Featured Nelson NKJV Study Bible

I love the NKJV. The verses have the familiar feel and ring to them from the KJV without the stiltedness of Olde English. I'm sure you will like your new Bible!

 

Think that it read and looks a lot like their version of the Zondervan NIV Study Bible!


For the version itself, even though I use mainly Nasb, do have and read it, and think that IF unable to use the Nasb, it would be fine for my personal studies!

 

Unfamiliar with Nelson's notes, but as a KJV man I am very happy with the NKJV

 

Nelson was recently acquired by the scandal-plagued 'NewsCorp' publishing/media leviathan, which also owns Zondervan:

Nov. 1, 2011 Deal Brings Largest Religion Book Publishers Under One Corporate Umbrella

 

Wonder if this means that Zondervan will now be publishing inferior grade leather bibles, as Nelson never was known for high quality bindings?

 

Not to tell you what you might already know but the notes in the NJSB and the NKJSB are not the same. Both are good Study Bibles.

I really like the NKJBS, both the study notes and the translation. Mine is bound in bonded leather and is one of the better bindings as far a Nelson is concerned. I have the second edition and you are correct, it isn't red letter. The font is a bit small also and the background "noise" and the cute logo's on the printed page are annoying.

The study notes are mainly dispensational in orientation which is nice as far as I'm concerned. Overall I like the NKJSB and I really don't know why it isn't more popular. Enjoy your new Bible!

 

the Scofield for a modern era!

 

Well, I'm assuming that you have it now and are enjoying it. I've had mine since 2007 and, although I have many Bibles, it's probably my favorite. It's kinda heavy, isn't it? I keep mine in a cover so it won't self-destruct under its own weight if I drop it.

I also like the NKJV translation.

 

At one time, Nelson actually did publish rather high quality bindings. Or at least they were no worse than most others 20-30 years ago, and even more recently in some cases.

Zondervan already does publish inferior grade leather Bibles, or at least they often do. And it didn't start yesterday. Before I knew better (i.e. that I should have bought from Lockman/Foundation Press instead and that I should have looked for a Bible with a smyth-sewn binding) I bought a Zondervan Classic Reference NASB in 1999 that has a glued binding. It's presently being held together (and not very well) by Elmer's Glue. (I've seen newer copies of this Bible published in Korea with sewn bindings but inferior covers and inferior paper to the one I have now. So if I ever buy another NASB it will have to be another edition and one published by a different publisher.) On average Crossway now publishes higher quality Bibles than Zondervan does, although that wasn't the case when the ESV was first introduced. I had a hardcover ESV that started falling apart quicker than the Zondervan NAS did.

A Nelson NKJV I bought in 2002 and which I've used more often in recent years has held together pretty well, largely because the binding has some give to it, unlike the Zondervan.

The most glaring difference for me in the decline in Nelson's quality is the earliest MacArthur Study Bibles compared to the editions of it that they're putting out now. The earlier ones had the Word imprint but I figure they had to be Nelson's handiwork as Word had been acquired by Nelson by that point and the office had moved to Nashville from Waco.

I've actually seen some recent Nelson Bibles that have a sewn binding. This includes a budget KJV I saw at Wal-Mart So maybe there's hope after all!

 

To piggyback on my last post with regard to quality, I'm pretty sure I've seen copies of the newest edition of the NKJV Study Bible (in brown instead of blue) with sewn bindings. This was the hardcover as I don't think I've seen the leather. This "brown edition" may be more readable for some as well as it appeared to me that there was too much bleed through (or ghosting perhaps more accurately) with the blue print on some pages. IMO that's an issue with the MacArthur ESV SB as well. But other eyes may see it differently. I have no idea whether or not the switch to brown is simply a rebranding or if they received negative feedback on the blue, which tends to stand out a little more. (The brown and blue to which I refer is seen in the chapter numbers (IIRC) and especially in the little articles that are inserted from time to time.)

The NKJV Study Bible appears to be edited and produced by men who almost universally graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary. So it's going to reflect that point of view, although when I've glanced at it they appear to have taken more of a lowest common denominator evangelical approach similar to the NIV Study Bible. But my guess is that they don't punt on issues like women elders the way the NIV Study Bible does.

I prefer a SB with a more definite point of view like the MacArthur or the Believer's/Baptist Study Bible (ed. W.A. Criswell) but maybe that's just me. Both of those are NKJV. There's the Scofield III and the Thompson Chain Reference as well. There is also the New Open Bible but it may be out of print once again. The "Cyclopedic Index" that was perhaps the best feature of the Open Bible is now available as a stand alone book.

One reason why I would consider the NKJV Study Bible if I didn't already have several SB's in that version is precisely because their regular editions DO NOT have red letters. But as noted, that's a personal preference. But the print of their non large print edition is likely too small for me at this point anyway. It is smaller than the MacArthur Like the MacArthur, it's also paragraphed, which would not be the preference of many, perhaps especially those who are used to reading the KJV, NKJV or NASB.

 

B4L, what do you think of your new bible? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

I think it's the weakest translation available for us today. It's basically the same as the KJV (a real gift in its time but not very useful today) without the beautiful language.

 

isn't it though what the KJV translators would have made IF done their work today, based upon current English?

And wouldn't it still be considered to be more literal then those such as HCSB/NIV.NLT etc?

 

It is a pretty decent study Bible. One of my seminary professors did some of the commentary work in it (Book of Job). Look for Dr. Gregory Parsons. He is a GREAT OT teacher.

Oh - and he also did the commentary for several of the books of the HCSB Study Bible.

 

But I am glad to know you are under the instruction of your Sunday School teacher who uses the NIV!