The NASB Pew and Worship Bible from Zondervan is a hardcover text edition that’s designed to be used in the Church pew and classroom. It matches page-for-page with the NASB Preacher’s Bible, making it an excellent choice for pastors, preachers, ministry teams, missionaries, and Church congregations so they can be on the same page with pastors and preachers, or anyone really, using the NASB Preacher’s Bible. It also matches the thinline, making it a popular layout that many NASB readers will be familiar with.
It presents the 1995 NASB text in the exclusive NASB Comfort Print typeface. It’s available in hardcover in black or blue. I’m reviewing the black edition, ISBN: 9780310451044, printed in India.
Zondervan 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 book is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
Video Review
Cover and Binding
This edition is a black hardcover with a dust jacket. On the front is New American Standard and under this is Holy Bible in extra-large text. The spine has NASB, Holy Bible, and the Zondervan name and logo. The back has the Zondervan name and logo and the ISBN number. All of the text is printed in silver. The cover is shiny and almost has a cloth texture. It has a thick end sheet for the liner.
The text-block is Smyth sewn. It has no trouble staying completely open on page one. This is one of the reasons I love hardcovers. Aside from being affordable, they don’t fight against you to stay open.
The overall size is 8.75 x 5.75 x 1.5″ and it weighs 1lb, 13.5 oz. It has black and white head/tail bands.
Paper
The paper is extra-thick at 39gsm. It’s a lower quality paper than the Preacher’s Bible’s 36gsm, but it’s an excellent paper for a pew Bible. It has a rough texture that’s easier to grab and turn than most Bibles. It has a slight cream, or ivory, color and it’s highly opaque, but it does have more show-through in certain lighting. It has no glare under direct light. The page-edges are white.
Typography
The text is presented in double-column, verse-by-verse format. Poetry is set to stanzas. The header includes the book name, chapter and verse number, and page number. Section headings are in bold all-caps.
The font is a 9-point Comfort Print designed exclusively for the Zondervan NASB by 2K/Denmark. It’s black letter, and it’s dark and consistent.
It has around 8 words per line. It’s line-matched, meaning the lines are printed back-to-back on both sides of the page to improve readability. Each verse is intented so they’re easy to find.
The poetic verses do have a lot of lines with only one or two words. When the text has to wrap to the next line the next line is indented to show that it continues the previous line.
Like the other NASB editions from Zondervan, it includes the reduced set of translator’s footnotes. They’re placed at the bottom of the page in a smaller text under the last verse on the page. Old Testament quotes in the New Testament are in all-caps. I like this because they’re easy to see. The reference for the quotes are not provided. I’d like to see them added because this would be better for study.
The spine remains flat when opened. This allows the text to bend into the gutter. It’s still readable, but the bend is noticeable.
NASB Preacher’s Bible on top, NASB Pew and Worship Bible on bottom
It does match page-for-page with the NASB Preacher’s Bible from Zondervan. The layout is not identical. The Preacher’s Bible has more words per line, but they’re extremely close as to where verses are on the page. Every page starts and ends with the same word and the page numbers are the same. This means the preacher can tell everyone to turn to a certain page and even tell them about where the verse is on the page. This is a great benefit when preaching and teaching.
Extras
In the back are several lists of Scriptures that are helpful for study and sermon prep. Most are short, usually just one page, but they do help in Bible study. These are the types of lists that I like to use for study and they’re especially helpful considering this Bible doesn’t have references or a concordance. They include:
- Miracles of Jesus
- Parables of Jesus
- Perspectives from the Bible
- Prayers of the Bible
- Promises from the Bible
Comparing with the NASB Preaching Bible
Here’s how the NASB Pew and Worship Bible compares to the NASB Preacher’s Bible. Both do have almost identical layouts with the same verses on the same page numbers. The Preacher’s Bible is a larger print and has more words per line. It’s a premium thinline with red highlights. Both Bibles have the same material in the back and they work great together.
Conclusion
Zondervan’s NASB Pew and Worship Bible is a great Bible for use in the pews, in Church classrooms, and to giveaway to those in your Church or community. It’s priced well for buying in bulk and the construction and, paper and print quality are great for reading and marking. I like that it matches the NASB Preacher’s Bible and the NASB Thinline. This adds an extra level of convenience that difficult to find and can save a lot of time during service or in training materials. If you’re interested in a low-cost NASB for personal use or to stock your pews, The NASB Pew and Worship Bible is worth a look.
_________________________________________________________
This book is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Zondervan 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.