The Clarion Reference Edition is Cambridge’s medium-sized Bible for everyday use. I reviewed the brown calfskin when it was released several years ago and it’s been one of the Bibles I’ve used the most. The goatskin edition has recently been made available again. This is ISBN 9781107620094, printed and bound in the Netherlands by Jongbloed.

Cambridge provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review.

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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)

Amazon

Christianbook

Cambridge 

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Table of Contents

  1. Cover and Binding
  2. Paper
  3. Typography
  4. References and Footnotes
  5. Footnotes
  6. Concordance
  7. Maps
  8. Video Review
  9. Conclusion

Specs

  • NKJV
  • Goatskin leather
  • Synthetic liner
  • Sewn binding
  • 2 ribbons
  • 28gsm French paper
  • Art gilt
  • Single-Column layout
  • 8.75-point typeface
  • Line matching text
  • 70k references
  • Full set of footnotes
  • References and footnotes in the outer margin
  • Concordance
  • 12 maps
  • Map Index
  • Overall size 5.6 x 7.5 x 1.5″
  • 2lb, 1.8 oz
  • Printed in the Netherlands by Jongbloed

Cover and Binding

The cover is black goatskin. It has a pebbly grain that looks and feels elegant. It has perimeter stitching. There is no printing on the front. The spine includes text printed in gold with five small hubs. The goatskin is flexible, but not too floppy to handle. I found it easy to hold open in one hand for reading.

It’s edge-lined with a synthetic liner. The edge-line tab is a little stiff. It will need to break in for a while before it will stay open in Genesis. The text block is sewn. The head/tail bands are red and gold. It has 2 1/4-inch red ribbons. The overall size is 5.6 x 7.5 x 1.5″ and weighs 2lb, 1.8 oz. I like the size and weight of the Clarion. This size and shape is excellent for carrying, reading, studying, preaching, etc.

Paper

The paper is 28gsm Indopaque by Papeteries du Leman, Thonon-les-Bains, France. This is the premium paper used in many of the top premium Bibles, and it’s some of my favorite paper. It’s slightly cream and has titanium pigment, making it very opaque for 28gsm. It has no glare under direct light. I had no issues turning the pages when grabbing them at the edge. The pages are art-gilt with red under gold.

Typography

The New King James Version text is presented in a single-column paragraph layout with poetry in stanzas, personal letters indented, and lists in a list format. Cross-references and footnotes are placed together in the outer margin close to the verses they correspond to. The header shows the book name and chapter numbers in the outer margin, and the page numbers in the inner margin. Old Testament quotes are in oblique type, following the older NKJV design formatting.

The font is 8.75 Lexicon No. 1, with a leading of 10.5. This gives the text a lot of whitespace, making it comfortable to read. This is a black-letter edition with medium darkness. The print quality is highly consistent throughout the Bible. It was printed with line-matching to reduce the show-through, making the lines match perfectly on both sides of the page.

It has around 12-14 words per line and enough white space to make it easy to read. The text does bend into the gutter a little, but it has enough inner margin space that the text isn’t difficult to read. The spine rises a little higher than some of the other goatskin Clarions I’ve reviewed. I find this one easier to use.

Poetry looks great in the NKJV Clarion. Most poetic lines are left-aligned. A few lines that wrap to the next line. Those indent the second line. Some of those lines have one word. I also like the design of personal letters. They have space between the heading and body of the letter, making them easier to follow. The text includes cross-reference and footnote keys. They’re light so they don’t stand out, which makes them easy to ignore when reading.

References and Footnotes

The NKJV Clarion includes over 70,000 cross-references in the outer margins placed as close to the verses as possible. They’re marked with the reference they correspond to in bold type. This makes the verses easier to find because you can use them to help locate the verses in the text. They’re the same references used in the NKJV Topaz. They’re excellent for study and sermon prep.

