NIV Study Bible, Personal Size (Paperback)

by Kenneth L. Barker (Editor) "The first phrase in the Hebrew text of 1:1 is bereshith ("in [the] beginning"), which is also the Hebrew title of the book (books in..." (more)
Key Phrases: true theocratic king, one silver sprinkling bowl, bathe with water, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
It's easy to see why The NIV Study Bible Zondervan's bestselling New International Version translation of the Bible. Filled with over 20,000 in-text study notes, color maps, a concordance, Old and New Testament timelines, and pertinent backround information, this Bible has everything one needs to satisfy the serious student.

Product Description
- The number one study Bible available for in-depth study - Over 20,000 in-text study notes provide unparalleled scholarship and insight - In-text maps, charts, diagrams, and illustrations facilitate study - Over 5 million sold!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 2208 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310925886
• ISBN-13: 978-0310925880
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,549 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this version...still the best on the market!, August 20, 2000

By	bethlovesbooks (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NIV Study Bible (Hardcover)

Every time I go into the Christian bookstore, I see a new jazzed up version of the Bible. There's the Men's/Women's Devotional Bible, the Life Application Bible, the Teen Bible, the One Year Bible, on and on. However, I have yet to find any version worthy of replacing my faded, water stained and worn NIV study Bible.

The thing I like best about this Bible is that it is helpful without being intrusive. If I want to just read the text, fine. It's nicely printed with some room for my own little musings on the side margins. The type is not so small that I am straining my eyes, nor is it overcrowded. The pages are necessarily thin, but not so thin that the text on the other side is bleeding through.

And, if I ever want help with the text, the notes are right below, ready to offer me concise insights or suggestions for further reading. These notes never waste my time--they are meaty and substantial. If I took the time to read every text note, I could spend hours in just one chapter. I must admit that sometimes I have! There are times when I just lose myself in the notes, as they may reference another section, which may lead me to explore another section, and so on. I can read a few notes and move on or set off on a major journey...either way, the notes are like having a wise friend beside me.

Another nice feature is that next to the text, there is a narrow column that lists all places in the Bible where a similar line or thought appears. This feature is very helpful when tracing a theme or idea. At the back, there is a detailed index and a significant concordance, which I find myself referring to constantly. Again, it's great for tracing themes or finding a particular verse.

Each book begins with a very thorough introductory section which gives you a balanced picture without overwhelming you. In addition, the Study Bible is full of illustrations, charts and maps that are woven throughout the book at appropriate times.

I got this version when I first became a Christian seven years ago, and it has been a tremendous aid in my spiritual growth. I would highly recommend it to anyone, but especially to new Christians who are not sure which version to invest in (the choices can certainly be overwhelming!). I would also strongly recommend it to folks who are not Christian, but just interested in learning more about the Bible. This version is not "preachy," and offers you historical insights along the way.

102 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An overall great study Bible, November 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: NIV Study Bible (Hardcover)

There are a lot of good study Bibles and several reliable modern translations to choose from. I've settled with the NIV study Bible because I find that it possesses the best mix of all the features that make a study Bible useful. It may be debatable whether the NIV is the most accurate translation, but it is certainly a reliable and responsible translation while being the easy to read. The notes do not interpret the Scripture but instead provide observational data such as definitions of words, background information about people, places, and events, and point to other related passages. Multiple explanations or views are provided in the notes on tricky or controversial passages. It comes with a large concordance plus a subject index for both the Bible and the notes. The timelines, many maps, charts, introductions, and outlines are also very helpful. I also appreciate the blank pages in back for my own notes. When traveling without any Bible study resources other than this study Bible I have been amazed at how much I can rely on it. Whichever Bible you choose, may you rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you and assist in learning more about our Lord, Jesus Christ.

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent choice..., May 25, 2001

By	"rnf4118" (SW Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NIV Study Bible (Hardcover)

The NIV Study Bible is of outstanding value for providing readers a greatly enhanced understanding of The Bible.

1. GENERAL EVALUATION: There are many Study Bibles on the market. Including the NIV Study Bible [Zondervan Press], I own and use three. While my two other versions, one is the older RSV and the other the newer NRSV, give some information to explain the more difficult to understand passages and add commentaries, none go into the depth that the NIV does. The commentaries and explanations in the NIV Study Bible are, to say the least, profuse. Yet, not overwhelming in long elucidations that tend to make you forget what you just read. Rather, the commentaries are brief, to the point and very well develop understanding. The commentaries are not biased toward any single religious canon. They are simply information. Commentaries are cross-referenced, thus allowing the reader to gain further insight from related passages.

2. FORMAT: The page format is exceptionally well planned and implemented. The design is the traditional two-column format with references in a column between the texts. The commentaries are located at the bottom of the page to which they refer. The type font is large enough to easily read and is crisp.

Icons are used to quickly identify to what the commentary refers. These icons are: Character Profile, Archeology and Personal Application.

Maps relating to the particular text are on the same page as are diagrams. The four-color maps, located at the back of the book, are excellent. There are also time lines to assist the reader in grasping the time frames.

3. SUGGETSIONS: The following comments/suggestions may only apply to those who embark on an in depth study of the Bible. Since The New Testament documents were originally in Greek, a wise choice of a companion Bible to further augment the NIV Study Bible would be the NSRV-NIV Interlinear Greek and English Bible. The NRSV and the NIV texts are on either side of the Greek text in three columns. Under the Greek, is a word for word translation. Greek of New Testament times was a rich, scholarly language and some words, like English, had varying meanings and implications. A Greek Lexicon would be helpful to understand those shades of meaning.

4. CONCLUSION: No matter for what reason(s) any person cares to study The Bible, the NIV Study Bible, in my opinion, is the most readable and understandable on today's market. For those of you who may wonder about my qualifications to comment on this Bible, my minor was theology. My studies included Greek and Hebrew; I base my opinions on those studies and having read many-many works on the Bible, the culture of the times and recent archeological finds.