Hendrickson’s KJV Devotional Bible – Review

Hendrickson’s KJV Devotional Bible is not your typical devotional Bible. It pulls from 400 years of writings from 185 authors to give you 400 devotions sprinkled throughout the text. Even though it’s set in verse format, the layout is nicer than normal because poetry is indented, setting it apart from the rest of the text.

Pros

• Thick paper
• Sewn binding
• Poetry indented

Cons

• Pages are severely stuck together out of the box
• Doesn’t lay flat out of the box

Features

• KJV
• Imitation leather
• Sewn binding
• Presentation page
• History of the KJV
• 400 devotions
• Red letter
• Section headings
• Book introductions
• Translator’s notes
• End of verse references
• 2 ribbons
• Dictionary/concordance
• 8 maps
• Silver gilting
• Devotional index
• Author profiles
• 8 7/8 x 5 5/8 x 1 3/8
• ISBN: 9781598568332
• Christianbook price $13.99
• Amazon price $35.24

Cover and Binding

I did a double-take when I saw the cover. I looked at the box to make sure it was imitation leather. I thought that Christianbook had sent me a leather edition by accident. It says it’s imitation leather. I went back to Christianbook and typed in the ISBN number that is stamped on the back of the cover. It still says it’s imitation leather. This cover could have fooled me. It reminds me of the cover from Foundation’s Side Column Reference NASB. Hendrickson calls it Flexisoft. It’s thick and has a nice grain. All of the writing is stamped into it. The liner is vinylish card stock. The binding is sewn but it still has trouble lying flat. I was able to get it to stay open somewhere in Leviticus. I’m sure it will break in with use.

Paper

This is some of the thickest paper I’ve seen in a Bible that’s not a wide margin edition. While turning pages there were many times that I thought I grabbed two pages but it turned out to be one page. It’s also very opaque. I am surprise at the paper quality in this price range. I am not a fan of how the edges were cut. It leaves a ridge on the edge of the page that feels awkward. The pages were stuck together so bad that I had to turn every single page to get them unstuck. They were stuck so bad that the fanning trick would not work. It makes me appreciate publishers that unstick the pages for you.

Print

To me it looks like a 9-point font with a 10-point leading (9/10). Of course that’s just a guess. The print quality is fairly consistent throughout. It’s about a medium boldness. It’s not as dark as the Clarion but it looks to be about the same size. The red-letter is not as dark as I would like and it does have some slight variation. There are no pronunciation marks.

Layout

The layout is where this Bible shines. It’s about my favorite layout for a KJV. It’s a two column setting in verse-by-verse format (my personal preference for preaching and teaching) with poetry indented to set it apart. I wish this were standard in all KJV’s. References appear at the end of the verse. They’re printed in bold. There are not a lot of them, but there are enough to be helpful. Translation notes appear at the bottom of the page. They’re keyed to the text with letters and include the chapter and verse number that they relate to. Section headings are also in bold print. There are lots of them. I like section headings because they help break up the text and make it easier to read.

Book Introductions

For each book there is a one-page introduction. It includes background information, the message of the book, the time the book was written, and an outline. The background talks about the type of writing the book contains, the culture, people, situation, how or why the book was written, and who wrote it. The message tells the reason for the book and sometimes includes a key verse. The time discusses the setting when the book was written and a possible date of writing. There is some good information in the introductions but I think the outlines might be a little too simple.

Devotions

This is not your standard devotional Bible. Most have a daily reading with a devotion to make you think about the text. These devotions are actually excerpts from writings by popular authors and preachers from the last several hundred years – both past and present (including Lancelot Andrews who helped prepare the KJV translation). Writings include books, letters, prayers, sermons, poems, and songs. They are placed near the text they relate to. You might go many pages without seeing a devotion and then you’ll see several together. I like this because devotions are there as needed, where needed, and not there because it fits the schedule of reading. Some of them look like articles while others look like quick thoughts. Looking through Romans 8 you’ll see an article titled Death to Sin Through Christ on one page and the words to Amazing Grace on the other. The list of authors is really what surprised me the most. Some of the names that stood out to me are:

• Jane Austen
• John Bunyan
• Oswald Chambers
• Daniel Defoe
• James Dobson
• Johnathan Edwards
• Gloria Gaither
• Billy Graham
• Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Matthew Henry
• C. S. Lewis
• Dwight L. Moody
• Thomas Moore
• Walter Scott
• Ann Spangler
• R. C. Sproul
• Charles Spurgeon
• Robert Louis Stevenson
• Charles Swindoll
• R. A. Torrey
• A. W. Tozer
• Isaac Watts
• Charles Wesley
• John Wesley

And that’s just a few. There are 400 writings from 185 authors and preachers (if I counted right). The devotions alone are worth the price of this Bible. Each of the large devotions includes a title, the verse it references, the author, and the source material. Smaller devotions usually only have a thought or poem with the author’s name. If it’s a song it will also include the song title.

Daily Reading Plan

There is a daily reading plan that gives you 3 readings per day. The readings are: OT1, OT2, and NT/Psalms. Each reading gives you the day (numbered 1-365) and the date.

Dictionary Concordance

Instead of just a concordance this one is combined with a dictionary. It is similar to the Clarion’s Reader’s Companion only it’s much smaller. It has 32 pages and includes words, people, places, and ideas. All entries have a definition and most have a list of verses. With only 32 pages there can’t be a lot here but there is enough to give you information about the basics.

Author Profiles

This is a short bio of each author with the dates they lived. It also gives the page numbers where their devotions are found. Some of them tell who they were friends with or give the names of some of their writings.

Acknowledgements Index

This is an index of the devotionals. It includes the page number, Scripture, author, and the source information of the writing the devotional is an excerpt from. This is helpful if you want to cite the work in your own writings or if you want to get the books for your own reading.

Maps

There are 8 full color maps on thick, semi-glossy paper. They are well-labeled and easy to use. I would like to see the dictionary give the map information (tell which map and the letter and number for each place). The dictionary would then double as an index to maps without taking up much more space.

A Concise History of the King James Bible

In the front is a 4-page article that covers the history of the KJV translation. It covers major editions and revisions. Special mention is made of The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible and several translations including the RV, RSV, and NASB.

Conclusion

In my opinion the features of this Bible without the devotions is worth the money. I love the layout, paper, and print. Also, the devotions alone are worth the money. Put the two together and you’ve got a winner that’s hard to beat.