Hendrickson Publishers has merged the King James Bible with my favorite commentary to create The Matthew Henry KJV Study Bible.

Completed in 1611, the King James Version has been the translation of choice among many Christians over the past 400 years. However, today’s KJV Bibles are almost exclusively the edited text of the 1769 edition of the KJV.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Overall, the Matthew Henry Study Bible has good readability. While the type isn’t large, the kerning and full justification makes each word and letter stand out crisp and clearly. At the same time, it almost spaces things out too much, which slows down quick skimming. The words of Christ are in red.

The layout features cross references in the interior margins, and the study notes’ sans serif typeface is a bold, crisp, user friendly choice that drives home the points.

The black flexisoft leather cover is soft yet firm to the touch. It is a good balance between cost and quality.

The Smyth-sewn binding is complemented by a gold ribbon marker, and the gold-gilded page edges are dotted with helpful thumb index tabs.

Book introductions, footnotes, and in-text quotations from Matthew Henry’s writings are woven throughout the Bible. It is a well-thought-out balance between study tools and portability.

Other special features include 8 pages of full-color maps and a concordance.

Translations: King James Version (KJV)
Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers (2010)
ISBN: 9781598565461
Language: English
Cost: $79.95

Cover: Flexisoft Leather (black)
Pages: 2,336
Type: black type with words of Christ in red
Dimensions: 6.5″ x 9.25″ x 2″
Special Features: Matthew Henry commentary, concordance, 8 pages of full-color maps

This post features a complimentary review copy and Amazon affiliate links.

Thomas Nelson offers a delightful NKJV Chronological Study Bible. The way it weaves Scripture and study aids together chronologically offers one of the best resources I’ve seen for better understanding the Bible from a historical perspective.

It is fascinating to read the Bible chronologically – to segue from Saul’s attempt to capture David at his own house in 1 Samuel 19:15-17 to David’s plea in Psalm 59 for God to “deliver me from my enemies.”

The NKJV translation is a modern adaption by Thomas Nelson Publishers of the 1611 KJV Bible that seeks to ease vocabulary and grammar while upholding the original core of the 1611 KJV Bible.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

I love the design layout. Unfortunately, most Bibles struggle in this area. Yet the Chronological Study Bible has solid aesthetics, balance, efficiency, and pragmatism in the way it weaves transition notes and study aids throughout the actual Scripture text. The 10 point type is kind to the eyes and the full-color pages are another nice yet seldom seen touch.

I am not to fond of hardback Bibles with glued binding because the craftmanship is known to fail. However, as with any Bible, it is best to store them horizontally vs vertical so that the weight on the pages do not pull on the binding.

The dust jacket is a bit overzealous with Photoshopping and marketing pitches, but underneath, the cover itself is actually quite nice. The hardcover is a rich, faux-leather burgundy with gold foil embossed type.

Obviously, the biggest feature of this Bible is its arranging of Scripture by the order in which the events actually occurred. But the Bible is also rich in many other features including full-color illustrations, maps, time panels, and charts as well as in-text cultural articles, translators’ notes, and historic insights.

Translations: New King James Version (NKJV)
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (2008)
ISBN: 9780718020682
Language: English
Cost: $44.99

Cover: hardcover (burgundy) with dust jacket
Pages: 1,728 full-color pages
Type: 10 point black type
Dimensions: 9.8″ x 1.8″ x 5.9″
Special Features: chronological order of Scripture, full-color illustrations, maps, time panels, and charts, and in-text cultural articles, translators’ notes, and historic insights

This post features a complimentary review copy and Amazon affiliate links.

If you aren’t familiar with Holman Bible Publishers, they have their own Bible translation called Holman Christian Standard Bible. It is designed to convey a sense of the original text with as much clarity as possible.

This scholarly approach combined with about 15,000 of study notes makes the HCSB Study Bible (hardback) a fresh experience for those who love to go deep in their Bible reading.

Holman Christian Standard Bible is a 2003 translation created by a team of 100 international, interdenominational scholars and proofreaders working to achieve “optimal equivalence” – a good balance between formal equivalence (literal, “word-for-word”, etc.) and functional equivalence (“thought-for-thought”).

John 3:16
For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before our[a] God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The Scripture text is a nice 9-point black type with the study notes set at 7.5 point. Some study Bibles cram too much on each page for the sake of saving space, but this layout has a breathability that I wish more Bibles would imitate. Part of this is because 50% of each page is devoted to Scripture, and part of it is simply good typesetting for readability.

Personally, I’m not a fan of hardback Bible covers. They are far less comfortable to hold than leather covers and feel more suitable for desk reading (at least when over 2 inches thick).

The binding seems sturdy enough except where it connects with the spine using a few glued pages. It may hold up, but I’ve had several short lifespans with Bibles crafted this way.

However, the study features are well worth it. Features include 15,000 study notes, 290 word studies, 141 photographs, 62 timelines, 59 maps, 24 articles, 16 illustrations/reconstructions, 15 charts, and more. It be good.

While the hardback HCSB Study Bible is a good Bible, its value lies in its study tools, so buy yourself a leather version of it.

Translation: Holman Christian Standard Bible
Publisher: Holman Bible Publishers (2010)
ISBN: 978-1586405069
Language: English
Cost: $49.99

Cover: Jacketed Hardcover
Pages: 2,336 pages
Type: 9-point black text
Dimensions: 9.2″ x 7.2″ x 2.3″
Special Features: 15,000 study notes, 290 word studies, 141 photographs, 62 timelines, 59 maps, 24 articles, 16 illustrations/reconstructions, 15 charts, and more

This post features a complimentary review copy and Amazon links.

Bible.org undertook a new approach to translation with the First Edition NET Bible by allowing the reader to read 60,932 translator notes spread throughout its pages. This means you can better understand the original languages even if you don’t speak Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

You can read or download the NET Bible online for free, but this review features the premium bonded leather version with Smyth-sewn binding.

The NET Bible was created by over 25 biblical language scholars to provide a free, faithful Bible translation that could be used by Christians and ministries globally without the restraints of translations with intellectual property limitations. By providing thousands of translation notes to complement the text, the NET Bible hopes to reveal biblical truths from entirely new perspectives.

John 3:16
For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

As a twentysomething, I find the 9.5 point type and kerning to be perfect. However, the type size may be a bit too small for comfort for older generations. As with other study Bibles, the translation footnotes sometimes take up the lion’s share of a page. But if you are reading the NET Bible, you are likely doing so to get the insights of the translators’ notes, in which case the more the merrier.

The premium Cromwell bonded leather cover is soft yet firm and good quality for a bonded leather Bible. The pages are made of premium Bible paper with gold gilded edges and bound with Smyth-sewn binding.

It is large but not too large. Surprisingly, it is comfortable to hold and lays beautifully despite its size and newness.

In addition to the rich translators’ notes, the NET Bible also features full color satellite maps of the Holy Lands. Additional features include the standard maps of the journeys of Abraham, Moses, and Paul, etc. as well as a concordance.

Overall, the NET Bible is a good mix of quality where it counts while still keeping the price very affordable.

Translation: The NET Bible
Publisher: Bible Studies Press (2005)
ISBN: 0737501014
Language: English
Cost: $39.95

Cover: premium Cromwell bonded leather (black)
Binding: Smyth-sewn binding with 1 black ribbon marker
Pages: 2,560 pages of premium Bible paper with gold gilded edges
Type: 9.5 point black text
Dimensions: 6.75″ x 9.63″ x 2″
Special Features: 60,932 translation notes from over 25 scholars, full color satellite maps and photos, concordance

This post features a complimentary review copy and Amazon affiliate links.