Review: NIV Study Bible

NIV Study Bible   Published by Zondervan

I have owned a number of bibles in my life as a believer in various translations including King James, The Good News Bible, The Living Bible, The Revised Standard Version, The New American Standard and the NIV.  I have used three different study Bibles including “The Open Bible”, “The Thompson Chain Reference Bible”, and now the “NIV Study Bible”.  Each one of these Bibles holds special memories because they represent distinctive points in my walk as a believer.

I use the NIV Study Bible and recommend it for a number of reasons.  The NIV translation was first copyrighted in 1978.  It is the work over 100 scholars working directly with the best Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts.  The translation itself reads well for today.  The translation works to communicate not only the words but the context of the passage you are reading.  The NIV Study Bible contains over 20,000 study notes, 61 maps, a concordance and bible chronology (Time lines) for both Old & New Testaments.

Each book of the bible is prefaced with a section of helpful information to assist the reader in understanding its contents from many perspectives.  Typical information contained includes background information about the culture reflected in the book.  The author or authors are identified.  When an author is unknown the legend or oral history and who that attributes authorship to is shared.  Any indication of date/time period for the writing of the book.  A section on the theme of the book and generally a sequential outline of the book.

There is power in the Word of God.  We grow in Christ as we become immersed in and changed by His word.  Bible study is significantly enhanced when we have the use of the tools in a good Study Bible like the NIV Study Bible.

meet the reviewer: paul thompson

Paul is an Elder at The Alley.  He has been married to Julie for 27 years and is the father of 3.  His oldest, Sarah, is mother to 2 grandchildren and sings with the Worship band.  His daughter Lindsey is a Senior at Bethel University studying Nursing and his son Jordan is a Freshman at Centennial High School where he wrestles and Dad watches and cheers.  Paul works in IT at a large Financial Institution and manages a team of programmers supporting Consumer Loans.  In his spare time he enjoys spending time with family, fishing, golf, reading and running the occasional 5K with his son-in-law and son-in-law to be.