Unlike the common study Bible which provides commentary on the text, cross references, articles, and other study helps, Thomas Nelson’s KJV Word Study Bible is a study Bible that focuses on word studies of the original languages. Almost every page includes a word study that’s keyed to Strong’s dictionary.
ISBN: 9780718085230
Thomas Nelson provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review – only an honest review. My opinions are my own.
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BINDING
This is a hardcover edition with a dust jacket. The cover itself looks the same as the dust jacket. It’s sewn and has no problem lying open on page one. It weighs 3 lbs 2 ounces and measure 9 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ x 1 7/8″. I find it much easier to handle without the dust jacket. I like the color and the three bands with English, Greek, and Hebrew.
PAPER
The paper is 39gsm. The pages are super easy to turn. It has an egg-shell white color and has no glare under direct light (the flash of the camera creates hot-spots that you won’t see under lighting). It’s highly opaque. This is some of the most opaque paper I’ve seen in a study Bible.
TYPOGRAPHY
The text is presented in double-column verse-by-verse format. The text includes dark blue section headings and highlights (except for Psalms, which has black section headings and blue chapter numbers with no drop-cap). The header includes the book name, chapter, and verse number in the outer margin and page number in the center. The word studies appear at the end of the last verse on the page (in a dark blue box), so they’re always on the right side of the page. Some pages use most of the right column while others just use the bottom quarter. The words that appear in the word studies are underlined in the text.
The font is almost 10 point and is darker than average, which is my preference. I’m sure the darkness is partially due to the paper. The red letter is about a medium shade of red but it’s not printed as bold as I like. There is some printing variation throughout, but the text is never light. It has italics for supplied words, but since there are no footnotes or references there are no other markings aside from the underlined words to indicate word studies.
It has excellent spacing between the words and lines. It has around 42 characters across with around 8 words per line. The text is highly readable
BOOK INTRODUCTIONS
Book introductions take about a half page. They provide a summary of the book, discussing key events and characters. They tell the meaning of the book’s name and provide an outline. They also have Watch Words. These are keywords for the book and include a description and reference.
WORD STUDIES
The word studies are the heart and soul of this study Bible. It has 1700 word studies throughout the text. They include Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. They also include the chapter and verse number where that word appears on the page. The words themselves are underlined within the text.
Above or below the definitions there are words and references where that word is defined. This keeps them from having to repeat the word study and lets you know where to find it. I like that it gives the reference and underlines the words so you’re aware that the word has a word study even if it’s not on the same page.
The word studies include the word in the original language (with the language name in parenthesis), references where it’s used, the Strong’s number, and the definition. The definitions are not from Strong’s Dictionary. They include explanation and examples with references rather than just being factual, but they do not take a strong theological bias.
The word studies are fairly brief rather than providing a detailed analysis. They often take you to other Scripture and are good for study and sermon prep.
INDEXES
It has 4 indexes, which focus on the English, Hebrew, and Greek words, and the Strong’s numbers.
English Word Index – includes the English word, reference where the word study appears, Strong’s number, and word in the original language.
Scripture Passage Index – includes the reference, Strong’s number, word in the original language, and the equivalent word in English.
Strong’s Hebrew Number Index – includes the Strong’s number, Hebrew word, reference for the word study, and equivalent word in English.
Strong’s Greek Number Index – includes the Strong’s number, Greek word, reference for the word study, and equivalent word in English.
CONCORDANCE
The concordance is 120 pages in double column. It has quite a bit of references to help with study. Here are a few example entries with their number of references:
- Christ – 18
- Christian – 3
- Faith – 96
- Faithful – 41
- Faithfully – 1
- Faithfulness – 5
- Faithless – 3
- God – 56
- Godhead – 3
- Godliness – 12
- Godly – 11
- Praise (n.) – 32
- Praise (v.) – 15
- Pray – 38
- Prayer – 36
MAPS
It has 8 pages of maps on thick glossy paper. They include distance, topography, routes, borders, possible locations of lost cities, battles, cities of refuge, Scripture references, etc. They’re colorful and a few of them are annotated.
The 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
ENDING THOUGHTS ABOUT THE WORD STUDY BIBLE
Thomas Nelson’s KJV Word Study Bible is unique among study Bibles. I like that the focus is on the original languages rather than a specific doctrinal theology. While it doesn’t include every word and won’t replace a Strong’s Dictionary, it’s still a valuable study tool and is especially good for when you want to study from a single volume. Rather than repeating Strong’s, it provides examples, references, and insights into the original words.
The presentation of the text is clean, making this Bible a good choice for both study and reading. The thick paper is great for marking. This is a good choice for anyone interested in word studies without commentary, articles, or other tools that’s normally found in study Bibles.
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Buy from (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Photography by hannah C brown