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Thomas Nelson’s King James Study Bible Review

Randy A Brown

Thomas Nelson’s King James Study Bible has been a popular study Bible for many years, and during that time it’s has gone through several revisions. The latest edition is the prettiest yet – it’s now been updated and produced in full-color. In this review I take a look at this newest edition in black genuine leather, ISBN: 9780718079895

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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Buy from (includes some affiliate links)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

and many local Bible bookstores

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BINDING

This cover is genuine leather with a paste-down liner and perimeter stitching. This is the softest and most flexible genuine leather I’ve ever seen. If I didn’t know better I’d think it was some type of cowhide. I love the grain and soft feel. The text-block is sewn and has no problems lying open on page one right out of the box. It also lies flat so the text doesn’t get lost in the bend.

The spine includes 4 raised ribs and The King James Study Bible printed length-ways. KJV and the Thomas Nelson logo appears at the bottom. All printing on the spine is in gold.

The overall size is 6.75″ x 9.5″ x 2″. It has two 10mm ribbons, which are much thicker than average. For those of you that are familiar with premium editions, they’re not as elegant as Berisfords ribbons but they do look nice. As expected this is a heavy Bible, weighing in at almost 4 pounds. It isn’t something I want to carry around and hold for a long time, but it is a good size to study at a desk or in your lap.

PAPER

The paper is white in color and I’m guessing around 30gsm, which makes sense considering it has over 2300 pages. The opacity is in line with the gsm, so it does have some show-through but it isn’t bad and is still very usable. It has a rough(ish) texture which I find makes it easier to turn pages. Note – if you see blue in these images it’s only from the fluorescent lighting. This paper does not have a blue tint.

TYPOGRAPHY

The text is presented in a double-column verse-by-verse format with center-column references and commentary at the bottom of the page. The section headings are printed in a dark gold/brown/red color. The center-column is lavender or a similar color. Page numbers are printed in the far outer corner in the same color as the section headings followed by the book name, chapter, and verse numbers printed in black.

The font is just a hair under 10 point and has a good amount of leading. It’s not as heavy or dark as the second edition (which could be too dark for many Bible readers). It’s medium-dark, sharp, and easy to read. The red letter is medium to medium/dark and is consistent throughout. I like this font for readability. It does have footnote and reference keys but no self-pronouncing text. Supplied words are in italics.

The columns have around 40 characters across with 7-9 words per line. The words never feel too close, so the text has enough breathing room to be easy to read.

REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES

Cross references and translator’s footnotes appear in the center column. It does have lots of references for study. Here are a few examples to help you compare:

Rather than the original translator’s footnotes it includes Nelson’s footnotes on the translation, which provide modern equivalents to many of the archaic words.

IN-TEXT NOTES

The in-text notes include annotations, maps, photos, illustrations, personality profiles (which include paintings), archaeological sites (includes photos), and doctrinal footnotes.

The in-text maps are in full color. They’re annotated well and there are lots of them throughout the text. There are a few charts, such as the dreams and vision is Daniel, but there aren’t as many as I’d like.

My favorites of the notes are the personality profiles and the archaeological sites. It has lots of full-color photos throughout the text of artifacts and places. I also like the paintings. I like art anyway, so biblical art in Bibles interests me if it’s done well, and the art in this Bible is done well. They don’t take over the page and they fit nicely with the personality profiles.

Like all commentary in study Bibles, there will be verses that are skipped. The commentary does include theological bias and usually doesn’t include multiple views. Doctrines that stand out to me include a literal 6 days of Creation and pre-trib Rapture (which, for the sake of disclosure, is also my view). I recommend using commentary for reference only and study from multiple points of view, and ultimately allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture.

INTRODUCTIONS

Both testaments and books include book introductions. The introductions to the Old and New Testaments take almost two pages and break down the overall content into the types of books and describe the content, providing a short overview.

Book introductions take around 2.5 pages and include a photo for the header. The material is different from one book to another, but they include information such as title, authorship, date, interpretation and purpose, the influence of the author, content, distinctive features, application, etc. They also include an outline and a photo of something that’s important to that book.

The introductions are great for understanding the setting and purpose of the book. They also provide insights on interpretation and include lots of references for study. They do include a little theological bias but not as much as the annotations.

It also includes a section between the testaments that discusses the events leading up to the New Testament including:

INDEXES AND ARTICLES

Both the front and back includes several indexes and articles for study. The front includes:

I especially like the article on how to study the Bible. It provides good information on personal Bible study techniques and practices, creating a systematic method to get the most out of your study time. It includes lots of methods and examples and includes the principles of interpretation.

Most of the material is in the back. It includes:

These are mostly lists of Scripture. The Topical Index to End Times Study focuses on the book of Revelation from a pre-trib Rapture point of view and provides the information in a topical list rather than the typical chart or timeline that’s mostly used for end times studies.

CONCORDANCE

The concordance is large at 168 pages. The entries are displayed in two columns. Many of the entries include Hebrew or Greek definitions. All include the Strong’s numbers and even provide the numbers for each entry if they use different words in Greek or Hebrew. This is a good concordance for study and sermon prep.

Here are a few example entries with the number of references given.

MAPS

There are 7 full-color maps on 8 thick glossy pages. The maps include topography, distance, journeys, routes, battles, cities, water, borders, roads, locations of events, and dates. It doesn’t have an index but they are labeled and annotated well, which helps make it easier to find something.

Maps include:

  1. World of the Patriarchs
  2. Exodus and the Conquest of Canaan
  3. Land of the Twelve Tribes
  4. Kingdom of David and Solomon
  5. Jesus’ Ministry
  6. Paul’s Missionary Journeys
  7. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus

ENDING THOUGHTS ABOUT THE KING JAMES STUDY BIBLE

Thomas Nelson’s King James Study Bible full-color edition is a nice update to the already popular KJV Study Bible. It’s cleaner and much easier to read (and this is coming from someone that likes dark fonts). Everything is in color. It is a large Bible but it does have a lot of material. I especially like the maps, photos, illustrations, personality profiles, paintings, archaeological sites, and indexes.

I do prefer annotations to cover multiple views (which this one does not), but like all commentary I recommend using the notes for reference only and do you own study. If you were a fan of the previous edition then I’m sure you will like this full color edition. It’s a good choice for study and sermon prep.

_________________________

Buy from (includes some affiliate links)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

and many local Bible bookstores

_________________________

Photography by hannah C brown

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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