Zondervan’s NIV Verse Mapping Bible has 420 verse maps (350 started, 70 blank) alongside the NIV Biblical text to help you use this 5-step study method to better understand God’s Word.
ISBN: 9780310454595 Printed in South Korea
Zondervan 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.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
Video Review
Construction and Materials
I have the gray cloth over board hardcover edition of the NIV Verse Mapping Bible. It measures 8 1/4″ x 6 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ and weighs just under 2 pounds, 11 ounces. It has one attached light gray ribbon bookmark and a sewn binding. The endpapers are patterned gray thick paper.
It has a smooth white paper that we are guessing is in the upper 30s gsm.
This Bible is also available in a brown leathersoft cover and a 2/3 gray leathersoft 1/3 navy and gray patterned cloth cover. Both of these come with two ribbon markers and are available with or without thumb indexing.
Typography and Layout
The text is an 8 point Comfort Print font. It is all black letter and the ink darkness is consistent throughout. A second ink color, a slightly blueish green is used for chapter numbers and section headings.
The header is also done in green with a guide verse and page number in the outside corner.
It is laid out in two-column paragraph format with a 2 inch wide lightly lined outer margin.
Poetry is done in a verse-by-verse stanza format.
The only footnotes are translators’ notes which are keyed with small matching superscript letters in the text and footnote.
I don’t have a problem reading small text and prefer a paragraph format most of the time. These small fonts and even smaller verse numbers will make this Bible difficult to use for some. Even with the Comfort Print being more readable at smaller sizes than many other fonts.
Verse Mapping
Verse Mapping is a 5 step method of studying the Bible designed by Kristy Cambron. You
- choose a verse
- compare various translations and find key words
- lookup these key words in the Hebrew or Greek
- ask questions about what is going on in the verse and the surrounding verses to help you understand it
- Write down what God is saying through the chosen verse and how it applies to your life.
The verse maps in this Bible are done mostly in the green color that is used for section headings within the text of the Bible. A lighter version of the same color is put as a background dividing the page into 5 parts.
In this Bible 350 verses have been included with the first 3 steps of this study method already completed. This is really nice for those who are new to Bible Study or nervous about writing in their Bible.
An additional 70 completely blank Verse Maps are also included for you to do the same type of in-depth study on additional verses that are your favorites or ones you want to more fully understand.
This verse mapping form of Bible study looks really interesting. Reading verses in other translations and looking up the words in the original languages are already study methods I use sometimes. This method of Bible study introduces those ideas to some and encourages the rest of us to use them regularly. Figuring out how verses apply to our lives is a good habit to get into. The emphasis on using the Bible for your answers is especially good.
If there is enough demand for Bibles with verse mapping space in them I would love to see a second edition with different started verses and more blank verse maps then half-filled in ones for those who have already become comfortable with this form of study.
Other Features
How to Verse Map
A 2-page explanation of the hows and whys of verse mapping is included in the front of the Bible. First, it explains you don’t have to be a scholar to use this method and the few rules (back everything up with Scripture and make it your own). Then it gives you a list of tools needed (and gives some tips for using Biblegateway as one of those tools). Lastly, there is an explanation of each of the 5 study steps.
Book Introductions
There is a book introduction for all 66 books of the Bible. These give you the author, date written, and where the book takes place. A list of themes within the book and an introduction that details writing style and facts that might be useful to understand the context of the book (and help you with step 4 of your verse map)
Topical Index
A four-page three-column topical index of all of the started verse maps is included in the back of the Bible. I really like that they included this since it makes finding a verse map to go along with things you are already studying so much easier.
Notes
Only a couple of pages for Notes have been included in the back. Since there are so few the main purpose I see for these is a list of the verses you choose to map and/or a place to test pens before you use them in the main part of your Bible
The NIV Verse Mapping Bible for Girls
Zondervan has also produced the NIV Verse Mapping Bible for Girls. It is available in two different covers, a teal leathersoft, and a multicolor hardback.
This is basically the same Bible as the regular Verse Mapping Bible. The font size, pagination, started Verse Maps, number and placement of the blank verse maps, and the topical index are all the same.
There are a few differences. The text is navy instead of black. The accent color used for the verse maps, section headings, and page headers has been changed from green to bright turquoise. Some of the language in the book introductions and how-to verse map has been changed slightly to make it easier to read by those with a smaller vocabulary. And the personal story in the introduction is about the first Bible Kristy bought for herself rather than about reading her father’s study Bible after his death. Also, these have fewer ribbon markers, with the leathersoft only having one, and the hardcover not having one at all.
Having two “for girls” editions does give you more cover options. This gives you a chance to pick a Bible that is more personal or each person have a different-looking Bible if a group is journaling together. If they hadn’t put the words “for girls” on the cover of the hardcover version I can see this Bible easily being used by anyone regardless of gender or age.
ISBN 9780310454687
Links to purchase the hardcover for girls edition.
Amazon Christianbook Church Source
Final Thoughts on the NIV Verse Mapping Bible
The NIV Verse Mapping Bible is a nice choice for a directed journaling or study Bible. Its emphasis on using scripture to help you understand scripture and learning study habits we all need (looking up words, considering context, and figuring out the application) seems like an excellent choice. The started verse maps will make this easier to use for those new to Bible study or just verse mapping. Though, them outnumbering the blank verse maps by so much might make it slightly less useful for more experienced journalers. If you are interested in this sort of Bible study/journaling and are comfortable with a smaller font this is a great Bible.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Photography by Lucinda Brown
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.
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