The KJV Classic Study Bible (With C.I. Scofield Notes) is a reprint of the 1917 Scofield Study Bible. Like the recent wide-margin edition, the KJV Store has now released a large print edition in goatskin leather, printed in the Netherlands by Jongbloed. This edition has the improved digital file and is the best edition for those who prefer larger fonts.

The KJV Store provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. 

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This Bible is available at The KJV Store

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Table of Contents

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

Cover and Binding

The cover is black Goatskin. The leather is very thick. The grain looks natural. The leather is soft and flexible. It has a 1-inch yapp with perimeter stitching. Nothing is printed on the front. The spine was made with the Oxford Hollow and has 6 raised hubs. The text and logo are stamped in gold.

The liner is edge-lined calf split leather. It includes a gilt line. The tab is slightly stiff, but it does stay open well. The block is sewn. It includes 3 3/8″ double-sided satin ribbons. They’re burgundy and long enough to pull to the corner to open. The head/tail bands are burgundy to match the ribbons. The overall size is 10 x 7.5 x 1.6″. It weighs 3 lbs, 10.7 oz. This is a large and heavy Bible. It’s best used on the desk or table. It will also fit a large pulpit.

Paper

The paper is premium French “PrimaBible” 32 GSM Bible paper. It’s ivory in color and extremely opaque for its thickness. It’s smooth and feels silky to the touch. I find the pages easy enough to grab and turn. It looks and feels premium. I find this color great for reading. Page edges are art-gilt with red under gold.

Other Pages

In the front are family presentation pages printed on several thick end sheets. It also includes thick end sheets in the back. These help to build the structure. Family pages include family records, children, marriages, grandchildren, and deaths. These are the older pages from Cambridge. In the back are 16 pages of the 32 GSM Bible paper for notes. The label is a touch low on the page, which causes the user to write around it.

Typography

The typesetting is over 100 years old. The KJV text is presented in a double-column verse-by-verse format. The references are placed in the center column, with commentary at the bottom of the page. The header includes the chapter and verse numbers for the first and last verse on each page on the outer edge of both columns. The book title is in bold in the center. Section headings are in italics and show references for parallel passages.

The font is 11-point. It’s sharp, dark, and highly consistent. The red letter is bold and goes through Revelation. I like the old font style. It averages around 6-8 words per line. The text never feels too crowded. There are no self-pronouncing marks in the text. Instead, that information is placed in the back.

There are more section headings in the text than in most KJVs. The headings divide the text into an outline and help to create paragraphs. They provide a good description of the text. Some include theology. There are also breaks within the books to show major natural breaks (like Psalms). These breaks go across both columns. This edition has wider margins than most study Bibles, with 7/8″ Outside and 1/2″ Inside. This is great for small notes.

References and Footnotes

The references and footnotes are keyed to the text with letters, and you can’t tell which it is without looking. They follow down the left column and then the right column, but they’re not near the verses they correspond to. A note or reference at the bottom of the page might go to a verse at the top of the page. They include a date from Usher’s chronology to show when the events took place.

The references are topical chains (but not as detailed as the Tompson Chain Reference). They include the subject and a chain reference to the next verse. They show the first and last references in parentheses so you can easily find the beginning of a chain or the summary. The summary appears on the page of the last verse of the chain and is part of the commentary of that page. Some of them include charts.

Here are some example references to help you compare:

  • Genesis 1:1 – Jn 1:1; Diety (names of) Gen 2:4, 7; Gen 1:1; Mal 3:18
  • Deuteronomy 6:4 – Mk 12:29
  • Isaiah 9:6 – Lk 2:7; Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:9; Christ (first advent) Is 28:16; Gen 3:15; Ac 1:9; Kingdom (OT) vs 6, 7; Is 11:1-2; Gen 1:26; Zech 12:8; Israel (prophesies) vs 6, 7; Isa 11:1-3; Gen 12:2,3; Rom 11:26
  • Matthew 17:20 – Mt 16:8; 21:21; Lk 176; Faith Mk 9:23; Gen 3:20; Heb 11:39
  • Mark 11:23 – Mt 17:20; Lk 11:1; 17:6; Jn 14:13, 14
  • Mark 12:29 – Jehovah Dt 6:4
  • John 1:1 – Rev 19:13; Jn 17:5; Heb 1:8, 13; 1 Jn 5:20
  • John 2:19 – Mt 2:61; 27:40
  • Acts 2:38 – Ac 3:19; Mt 3:2; Ac 17:30; Mt 26:28; Rom 3:23
  • Rom 10:9 – Mt 10:32; Lk 12:8; Ac 8:37; 1 Cor 12:3; Rom 1:16
  • 1 John 1:1 – Jn 1:1; 1 Jn 2:13; Jn 5:24; Ac 4:20; Jn 1:14; 2 Pet 1:16, 17; Lk 24:39; Jn 20:27; Jn 1:1, 14

Section and Book Introductions

The introductions show the books grouped into genres such as poetry, prophecy, etc. These sections have their own introductions and include the chronological order of the books in that genre following Usher’s chronology.

