."
[2002 ed., page 725] "An ancient tradition among the Jews divided the collection of their holy books into three major divisions: the Law (Pentateuch), the Prophets (Former and Latter) and the Writings."
These are small but welcome changes. [For those who may be following the controversy about the "Today's New International Version" translation, an adaptation of the NIV which endeavors to use gender-inclusive language when both men and women are clearly being discussed or addressed, the NIVSB uses the "unaltered" NIV. This is a good choice for a Study Bible, since serious Bible students need to confront the patriarchy of the ancient world at some time or another. The notes, rather than the translation of the text, seems the best place to accomplish this.]

Although I see nothing in the introductions and notes that should be alarming to the book's primary audience (Evangelical Christians), the NIVSB now seems worthy to be used by Christians from other Protestant traditions, as well as by the general reader who may be curious about the Bible as one of the most important texts of Western civilization.

The NIVSB continues to use three "icons" with its introductions, charts, and notes: a "seedling" to suggest an item that will help the reader apply something to her/his personal life; a "trowel" to identify items based on archaeological discoveries; and "a human head" to call attention to items relating to key characters. One could read the notes carefully and dispute the way these icons have been assigned throughout the text, but the editors should be applauded for their judicious restraint. To tag more notes with icons (or to introduce more types of icons) would have created visual clutter. The publisher should also be applauded for making the icons gray instead of solid black as in the previous editon; it's easy to read around them. (I only pay close attention to the "trowel" icons, because I am personally curious about what in the Bible can and cannot be confirmed by external evidence; although I usually skip the "seedlings"--because I don't like to be told how to apply Scripture to my life--these notes often discuss key theological concepts and are equally worth reading.)

The typography is improved in the 2002 edition, most notably in the center column reference system. However, I still find it difficult to know where to look when I see a superscript marker in the Scripture text (To the center column or at the foot of the Scripture text?). At some points in the text, there are two superscript markers! For example, the name "Immanuel" in Matthew 1:23 is followed by a roman superscript "d" and an italic superscript "w." Oddly, both identify Isaiah 7:14 as the related text. Although, I suppose, there's nothing technically wrong with stating something more than once, I think it unnecessary in a book so tightly packed with information. The unintended effect on the reader might be to erode his/her willingness to pay attention to the notes or to bother to look things up. That would be unfortunate, indeed, because there's a lot in the revised NIV Study Bible that is worth checking out.

I own many different study Bibles, from the Scoffield, New Scoffield, Thompson Chain Reference, Dake Bible, NIV Topical Study Bible and several Parallel Bibles. While I use them all, my favorite for study and for Scripture reading is the NIVSB. The language is easy to understand and the study notes are fairly comprehensive. The commentary hails from a conservative evangelical theology.

Book binding quality:

The binding is strong and is durable. I've carried this Bible around a lot, and it has held up with no sign of failure.

Scripture Page layout:

The Scriptures are laid out in the natural paragraph form, rather than the bullet form based on verse numbering. The Scriptures are laid out in two columns, with a column for Scripture cross-references in the middle. The bottom of each page contains commentary listed by corresponding verse. The words of Christ are in red, and contextual sections have headings that correspond to the outline at the beginning of each book.

Introduction to Books:

Each book of the Bible has a discussion of the author, audience and purpose, date and place of writing, characteristics, sources and a short outline of the book.

Commentary:

The notes deal with archaeological, historical, lexical (minimal lexical inputs) and cultural aspects that pertain to conservative hermeneutical exegesis. In disputables, the often do make definitive conclusions, but also at times give different views giving info on what the editors believe is the most probable correct conclusion. It is impossible to put all information on a topic into a study Bible, but the NIVSB does a good job of packing a lot of information in for a significant level of understanding.

Indices:

There are several helpful and easy to use indices at the back of the Bible. An Index of Subjects acts as a topical study help. An Index of Notes acts as an index for the subjects of NIVSB commentaries. There are several map and measurement aids and finally a standard but fairly comprehensive concordance is included.

A note on the NIV translation:

The NIV translation is a controversial translation. It has begun to outsell the long-beloved King James Version (KJV) Bible. I am not here to say one translation is the one to read while another should be shunned. I prefer to study many different versions, hence my use of parallel Bibles. But, please know that many of the negative reviews tend to be based on dislike of the NIV translation. Until Zondervan creates a parallel study Bible, this will remain one of my favorite Bibles.

To find comprehensive information of a topic or passage, I use my Thompson Chain Reference. For seminary study, I use parallel Bibles (Evangelical Parallel NT and NIV/KJV Parallel). For initiation of a study, reading and study away from home, I use the NIVSB. There is a wealth of information in this study Bible.

