There are several KJV Study Bibles on the market, but the Holman KJV Study Bible is the only one with full color photos and maps throughout the text. The quality of the color visuals, along with the quality of paper, consistency of print, and quality of tools make this one of the best study Bibles that I’ve seen.
Pros
- Notes provide multiple points of view
- Full color throughout
Cons
- Large
- Heavy
Here are some of the basic features:
- Presentation page
- Family records
- 20 Articles and essays
- Center column references
- 15,000 Notes
- 141 Full-color photos
- 8 Full-color maps + 59 in the text
- 15 Charts
- Section headings
- Red-letter
- Thick paper
- Glossary
- Concordance
- Maps
- Ribbon marker
- 1 and 3 year reading plans
- 9.5 x 7 x 2.25
- $30-54 (depending on edition)
Binding
I bought the hard cover edition because I wanted for desk reference (plus I got a coupon from Lifeway, making it irresistible). The hard cover edition is built strong. I also looked at the brown imitation leather edition. It had stitching all around and had two ribbons. It was tempting but it was double the price, so I went with hard cover.
Text
It looks like 9-point font, but I’m just guessing. This is a red-letter edition. The red text looks more pink than red, but it is consistent in its print quality.
There are plenty of headings in the text. The color of the headings is kind of a dark turquoise. This same color is used for the verse numbers. This is not my favorite color for text, but it’s not bad.
There is almost an inch margin on the outside margins.
The top outside corner of each page shows the verse number of the first verse that starts on that page.
The notes look like maybe a 5-point font (but again, just guessing).
Paper
The paper feels like good quality book paper. It isn’t as thin as most Bibles, but it is thinner than most books. It doesn’t feel cheap. It’s extremely opaque.
References
These are center column references that are keyed to the text, both with letters and with verse numbers. There are plenty of references. Genesis 1 has 21 references. There are no textual notes within the reference section- these are found in the notes section.
Maps
There are 8 full-color maps in the back (with no index to maps). There are 59 color maps throughout the text. Many of them are full-page.
Essays and Articles
There are several essays and articles including: “Steps to a Classic”, “Epistle Dedicatory”, “Translators to the Reader”, “How to Read and Study the Bible”, and “The Origin, Transmission, and Canonization of the Old Testament Books”.
Book Introductions
There are introductions to each book that includes an introductory thought with a picture. It also has sections called Circumstances of Writing, Message and Purpose, Contribution to the Bible, and Structure. There is a timeline and an extensive outline.
Notes
The notes in the Holman KJV Study Bible are much better than most study Bibles. They often offer multiple views on a topic. I like this format because many times people tend to think that the notes are correct simply because they are printed in the Bible. This method allows you to be familiar with more than one viewpoint, encouraging you to study the topic further. With 15,000 notes, there are plenty of study notes to keep you busy.
Glossary
There is a glossary that covers many of the old English words that have changed meanings or are no longer in use.
Concordance
The concordance is 40 pages and has 3 columns per page. It actually has more in it than I expected.
Reading plans
There are two reading plans. One for reading the Bible through in one year and one for reading the Bible through in three years. Each plan has check-boxes so you can mark what you’ve read.
Conclusion
The Holman KJV Study Bible is my favorite edition of any KJV Study Bible. Its notes are better than most study Bibles. The full-color maps and images are beautiful. This is one of the most feature-rich and best study Bibles that I’ve seen.
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KJV Study Bible, HardcoverBy Holman Bible Publishers |
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KJV Study Bible, Black Genuine LeatherBy Holman Bible Publishers |
Great Review! Pictures and commentary convincing.
This is one of the best study bibles out here hands down. I was useing the NIV then picked up this Holman KJV And realized what I’d been missing. Not to speek against the NIV version but their is text that has been omitted and not sure why? I’m sure their are mistakes in all but the other NIV has not been matching up just my opinion. I could be wrong but just wanted to make sure but God be with all no matter what version they use and the writers who thought it was ok to just omit what they wanted. God bless you and your family.