The NKJV Evangelical Study Bible is a new large print study Bible from Thomas Nelson and Liberty University that focuses on mainstream evangelical theology with the goal of building your faith. It includes lots of historical and contextual background information, commentary, articles, biographies, full-color maps, and lots more. It’s available in several covers. I’m reviewing the black genuine leather, ISBN: 978078529746, printed in China.
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.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
- Video Review
- Cover and Binding
- Paper
- Typography
- References
- Book Introductions
- Study Material
- Concordance
- Maps
- Comparisons
- Conclusion
Video Review
Cover and Binding
The cover is black genuine leather. It has a deep pebbly grain with nothing printed on the front. The spine prints the title horizontally in gold and the logos vertically. The liner is paste-down and the block is sewn. It says open on the first page with no trouble. It has two 3/8″ ribbons: black and green. The overall size is 6 3/4 x 9 5/8 x 2″.
Paper
The paper is 36gsm. It’s white in color and has a rough texture that’s easy to grab and turn. It’s highly opaque and a joy to use. This is some of the best paper I’ve seen in a study Bible.
Typography
The NKJV text is presented in a double-column paragraph layout with poetry set to stanzas and letters indented. Cross references are placed in the center column. Notes are placed at the bottom of the page, separated from the text by a line. The header shows the page number, book name, and references in the outer margin. Section headings are in a dark copper. The outer margins are .5″.
The font is 10.5 Comfort Print designed by 2K/Denmark for the Thomas Nelson NKJV. It was printed with line-matching, meaning the text is placed in the same location on both sides of the page to improve readability. This is a red-letter edition. Both the red and black text are dark. The red letter is printed in burgundy. There is enough white space in the text to make it highly readable. The poetic settings are divided into good places, so there are very few lines with just one word.
References
There are 72,000 center-column cross-references printed over a tan background. They are keyed to the text with letters and include the main reference in the center column. They also include the complete set of translation footnotes. When there are too many to fit in the center column, the rest are placed at the bottom of the second column, under the last verse.
Here are a few example references to help you compare:
- Genesis 1:1 – Ps 102:25; Is 40:21; Jn 1:1-3; Heb 1:10; Gen 2:4; Ps 8:3; 89:11; 90:2; Is 44:24; Acts 17:24; Rom 1:20; Heb 1:2; 11:3; Rev 4:11
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – Deut 4:35; Mark 12:29; John 17:3; 1 Cor 8:4, 6
- Isaiah 9:6 – Isa 7:14; Luke 2:11; John 1:45; Luke 2:7; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9; Matt 28:18; 1 Cor 15:25; Rev 12:5; Judg 13:18; Titus 2:13; Eph 2:14
- Matthew 28:19 – Mark 16:15; Is 52:10; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38,39; Rom 10:18; Col 1:23
- Mark 12:29 – Deut 6:4, 5; Is 44:8; 45:22; 46:9; 1 Cor 8:6
- John 1:1 – Gen 1:1; Col 1:17; 1 John 1:1; John 1:14; Rev 19:13; John 17:5; 1 John 1:2; 5:20
- John 3:16 – Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4; 2 Thess 2:16; IJohn 4;9, 10; Rev 1:5; Is 9:6
- Acts 2:38 – Luke 24:47
- 1 John 1:1 – John 1:1; 1 John 2:13, 14; Luke 1:2; John 1:14; 2 Pet 1:16; Luke 24:39; John 20:27; John 1:1, 4, 14
Book Introductions
There is an introduction to both the Old and New Testaments. They include a good overview of each Testament. It also includes a section that discusses the time between the Testaments. It covers the time period, the Jewish sects, and a chronology chart.
Each book includes a short introduction of just a few paragraphs. They include things like the title, author, themes, setting, major events, major characters, and sometimes a simple outline. They discuss the unique features of the books or provide insights into what makes the book stand out. They’re short, but they generally provide good information to start your study of the book and to help you understand the context.
Study Material
All of the notes are from a conservative viewpoint from Liberty University. Many of the notes include artwork, photos, maps, etc.
God’s Answers to Our Concerns
In the front is a 2-page list of topics with Scripture references. It provides a short topic name with several verses to look up in the Bible. The topics are issues that we deal with on a daily basis.
Questions
It asks questions and provides detailed answers with lots of Scripture references.
Articles
There are several articles in the front and between the Testaments. The take a few pages and are well-written. They include:
- About the Bible
- How to Study the Bible
- Between the Testaments
- The Jewish Sects
Commentary
These are the main annotations that cover almost every verse. The portion of the text that the note covers is printed in blue. They provide insights into the text and include definitions and Hebrew and Greek words.
Doctrinal Footnotes
These focus on the major doctrines. They include explanations, illustrations, and applications.
Personality Profiles
These cover the main people in the Bible. They provide short biographies and include the key points about them and include references. Women have a pink background and men have a blue background.
Archaeological Sites
These cover archaeological sites and provide color photos of locations and artifacts if possible. They discuss the locations in the Bible and include lots of archaeological information about the sites, archaeologists, and more. These are my favorite notes in the Evangelical Study Bible.
Apologetics Articles
These provide answers to questions that many of us face today. They include everything from debate topics to just curious questions.
Maps and Charts
There are lots of color maps and charts within the notes. They include annotations with Scripture references.
Topical Index to Christ and the Gospels
This is an index of Jesus’ life. Instead of a table or chart, the information is provided as a list of topics. Within each topic are several sub-topics divided into sections with Scripture references. The sections label the topics and are placed in italics, so they’re easy to scan and understand at a glance.
Table of Monies, Weights, and Measures
This is a 2-page table with the unit, monetary value, equivalents, and translations.
The Jewish Calendar
This table shows the months, what it corresponds with today, the number of days, the moth of the civil year, and the month of the sacred year. It also includes the times of the Jewish day and what they correspond to.
Prayers of the Bible
This is a list of all the prayers in the Bible listed in alphabetical order by subject. It shows the subject, the purpose of the prayer, and the reference.
Concordance
This Bible has a 3-column, 153-page concordance. It includes proper names for people and places with information and references. This is a large concordance and it’s great for Bible study and sermon prep.
Here are some example entries and the number of references they provide:
- Christ – 33
- Christian – 2
- Christians – 1
- Christs – 1
- Faith – 56
- Faithful – 26
- Faithfulness – 9
- Faithless – 2
- God – 70
- Goddess – 2
- Godhead – 2
- Godliness – 6
- Godly – 6
- Gods – 7
- Praise – 38
- Praised – 6
- Praises – 5
- Praiseworthy – 1
- Praising – 3
- Pray – 23
- Prayed – 3
- Prayer – 21
- Prayers – 9
Maps
In the back are 7 Zondervan maps printed on thick, semi-glossy paper. They include topography, elevation, distance, routes, borders, possible locations of lost places, battles, cities, cities of refuge, empires with dates, locations of events of prophets, locations for the events of Jesus’ ministry, and locations for the events of the apostles and missionaries.
Maps include:
- World of the Patriarchs
- Exodus and Conquest of Canaan
- Land of the Twelve Tribes
- Kingdom of David and Solomon
- Jesus’ Ministry
- Paul’s Missionary Journeys
- Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus
Comparisons
NKJV Study Bible
Conclusion on the Evangelical Study Bible
The NKJV Evangelical Study Bible is a well-designed and well-made study Bible. The paper and print quality is amazing. I’m a fan of color photos and maps in study Bibles and this one easily delivers. It has a lot of study material on almost every page. Although the commentary is only from one point of view, it does have a lot of tools that most denominations would enjoy.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
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.