Here are some examples to help you compare:

  • Genesis 1:1 – Ps 102:25; Is 40:21; Jn 1:1-3; Heb 1:10; Gen 2:4; Ps 8:3; 89:11; 90:2; Is 44:24; Acts 17:24; Rom 1:20; Heb 1:2; 11:3; Rev 4:11
  • Deuteronomy 6:4 – Deut 4:35; Mark 12:29; John 17:3; 1 Cor 8:4, 6
  • Isaiah 9:6 – Isa 7:14; Luke 2:11; John 1:45; Luke 2:7; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9; Matt 28:18; 1 Cor 15:25; Rev 12:5; Judg 13:18; Titus 2:13; Eph 2:14
  • Matthew 17:20 – Mat 21:21, Mk 11:23, Lk 17:6, 1 Cor 12:9
  • Mark 11:23 – Matt 17:20; 21:21; Luke 17:6
  • Mark 12:29 – Deut 6:4, 5; Is 44:8; 45:22; 46:9; 1 Cor 8:6
  • John 1:1 – Gen 1:1; Col 1:17; 1 John 1:1; John 1:14; Rev 19:13; John 17:5; 1 John 1:2; 5:20
  • John 2:19 – Mat 26:61, 27:40, Mk 14:58, 15:29, Lk 24:46, Acts 6:14, 10:40, 1 Cor 15:4
  • Acts 2:38 – Luke 24:47
  • 1 John 1:1 – John 1:1; 1 John 2:13, 14; Luke 1:2; John 1:14; 2 Pet 1:16; Luke 24:39; John 2:27; John 1:1, 4, 14

The NKJV Clarion includes the full set of NKJV footnotes. They appear in the margins after the references for each verse, and they don’t get in the way of the references. They provide detailed information about manuscript variances from the Nestle-Aland/United Bible Societies, Majority Text, Septuagint, Targum, Vulgate, and Syriac. They include the literal renderings from Hebrew and Greek. The NKJV translation footnotes are some of my favorites.

Concordance

The concordance is 75 pages with 3 columns per page. This is smaller than the one in the Topaz. Instead, it matches the NKJV Pitt Minion. It has a decent number of entries to help in studying but doesn’t include names or parts of speech. Here are some example entries and the number of references they provide:

  • Christ – 13
  • Christian – 1
  • Christians – 1
  • Christs – 1
  • Faith – 56
  • Faithful – 26
  • Faithfulness – 9
  • Faithless – 2
  • God – 70
  • Goddess – 2
  • Godhead – 2
  • Godliness – 6
  • Godly – 6
  • Gods – 7
  • Praise – 38
  • Praised – 6
  • Praises – 5
  • Praiseworthy – 1
  • Praising – 3
  • Pray – 22
  • Prayed – 3
  • Prayer – 21
  • Prayers – 8

Maps

In the back are 15 pages of maps on thick non-glossy paper. They are colorful and highly detailed. They include borders, import commodities, dates, routes, passes, settlements, distance, topography, mountains, cities of refuge, cities, tribes, vegetation, kingdoms, battle sites, satrapy, city walls, city gates, older city walls, seven Churches of Asia, etc. These are some of my favorite Bible maps.

It also includes an 8-page color-coded index to maps printed on the same paper. They identify settlements, political (nations, provinces, and regions), physical land, physical water, travel, and Jerusalem. I’m always glad to see a map index included and I find the Cambridge color-coded index to be easy to use.

Maps include:

  1. The Ancient Near East in the Late Bronze Age
  2. Regions of Palestine and Surrounding Areas
  3. Sinai and Canaan at the Time of the Exodus
  4. Israel within Canaan
  5. The United Monarchy of David and Solomon
  6. Israel and Judah: The Divided Monarchy
  7. The Assyrian Empire
  8. The Babylonian Empire
  9. The Persian Empire
  10. The Hellenistic World after Alexander
  11. Jerusalem in Old Testament Times
  12. Jerusalem in New Testament Times
  13. Palestine in New Testament Times
  14. The Roman Empire
  15. The Eastern Mediterranean in the First Century AD

Video Review

Conclusion

The NKJV Clarion in black goatskin is one of the best NKJVs available. It’s made well and the design is beautiful. I love the poetic setting. I would like to see a real leather liner, but I love the goatskin. The goatskin is not slippery and doesn’t feel unwieldy when holding in one hand. The overall size is perfect for carrying, reading, studying, and preaching. If you’re interested in a goatskin NKJV, the Clarion is an excellent choice.

_________________________________________________________

This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)

Amazon

Christianbook

Cambridge 

_________________________________________________________

 

Cambridge 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.