NIV Study Bible Fully Revised Edition – A Great Choice

A Comprehensive Review of the NIV Study Bible Fully Revised Edition

I thought the opportunity to review the NIV Study Bible Fully Revised Edition was one I could not pass up!

I received this Bible for free as a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid.

I am always looking for new tools to study and research new Biblical truths, and more accurate historical facts, and this Bible did not disappoint!

The full color maps, half page of notes, and wonderful book information at the beginning of each book in the Bible were wonderful study aids.

As I said in my review for the Zondervan Artisan Collection Bible, I like a good study Bible, one that I can learn more about the Bible, and this book is amazingly insightful.

So without further ado, here is my review of the NIV Study Bible Fully Revised Edition by Zondervan.

My Review

I was offered the opportunity to review this Bible by BibleGateway.com.

From opening the box it arrived it, I was impressed. Cracking it open, I found a full colored map on one page and the other covered 2/3 with notes, which utterly excited me about this Bible.

Full color maps within the text enhance the read.

Reading through the page of notes, I found very insightful notes about the verses, and a decent number of cross references.

While I’m not ready to uninstall Logos software from my computer, it is a great tool to add to my toolbox for Wednesday night small group lessons.

Thumbing through the pages, I found more notes, more robust book summaries before each book, and more maps.

Not only were the maps integrated with the text, but they are full color making them easier to read and discern what they are trying to convey to the reader.

Benefits

Many notes can be found at the bottom of the page

Any good study Bible has a number of notes to guide you through the Word and to cross reference other verses in other books of the Bible. This Bible has more than any other I’ve read.

Studying with this Bible is a joy. I found myself traveling back and forth following notes like pulling a thread in a sweater. At times it took me way off course, which could be a bad thing, but there is no lack of information here.

Full color images, maps, and other visual aids can be found throughout the text. I like this more than their addition within indices the back. They make more sense within the context they are found.

The text was large enough to read. I didn’t struggle much to read either the scripture or the notes. Granted, I have fairly decent eyesight, but I have encountered Bibles I needed a magnifying glass to read.

Why would you ever use the NIV translation?

I know some people only read the King James Version (KJV), and have an issue with the New International Version (NIV) translation. I won’t review a specific Bible translation, but I might write a series later educating on each of the translations.

Drawbacks

If I had to find one bad thing to say about this Bible it is that the book is extremely heavy.

That’s good if you are looking for a desk Bible with a lot of information to use while conducting Bible study.

The biggest drawback to this Bible is the weight.

If you are looking for a book to carry back and forth to church, this hardback version is a hefty weight that gets tiring to carry. I often found myself switching hands to keep my hands from going numb.

I’m not sure if there is a soft cover version of this book, but I would definitely purchase one to carry back and forth to church.

Final Word

I think this study Bible is exactly what I was hoping for from the Artisan Bible I reviewed previously. I loved the layout, the full color images and maps, and the massive amount of notes at the foot of every page.

If you can get past the weight or are only using it for a desk Bible, I don’t think you’ll find the NIV Study Bible Fully Revised Edition from Zondervan lacking.