The NASB Wide Margin Reference Bible is The Lockman Foundation’s version of the Schuyler Stridon. It has a single-column verse-by-verse layout with wide outer margins. It’s available in several covers. I’m reviewing the brown Lethertex, ISBN 9781581352047. It was typeset by 2K/Denmark and printed in Korea.
The Lockman Foundation 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
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Table of Contents
- Video Review
- Binding
- Paper
- Typography and Layout
- References and Footnotes
- Topical Index
- Extras
- Bible Atlas
- Comparisons
- Conclusion
Video Review
Binding
The cover is a brown imitation leather called Leathertex. It has a leather-like texture and the brown has some color variation that looks interesting. I like this brown. This might be my favorite color of Leathertex. There is no printing on the front. The edges are wrapped around and glued. The spine has all the text and hub lines dry-stamped.
The liner is brown pasted-down vinyl. The text block is sewn and has no trouble staying open on any page.
It has two 3/8″ double-sided satin ribbons in a dark brown for the OT and black for the NT. The head/tail bands are dark brown. The overall size is 7 x 9.5 x 1.5″, and it weighs 2 lbs, 14.5 oz. This size is excellent for reading and preaching.
Paper
The paper is a 32gsm, high-opacity Bible paper. This is the paper used in all Lockman Bibles made in Korea. It’s white in color and feels smooth to the touch. It has just enough roughness to make it easy to separate and turn with one hand. It has no glare under direct lighting. This paper is excellent for reading. It’s also good for writing and highlighting. I recommend dry highlighters, Pigma Microns, and similar makers and pencils that are made for Bible paper.
Typography and Layout
The 2020 NASB text is presented in a single-column, verse-by-verse format with poetry set to stanzas and personal letters are indented. The header shows the book name and chapter number in the outer margin and the page number in the inner margin. The footer has cross-references and translation footnotes that are separated in a 2-column layout with references on the inside and footnotes on the outside. All of the text is black, so there is no special highlighting.
The typeface is 10-point, black-letter. The print quality is highly consistent throughout the Bible. It has around 14 words per line, which is perfect for poetic settings. The spacing gives the text enough room to make it easy to read. The inner margin is large enough to bring the text out of the bend of the gutter and onto the flat part of the page. It’s printed with line matching, so the lines on both sides of the page are printed in the same location on the page. This does improve readability and reduce show-through. Show-through is minimal and is only noticeable where nothing is printed on one side of the page.
The supplied words are printed in italics and OT in the NT quotes are in all caps. Reference and footnote keys start over with a and 1 for each verse. I find them small enough to ignore while reading. Books start on the page where the previous book ended. Paragraphs are marked with a bold verse number. I find this text to be highly readable even though it’s vbv.
Wide Margins
It has 1 1/4″ wide outer margins. This is much larger than its Stridon counterpart. This is great for larger notes, explanations, definitions, references, or sermon outlines, etc., making this an excellent option for anyone wanting a wide-margin Bible.
Family Pages
In the front are the presentation page and family pages. They’re printed on thick non-glossy paper and include marriages, the wife’s family tree, the husband’s family tree, births, deaths, and occasions to remember. The thick pages also help give the text block structure.
References and Footnotes
The Wide Margin Reference Bible includes the full set of Lockman 95,000 cross-references and footnotes. They’re excellent for detailed Bible study. They’re placed in the footer with the cross-references on one inside and footnotes on the outside and separated by a black line. I like this design because it makes them easier to use than Bibles with the references and footnotes together.
