The KJV Henry Morris Study Bible (Defender’s Edition) is a Young Earth Creation apologetics resource with over 10,000 study notes from Dr. Henry Morris, who is considered the father of modern creationism teachings. The 2025 edition of the Henry Morris Study Bible follows the same pagination and tools as the previous edition. The differences are the paper and cover options. I’m reviewing the hardcover edition, ISBN: 9781683444114, printed in South Korea.
Master Books 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)
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Table of Contents
- Cover and Binding
- Paper
- Typography
- References
- Book Introductions
- Study Material
- Concordance
- Maps
- Video Review
- Conclusion
Specs
- King James Version
- Sewn binding
- 10-point font for text and notes
- 2 ribbon markers
- 8 pages of maps
- 46-page concordance
- In-text references
- Red letter
- Section headings
- 22 Appendixes
- Study notes with Young Earth viewpoint
- Index to notes
- Book introductions
- Presentation page
- Births and adoptions page
- Introduction to the Old and New Testaments
- Pronunciation accent marks
- 6.75 x 9.5 x 2.5
Cover and Binding
This is a hardcover edition, but it’s actually imitation leather over board. It’s brown and has lots of variation in color that draws me to it. The texture looks and feels like real leather. On the front is a sword and shield debossed in a darker brown. The spine is slightly rounded, and also has the text and logo debossed in dark brown. On the back is the text Defender’s Edition. The liner is brown paper. This is a sewn binding, and it has no trouble staying open to any page. It includes two .25″ brown ribbons. The overall size is 6.75 x 9.6 x 2.1 inches. It weighs 3 lbs, 13.4 oz.
Paper
The paper is dark cream. It’s somewhere in the mid-30s in GSM, and it’s smooth to the touch and separates easily. There is no glare under direct light, but it does have more show-through than I’d like. This is highlighted by the fact that the text isn’t line-matched. It’s still very readable, though. The cream color does help with readability. The page edges are gold, even in the hardcover edition. There are 14 lined pages in the back for notes.
Typography
The KJV text is presented in a double-column, verse-by-verse layout with no special formatting. It has a lot of section headings, which work as paragraphs. References are placed at the end of the verses. Commentary is placed in two columns under the text. The header shows the page number in the center and the book name and reference in the outer margin.
The font is 10 point. It’s a modern design and fairly thin for its height. I like this font design. There is extra space between some of the words to make it fit the page when right-justified. The red letter is about a medium shade. The red has some minor color variation, but it’s never too light. The black is dark and consistent. It has between 8-10 words per line on average. The text includes the simplified style of pronunciation marks to show the syllables and which are stressed. Overall, I like reading this text. I don’t notice the show-through or cream paper after a while.
References and Definitions
Cross references are placed at the end of verses. They’re marked in the text with an R. The references are helpful for basic study, but there are a lot more in the notes. There are a few definitions for archaic words. These are marked in the text with a T. I’m glad these were included.
Here are some example references to help you compare:
- Genesis 1:1 – Jn1:1-3; Ac 17:24
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – 1 Cor 8:4, 6
- Isaiah 9:6 – Lk 2:11; Jn 3:16; Mat 28:18; Ju 13:18; Titus 2:13
- Matthew 17:20 – Lk 17:6
- Mark 11:23 – Mat 17:20; 21:21
- Mark 12:29 – Dt 6:4, 5
- John 1:1 – 1 Jn 1:1; Re 19:13; Jn 17:5; 1 Jn 5:20
- John 2:19 – Mat 26:61; 27:40
- Acts 2:38 – Lk 24:47
- Romans 10:9 – Lk 12:8
- 1 John 1:1 – Jn 1:1, 14; 2 Pet 1:16; Lk 24:39
Book Introductions
It has introductions to the Old and New Testaments and book introductions. The OT and NT introductions give an overview of the types of content and notes in each.
The book introductions take one page and have several paragraphs that discuss the author, setting, information about the book itself, key topics, key messages, key people, types of writing in the book, etc. They include a lot of historical facts, which I found interesting. They even include information about the Dead Sea Scrolls and the authenticity of the books.
Study Material
Study Notes – There are 10,000 detailed study notes placed at the bottom of the page. Many pages include more notes than Bible text. The focus is on Young Earth Creation, but it also includes theology, culture, facts, dates, word studies in Greek and Hebrew, etc. The notes on creation are extremely detailed and well-thought-out. This is the most detailed on Creation of any Study Bible that I’m aware of. The main approach is to show what the Bible says, how this fits the Young Earth view, and then show how it’s supported by science. Some of the notes go a little further into scientific theory than what’s described in the Scriptures. I think most of it is easy to follow and understand, but I wouldn’t use all of it for teaching.
Index to Major Topics in Annotations – This is an index to all of the topics covered in the study notes. It shows the topic names and Scripture references where the notes are found. This index makes this Bible a lot easier to use.
Appendices – There are 22 appendices. These are articles about creation, the KJV, science, etc. These are well-written. Some of the articles do support KJVO. I’d like to see more on Creation and not include the KJVO topics. I didn’t see KJVO anywhere else in the notes or index.
Concordance
The concordance is 47 pages with three columns per page. It does not include proper names, including Christ. It has 56 for God, which is more than most concordances. It also includes Create, Creation, and Creator, which are appropriate for this Bible.
Maps
In the back are 8 colorful maps printed on semi-glossy paper. They’re annotated and include lots of information. Mountains are easy to tell apart from deserts.
Maps include:
- The Ancient World at the Time of the Patriarchs
- The Exodus
- The Twelve Apostles
- The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
- Palestine in the New Testament Times
- Ministry of Jesus
- New Testament Jerusalem
- Paul’s Missionary Journeys
Video Review
Conclusion
The Henry Morris Study Bible Defender’s Edition is an excellent Bible for Young Earth Creation. The paper is a little darker than I’d like, but it’s still easy enough to read. I love the cover, and it seems to be made well. This has some of the best content for the topic of Creation in one place, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the subject.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
_________________________________________________________
Master Books 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.
