The Open Bible from Thomas Nelson has been a popular NKJV study Bible for 50 years. They recently updated it to the Comfort Print line. Now, they’ve retypeset it again for its 50th anniversary. I’m reviewing ISBN 9781400344086, in brown Leathersoft. This edition was printed in South Korea.

Thomas Nelson provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. 

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This book is available at (includes affiliate links)

Amazon

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Table of Contents

  1. Cover and Binding
  2. Paper
  3. Typography
  4. References and Footnotes
  5. Book Introductions
  6. Study Material
  7. Concordance
  8. Maps
  9. Comparison
  10. Video Review
  11. Conclusion

Cover and Binding

The cover is brown Leathersoft, imitation leather. It has some color variation and a texture that looks interesting. It includes perimeter stitching with the Open Bible printed in gold on the front. The spine also has the Open Bible, NKJV, the Thomas Nelson logo, and 5 non-raised spine rib indications printed in gold.

The liner is a light brown paste-down paper that doubles as the presentation page. The text block is Smyth sewn, and it stays open easily. It has one long and wide red ribbon. The overall size is 6.75 x 9.6 x 1.75″ and it weighs 3lbs, oz.

Paper

The paper is around 36 GSM. It’s white, highly opaque, and feels smoother than the previous edition. I find the pages easy to grab and turn. I do notice show-through, but the line-matching helps, and it is more opaque than the previous edition. This is excellent for reading. The page edges are gold. Mine has several wrinkled pages throughout.

Typography

The NKJV text is presented in a double-column verse-by-verse format with poetry set to stanzas and letters indented. Cross-references are placed at the end of each verse, and footnotes are placed under the last verse. The header includes the book name and reference in blue in the outer margin and the page number in black just inside the outer margin. The notes are placed at the bottom of the page or in blue boxes within the text. Chapter numbers, reference keys in the center column, and commentary titles are in blue.

The typeface is 9-point Comfort Print designed by 2K/Denmark. It is larger than the previous edition. The red-letter is darker than the previous edition and stands out. Both the red and black are consistent throughout. It has around 8-10 words per line, which is more than the previous edition, and was printed with line-matching to improve readability. Poetry looks good, but still has lots of lines with one word. I find this edition better for reading and preaching than the previous edition.

References and Footnotes

This one has fewer references than the previous version. It doesn’t provide the number of references, but it has 2 for Gen 1:1, while the previous edition had 14. They’re placed at the end of the verses, rather than in a center column like the previous edition. Outlined stars show a Messianic prophecy that will be later fulfilled, while filled-in stars show fulfilled Messianic prophecies.

The footnotes are placed under the last verse on the page. This edition has a reduced set of translation footnotes, while the previous edition has the full set.

Book Introductions

The book introductions are the same as the previous edition, but some add an extra chart. They have blue highlights in place of the red highlights of the previous edition. They include a short overview, the author, time of writing, Christ in the book, keys to the book, a detailed survey, and a detailed outline. They include information about culture, history, key people, key events, important messages from the book, etc. Most take around 4 pages, and they’re highly detailed and well-written. They’re excellent for study and teaching.

Study Material

The purpose of The Open Bible is to provide a complete reference system so you can do your own study. This includes a topical index, a large concordance in an NKJV, charts, articles, word studies, and a doctrinal study system with on-page articles. Most of the study material is the same as the previous edition, but it’s in a different location and order. There are a few new features, and a few have been removed. Here’s a look at the study material.

In the Text

Word Studies (new) – Over 200 word studies are placed throughout the text. They cover keywords and concepts in the Scriptures. They include the transliteration from Hebrew or Greek, the Strong’s number, and the word study. It also includes an index in the back, so the word studies are easy to find. I like word studies, and I’m glad to see this added. These alone make this my favorite edition of The Open Bible.

Doctrinal Study – The on-page study system at the bottom of certain pages that steps through major doctrines.

Front

  • Visual Survey of the Bible – this is a set of diagrams between the Old and New Testaments. It has 24 pages and provides a graphic overview of the Bible’s events.
  • How to Study the Bible – a detailed article about Bible study. It covers personal and family study and includes principles on interpretation.
  • The Scarlet Thread of Redemption – an article about salvation through the Bible from start to finish.
  • The Christian’s Guide to the New Life – This is a doctrinal study of 32 outlines that cover major doctrines. It also includes study notes that are placed at the bottom of the pages of specific passages. They’re short articles and include the page number for the next article.
  • Topical Index – This is a large index with over 8000 names, places, concepts, events, and doctrines. This is a great tool for study and sermon prep.

Middle

  • Between the Testaments – an article about the history between the Testaments.
  • Harmony of the Gospels – several pages

Back

  • Read Through the Bible in a Year
  • 60 Days Through the Story of Scripture (new)
  • The Jewish Calendar
  • Jewish Feasts
  • Tables of Monies, Weights, and Measures
  • Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Christ
  • Teaching and Illustrations of Christ 
  • Parables of Jesus Christ
  • Miracles of Jesus Christ
  • A History of the Twelve Apostles (new)
  • The English Bible and Its Development (new)
  • The History of the Red Letter Bible (new)
  • Facts About the Bible (new)
  • The Laws of the Bible
  • Biblical Archaeology (new)
  • The Power of Story (new)
  • Index to Word Studies (new)
  • Index to Charts, Maps, and Illustrations (new)
  • Index to Starred Messianic Prophecies (new)

Removed (articles and charts)

  • The Apocrypha 
  • A Guide to Christian Workers
  • Prayers of the Bible

Concordance

The concordance is 191 pages with 3 columns per page. It’s the same as the previous edition, which is the most comprehensive concordance I’ve seen for the NKJV. The first or last word is placed in the header in blue. It includes proper names and provides topical information about people and places.

Here are some example entries and the number of references they provide:

  • Christ (see Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ, Love of Christ, You are the Christ) – 8 major topics, 170 references
  • Christian – 2
  • Christians – 1
  • Christ’s – 6
  • Christs – 1
  • Faith – 107
  • Faithful – 43
  • Faithfulness – 16
  • Faithless – 4
  • God – 70
  • God the Father – 15
  • Goddess – 2
  • Godhead – 2
  • Godliness – 6
  • Godly – 6
  • Gods – 7
  • Praise – 82
  • Praise the Lord– 19
  • Praised – 15
  • Praises – 8
  • Praiseworthy – 1
  • Praising – 7
  • Pray – 60
  • Prayed – 12
  • Prayer – 38
  • Prayers – 17
  • Praying – 5
  • Prays – 2

Maps

It includes Thomas Nelson’s standard Zondervan full-color maps. They include 7 full-color maps printed on 8 thick glossy pages. It now has an index to maps, which I’m grateful to see. I like the bright earth-tones. They include topography, distance, routes, borders, possible locations of lost places, battles, elevation, cities, and locations for the events of Jesus’ ministry.

Maps include:

  1. World of the Patriarchs
  2. Exodus and Conquest of Canaan
  3. Land of the Twelve Tribes
  4. Kingdom of David and Solomon
  5. Jesus’ Ministry
  6. Paul’s Missionary Journeys
  7. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus

Comparison

Video Review

Conclusion

The 50th Anniversary Open Bible is an excellent update to this already popular study Bible. I prefer the new features, especially the word studies, and I like the smoother feel of the paper. Some will miss the more extensive references and footnotes of the previous edition. This Open Bible focuses more on topics and word studies rather than references. That’s a tradeoff you’ll have to decide for yourself. I would make the trade for the word studies alone.

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This book is available at (includes some affiliate links)

Amazon

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Thomas Nelson provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.