The book introductions are short but provide good information. They include information about the author, setting, main themes, a simple outline, major divisions, and dates based on Usher’s chronology.

Study Material

The Classic Study Bible doesn’t include a lot of study material compared to modern study Bibles. It has commentary at the bottom of the page and indexes at the back.

Commentary

The commentary is keyed to the verses with numbers. It provides the number in the verse and the commentary, but it doesn’t include the verse number in the commentary. This makes it difficult to know which verse the note corresponds to at a glance. The commentary covers themes rather than individual verses. The commentary is short and isn’t placed on every page. This makes this a good option as a reference edition if you don’t need a lot of notes. The notes include insights into Hebrew and Greek.

Index

This is an 8-page index to the Scofield analyses, notes, definitions, summaries, and subjects. This is helpful for sermon prep, Sunday school prep, and other material.

Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names

This is a 44-page index that includes all the proper names in the Bible with their pronunciation, a short description, and references. It works as a pronunciation guide, so the text doesn’t have to include it.

Subject-Index

This is a 38-page topical index that lists subtopics and Scriptures for each. This is one of my favorite tools in this Study Bible, and it’s excellent for sermon prep and personal study.

Concordance

The concordance is 162 pages with 2 columns per page. The references are provided verse-by-verse with snippets from the verses. It has several others placed under the last reference with just their references. It includes lots of entries, making it an excellent tool for personal study and sermon prep.

Here are a few example entries with the number of references they provide:

  • Christ – 15
  • Christian – 3
  • Faith – 133
  • Faithful – 57
  • Faithfully – 4
  • Faithfulness – 11
  • Faithless – 4
  • God – 60
  • God (an idol) – 20
  • Goddess – 3
  • Godhead – 3
  • Godliness – 14
  • Godly – 14
  • God Save the King – 1
  • Praise (n) – 41
  • Praise (v) – 25
  • Pray – 45
  • Prayer – 39

Maps

In the back are 12 old Oxford maps printed on thick pages. The colors are bold, with lots of brown for land and a light blue for water. They contain a lot of information. The text is bold, which makes it a little difficult to read. The maps include longitude and latitude, elevation, distance, land structure, cities, Scripture references, dates, territories, routes, etc. It also includes a 6-page index to maps. The index makes the maps a lot easier to use.

Maps include:

  1. Lands and Nations of the Bible
  2. Egypt, Sinai Peninsula, and Syria (with Plan of the Tabernacle inset)
  3. The Promised Land
  4. The Hebrew Kingdom Under David and Solomon (with Jerusalem of David and Solomon, Solomon’s Temple, and Solomon’s Temple and Palace inset)
  5. Kingdoms of Judah and Israel (with Jerusalem in 440 BC, and Persian Province of Judah Under Nehemiah 445 BC.
  6. Assyrian and Babylonian Empires
  7. Persian and Greek Empires
  8. The Ptolemaic Seleucid and Roman Empires 250-150 BC, and Palestine Under the Maccabees
  9. Palestine in the Time of Christ (with Temple of Herod, and Jerusalem Before 70 AD inset)
  10. Mediterranean Lands Illustrating the Acts and Epistles
  11. Roman Empires of the 1st Century After Christ
  12. Galilee, and Environs of Jerusalem

Comparison

Here’s how the Large Print Classic Study Bible compares to similar editions from The KJV Store.

Wide Margin

This wide-margin edition was also printed by Jongbloed. It has the same materials (paper, leather, and ribbons) and print quality. It’s slightly smaller overall and has a smaller font. Both are high-quality editions and make a great combo.

Lambskin Large Print

The lambskin large print edition uses the older print and paper from the US printer. It’s a good option if you can’t get the goatskin edition, but I highly recommend spending the extra for the Jongbloed printing for the paper and print quality.

Video Review

Conclusion

The KJV Store’s Large Print Classic Study Bible is easily one of the best versions of the Scofield that I’ve seen. Its quality matches Schuyler, Cambridge, and RL Allan. If I could make one change, it would be the maps. They are usable, though, and I wouldn’t let this stop me from using this Bible. If you’re interested in a high-quality, large-print version of the Scofield Study Bible, The KJV Store Large Print Classic Study Bible (With C.I. Scofield Notes) Goatskin Edition is the best choice.

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This book is available at The KJV Store

_________________________________________________________

The KJV Store 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.