The main difference between this new 2002 and the previous 1995 revision is the inclusion of 800 new study notes. A quick browse through easily reveals a number of these, the first of which being at the first line of Genesis. There are also a number of explications to replace the frustrating "See note at Psalm 15:2" type of notes. Now they sometimes tell you why you should see it. Many of the earlier notes are also revised based on comments from seminary students, professors and pastors to bring them up to date with current conservative evangelical scholarship. There are also a few more charts in this version, a couple of new color maps (only dropping one, the pointless "The World as it is Today" from the previous edition). The typography is also slightly different, as are the icons used to denote archeology and life application passages. The font used for the headers is also different (in my view a slight improvement since it makes it easier to quickly spot stories and parables), and the comfortable font used for the Bible text itself remains unchanged. The standard edition is 2198 pages not including color maps, while the 1995 version was 2172. The spine of the leather version is also more stylish than the 1995 edition, simply stating "Zondervan NIV Study Bible" and "NIV" and "Zondervan" near the bottom. The 1995 edition said "The NIV Study Bible" "New International Version" "Words of Christ in Red Letter" and "Zondervan," which made it a little busy. Oh, yes--the new version contains no family record pages, apparently realizing that study Bibles are used for study and not as heirlooms. There's only a nice presentation page and then it gets right into the timelines. All in all I highly recommend this update--and that's only after a quick browse-through! Frank

It's unfortunate Amazon can't fully describe these Bibles on their pages. I used the Zondervan website (www.zondervan.com) to find out the ISBN numbers for the highest quality, top grain genuine leather bound editions, and ordered the navy indexed model (ISBN 0-310-92982-2). I am very happy with this Bible, as the leather is soft and the look is unique in the navy color with silver page edges. It is also a very thick Bible and has numerous maps, timelines, and other helpful study aides, in addition to the thorough notes. My only complaint is that the font is a rather modern one, and does not look as fancy as the Ryrie Study Bibles. They also have Burgundy and Black, in Top Grain or Bonded Leather, and with or without thumb indices, it's just nearly impossible to tell which is which on Amazon.

Here's a list from www.zondervan.com of all the styles available, hope it helps:

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (European Leather, Black/Black ISBN: 0-310-91997-5)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (European Leather, British Tan/Alligator ISBN: 0-310-91998-3)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (European Leather, Taupe/Mahogany ISBN: 0-310-91999-1)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Hardcover, Printed ISBN: 0-310-92955-5)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Bonded Leather, Burgundy ISBN: 0-310-92956-3)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Bonded Leather, Black ISBN: 0-310-92957-1)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Bonded Leather, Navy ISBN: 0-310-92958-X)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Top Grain Leather, Burgundy ISBN: 0-310-92959-8)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Top Grain Leather, Black ISBN: 0-310-92960-1)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Top Grain Leather, Navy ISBN 0-310-92961-X)

NIV Study Compact, LTD (Italian Duo-Tone™, Green/Sand ISBN: 0-310-92966-0)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Thumb Indexed (Bonded Leather, Black ISBN: 0-310-92977-6)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Thumb Indexed (Bonded Leather, Burgundy ISBN: 0-310-92978-4)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Thumb Indexed (Bonded Leather, Navy ISBN 0-310-92979-2)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Thumb Indexed (Top Grain Leather, Burgundy 0-310-92981-4)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Thumb Indexed (Top Grain Leather, Navy ISBN 0-310-92982-2)

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Thumb Indexed (Top Grain Leather, Black ISBN 0-310-92980-6)

I received this Bible as a gift a number of years ago, and I've used it regularly ever since. Personally, I prefer the New American Standard version for studying and reading, but I always keep this Bible handy for its unbeatable study notes and cross references. The notes, written to be nondenominational and always upholding the infallibility of the Bible, shed light on difficult passages and historical information, helping readers get the most out of time spent in God's word. Bible book introductions are often several pages long and discuss the book's origins and themes. And between the cross references and the excellent included concordance, I've been able to examine what the rest of the Bible says regarding topics in the passages I've studied. In fact, I often copy information out of this study Bible and put it in my other Bibles, so that I can always have easy access to information about my favorite verses and chapters.

How this Bible looks also makes it stand out. The leather is high quality and attractive. Inside, the font size makes reading easy on the eyes, and other formatting features help make the Bible simple to use and navigate. Its size makes it a bit cumbersome for everyday use while on the go, but for at home study and going to church, there's no problem.

Bottom line: NIV fans who want excellent study supplements inside an attractive cover simply can't go wrong with this Bible. The highly respected, easy to read translation combined with top notch study notes, cross references, and a concordance make this Bible a great way to set out on the journey of studying God's word.

I'm going to review the book published by Zondervan, and not talk about "The Bible" itself.

If you've made up your mind to read The Bible, this is an excellent book to use. What I liked about it was that it is a widely accepted translation, excellent commentary on most every verse (important to someone like me that did not grow up reading The Bible), and a lot of contextual information (drawings, book introductions, etc).

