The Bible Study Bible is exactly what its name suggests – this is a Bible designed for small group or personal Bible study. You might ask, “Don’t we already have plenty of those?” We do, but what sets this Bible apart is that it provides a series of questions for EVERY CHAPTER OF THE BIBLE! I’ve used similar Bibles, but none that provides study resources for every chapter. This Bible is ideal for a small group of people reading through the Bible or reading through a book of the Bible. All you need to lead a small group is right there. It even includes in the introduction some helpful tips on how to lead groups. I will keep this volume handy for personal reflection and, as a church leader, I will certainly use this as a resource for small group leaders in my church. If you are a small group leader, this Bible certainly needs to be considered for your group.
As always, you need to know what this Bible is not. Although
it provides introductions to each book of the Bible, a concordance and set of
maps there are no study notes, textual notes, or cross references in the text. This
is not a Study Bible in the sense of digging deep into the text, but there are
(as noted above) plenty of good Study Bibles.
This Bible is the New King James Version which is not my first
choice for a translation. That is not a distraction for me, but a detail you
should know. I’m hoping that it will be adapted to other English translations.
This Bible is worthy of being included in your library for
your personal reading and especially if you are or hope to be a small group leader.
Get a few friends together and start reading and discussing. This is the vision
behind this volume as stated by the study resource compiler Sam O’Neal in the introduction.
This Bible can be purchased at FaithGateway Store or on Amazon. More details on this Bible is available on the Thomas Nelson webpage.
I received this Bible for free as a member of the Bible
Gateway Blogger Grid (#Bible GatewayPartner) in agreement to writing
this review.