Here are a few example references to help you compare:
- Genesis 1:1 – Ps 102:25; Is 40:21; Jn 1:1, 2; Heb 1:10; Ps 89:11; 90:2; Ac 17:24; Rom 1:20; Heb 11:3; Job 38:4; Is 42:5; 45:18; Rev 4:11
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – Mt 22:37; Mk 12:29, 30; Lk 10:27; Dt 4:35, 39; Jn 10:30; 1 Cor 8:4; Eph 4:6
- Isaiah 9:6 – Is 7:14; 11:1, 2; 53:2; Lk 2:11; Jn 3:16; Mt 28:18; 1 Cor 15:25; Is 22:22; Is 28:29; Dt 10:17; Neh 9:32; Is 10:21; Is 63:16; 64:8; Is 26:3, 1254:10; 66:12
- Matthew 28:19 – Mk 16:15; Mt 13:52; Ac 1:8; 14:21; Mt 25:32; Lk 24:47; Ac 2:38; 8:16; Rom 6:3; 1 Cor 1:13, 15; Gal 3:27
- Mark 12:29 – Dt 6:4
- John 1:1 – Gen 1:1; Col 1:17; 1 Jn 1:1; Jn 1:14; Rev 19:13; Jn 17:5; 1 Jn 1:2; Ph 2:6
- John 3:16 – Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4; 2 Thes 2:16; 1 Jn 4:10; Rev 1:5; Rom 8:32; 1 Jn 4:9; Jn 1:18; 3:18; 1 Jn 4:9; Jn 3:36; 6:40; 11:25
- Acts 2:38 – Mk 1:15; Lk 24:47; Ac 3:19; 5:31; 20:21; Mk 16:16; Ac 8:12, 16; 22:16
- Romans 10:9 – Mt 10:32; Lk 12:8; Rom 14:9; 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11; Ac 16:31; Rom 4:24; Ac 2:24
- 1 John 1:1 – Jn 1:1; 1 Jn 2:13, 14; Ac 4:20; 1 Jn 1:3; Jn 19:35; 2 Pet 1:16; 1 Jn 1:2; Jn 1:14; 1 Jn 4:14; Lk 24:39; Jn 20:27; Jn 1:1, 14
Topical Index
The concordance is a topical index with 2 columns per page. It includes lots of definitions of topics and breaks most of them down into smaller sub-topics. The topics also include lots of references. It does include theological terms, but it handles them well and often includes multiple points of view. This is an excellent tool for study and sermon prep. As always, I recommend using it for reference and doing your own study.
Extras
In the back are several tools that help with Bible study. They include:
- Introductions to the books of the Bible
- The Miracles of Jesus
- The Parables of Jesus
The tools are simple, but they’re useful. The book introductions provide a paragraph about the book’s titles and main themes. The tables provide a topic and references in the Gospels where they can be found.
Bible Atlas
In the back are 8 full-color glossy pages that include 9 maps (map 6 is two maps). The colors are bold and look great. Most of the colors are solid. Deserts are textured to look like sand. The maps include distance, cities, empires, settlements, mountains, rivers, seas, kingdoms, annotations, and Scripture references. It doesn’t include an index, but the names are large and the maps are clean, so locations are easy enough to find.
- The Biblical World of the Patriarchs
- The Exodus Route and Conquest of Canaan
- The Twelve Tribes of Israel
- The Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
- The Herodian Kingdom in the Time of Christ
- Old Testament Jerusalem, (6b) New Testament Jerusalem
- The Ministry of Jesus
- The Missionary Journeys of Paul
Comparisons
Here’s how the Schuyler Stridon compares to several other editions from Schuyler and the competition.
Schuyler Stridon
The Schuyler Stridon has the same layout and pagination, making it a premium version of the same Bible. It has Schuyler maps and a Lockman concordance, but not the topical index and other helps in the back. The paper is 28gsm Indopaque and the cover is edge-lined goatskin.
Zondervan NASB Side Column Reference
Zondervan’s NASB Side Column Reference in the Premier Collection is also a single-column, v-b-v layout, with a wide outer margin. The references are between the text and outer margin, which feels a little awkward for taking notes. The fonts are about the same size. The Zondervan’s font is slightly darker, has fewer words per line, and is denser. The Zondervan has 36gsm paper.
Steadfast LSB Inside Column Reference
The Steadfast LSB Inside Column Reference Bible is also a v-b-v, single-column edition. Its design is similar, but it places the references in the inside margin and it doesn’t have wide margins. The paper has a slightly warmer shade. It has red highlights even in the imitation leather edition. It has the same footprint, but it’s slightly thicker.
Conclusion
The Lockman NASB Wide Margin Reference Bible has a few differences, but it’s essentially a lower-cost version of the Schuyler Stridon but with wider margins. Fortunately, the quality doesn’t suffer at a lower cost. The text block is well-designed and the build quality outweighs its price. The 32gsm paper is a good balance for all-around use. It’s highly readable and excellent for note-taking, studying, preaching, and teaching. If you’re interested in a wide-margin NASB, this one should be high on your list.
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This Bible is available at
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The Lockman Foundation 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.