For the uninitiated, it is a toss-up between this and the Quest Study Bible, also published by Zondervan. The Quest has a slight edge for the lay person as opposed to the serious Bible student -- it has answers to a number of blunt questions that may cross your mind, but which do not classify as Bible Study.

I purchased a leather bound edition of this Bible from an Amazon seller. It was brand new, in unopened packaging, in leather, for far less than the list price of the paperback version. So, shop around the Amazon marketplace sellers before you buy.

The only quibble I have is that Zondervan does not stitch the spine of its Bibles (atleast not the one that I have). No matter how carefully you treat it, a stitched spine always beats a gummed spine. See if you can get an edition with a stitched spine for a few extra dollars. It will be worth it.

I've owned a regular hardcover NIV for years, and bought this premium leather edition for a friend. If you're not familiar with the NIV study bible, then trust that the content is comprehensive. I love having event time lines, circumstantial explanations, and insightful introductions to each book. This "Premium Edition" is the Cadillac of its kind. It's large and perhaps overwhelming for small hands, yet satisfying to hold, easy to read, has adequate margin space, double ribbon page markers, gilt edges, fine pages, and that leather binding just begs to be passed down for several generations. Once you turn a few pages, that overwhelming impression quickly becomes an inviting call to learn more and more from its beautiful pages.

This premium edition is best used as a cornerstone copy for home use. For more portable purposes, or if you're not sure about spending the extra $$$ for this one, then I'd recommend the compact leather-bound version. It's compact enough for travel, but not too compact for frequent home use, and ~ 1/2 the price. This premium edition, however, is very much an heirloom-worthy piece of work worth spending extra for, if that intention applies to you.

As translations of the Bible go, I consider the NIV a good choice. It is much easier to read than the KJV. Also, I like the fact that it is edited by a large committee rather than a few, likeminded individuals. Many of the inaccurate translations in the KJV are corrected in the NIV, since the NIV comes straight from the original languages rather than relying on earlier Latin translations. Although it doesn't go as far as the Amplified Bible (which gives multiple examples of word meaning), it is not as laborious to read.

The layout of this Study Bible is better than most others I have seen. The reader is allowed to choose how much information he/she wishes to glean from any given passage. The actual Bible is left in uninterrupted text; commentary is contained at the bottom of the page. Symbols denote what type of comment is being made, so one can chose to read or dismiss a comment based on its nature. There is also information in the front of the Bible, the back of the Bible, at the beginning of the chapters, and in side boxes. While there are maps in the back of the Bible, maps are also dispersed throughout the text. So, when one is reading Romans, there is a detailed map of "Rome in the Time of Paul" at the beginning of the chapter. There are also wonderful graphic organizers that consolidate information dispersed throughout the Bible or give additional historical information.

The only drawback of this Bible may be that it is rather large. Personally, I don't mind that. However, I know that slim Bibles are more convenient for carrying to church. This might not be the Bible you want to use for church, but it is a good copy to have at home for personal devotions.

I have used the NIV study bible for 7 years and I think it is the best study bible on the market. The editors have a somewhat conservative perspective, but they are very much upfront about that, and the scholarship is solid. I also have the Oxford New Annotated Bible and the Harper Collins Study Bible sitting on my shelf right now and the NIV is without a doubt my favorite and most helpful study bible (followed by the Oxford). The cross references may be the best thing about this study bible! They are amazing! If you wish to find any of the obscure Old Testament prophetic references in the book of Revelation, for example, the center column cross refernces are your best friend. In addition the NIV has (I believe) the largest concordance of any major study bible, which makes finding that reference that you only sort of remember much easier. The notes in earlier editions were slanted a bit in the Reformed-Calvinistic direction, but the revisions of the last few years are supposed to make for a more ecuminical study bible. The introductions to the sections and books are also very good, TONS of info is included about the historical contexts from which the different books come in addition to the theological emphases. I HIGHLY recommend this study bible for pastors, students, and anyone who wants a better understanding of the Scriptures.

Pros
*References and study materials are well-written and appropriately placed so you don't have to look to far from the passage you're reading if you want more information
*NIV translation is very reliable and easy to read
*Overall layout of the bible is neat and easy to use
*Concordance is very big and thorough for a study bible (143 pages)
*The 3 versions of this bible: compact, personal, and full sized all have the same information in them, just with smaller writing

Cons
*If only this quality of study bible was more accessible price-wise for the masses. This is an area of your life which is important to put the extra money into, but I guess we wait for sales for the masses :)

Final Thoughts
This study bible does what it is made to do: it makes you get the most out of your bible study time and will encourage you to delve deeper into study due to the ease of use and wealth of information available here. This is the bible I'll be buying for people for special occasions (adult/teen baptisms, new members, etc) for sure since I wish I had this when I was new to bible study.