A Review of Holman’s CSB (Christian Standard Bible) Large Print UltraThin Reference Bible, in Black Goatskin Leather.

February 25, 2017 Bob Snyder4 Comments

I know many of you are waiting out there to see what this revision of the H.C.S.B. is all about. It isn’t a formal equivalent, it isn’t a dynamic equivalent. F.Y.I. Holman calls it an optimal translation. Here is an excerpt from their site, “The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a highly trustworthy, faithful translation that is proven to be the optimal blend of accuracy and readability. It’s as literal to the original as possible without sacrificing clarity. The CSB is poised to become the translation that pastors rely on and Bible readers turn to again and again to read and to share with others.”

If you are like me, you might be wondering what is the difference between the two. Here is another excerpt from their site, ” The Christian Standard Bible is a revision of the HCSB, updating translation and word choices in order to optimize both fidelity to the original languages and clarity for a modern audience. The Translation Oversight Committee, co-chaired by Drs. Tom Schreiner and David Allen, incorporated advances in biblical scholarship and input from Bible scholars, pastors, and readers to sharpen both accuracy and readability.”

The main reasons I didn’t use the H.C.S.B. for my reading and study, is that it seemed obvious when the translation switched between the two translation philosophies. It was a continuity and flow problem. I’m glad to say, that seems to have been dealt with in this revision. The C.S.B. reads much better. It is more of a seamless blend of the philosophies. As far as being an optimal translation… I guess that depends on your opinion. I’ve not needed to have a dynamic equivalent, nor have I needed to have sections of the Bible to be translated as a dynamic equivalent. I’m a man of average intelligence. I have a basic education. If I come across a difficult passage, I read it again. If I don’t know the meaning of a word, I look it up. I think we should endeavor to become better students, rather than changing our translation philosophy to make the Bible simpler.

That being said, if I had to pick a Bible that wasn’t strictly a formal equivalent translation, this would be it. For years I have sat by and watched the N.I.V. become a gender neutral mess. The N.L.T. in my opinion is so dumbed down, it has lost the majesty of God’s word. Don’t even get me started on The Message, Passion, or the Voice. As far as I am concerned, if you have a copy of the Voice, you should burn it so no one else can be poisoned by it’s lies. (I have some pretty strong opinions.) So what’s a person supposed to do if they want a translation that is a bit more accessible than the N.A.S.B. you might ask? In my opinion, get a C.S.B. It is everything the NIV used to be. It is accurate, and accessible. It stays true to the intent of the author (God) and retains the gender contexts of the Hebrew and Greek texts without imposing a cultural hermeneutic on them.

I hope you’ll give it a try. Let’s take a look at the physical attributes of the Bible I was sent for review. Keep in mind that it is an advance copy, so some details might be different by the time this actually is published and sold.

The Bible arrived packaged in a padded envelope. The envelope had some tears in it by the time it made it to me. The retail, two piece box also had a dent in it. The Bible inside was undamaged and received in new condition.

This Bible is covered in an extremely soft and smooth goatskin leather. The grain is very understated. I’ve heard others refer to the goatskin as garment grade. I don’t know how true that is, but I could see how that would be so.

The inner liner is a type of bonded leather. I’m not sure if it is Cromwell or not. I asked someone from Holman. When I find out I’ll post an update. Since this is an edge lined volume, it is very flexible and floppy. The cover can be rolled up.

This is an edge lined binding. The bonded leather is glued to the text block, and then a piece of vinyl covered paper is glued over that. There is a piece of binding tape that reinforces the hinge. This is good and bad. It is good because it will make the binding more durable. It is bad, because it hinders the ability of the Bible to be opened flat in the first few pages and the last few pages. Sometimes you’ll see a more narrow strip of binding tape, that allows the first pages to open more easily. Some don’t even use the tape. With a bonded leather inner liner it is good that they did. This is still an extremely flexible and floppy Bible.

One feature I hope they keep in the production model is the perimeter stitching in red. I think it makes a striking addition to the aesthetic appeal of this Bible. The stitching on the front is colored black. On the inside it is red.

I think the silver page edge gilt was the right decision instead of gold, considering the bold red thread and smooth black cover. They work together. The head and foot bands are a brown color, and don’t really pop. It is easy to miss them. I would recommend red and black colored for the bands to go along with the color scheme.

The spine is also ornamented with three spine hubs, and the words, “Holy Bible, Christian Standard Bible, and Holman” hot stamped in silver letters. The area close to the head is left empty. As one of my fellow reviewers mentioned, it seems a bit unbalanced. We will see what they do with it in the final version they bring to market.

Even though this Bible is printed in China, the quality of the paper and printing is very good.

I found the 9.5 pt Bible Serif font to be inked uniformly, having sharp, clean edges, and contrasting nicely with the white paper. The paper was opaque and line matching was employed. (line matching is when the text on the back side of the page is printed directly over the font on the front side of the page, so there is no background noise bleeding through the paper, otherwise known as text ghosting.) The paper is 30 g.s.m. and rates a very good opacity of 84 with a brightness of 83. This black letter edition is a double column layout, with center column references. It will be familiar to Bible readers. 2K/DENMARK did fine work with the font and layout. See for yourself how good it is.

Here is a single page backlit so you can see how opaque it is.

There is about a half inch in the margin for limited note taking.

There are two above average ribbon markers. The one for the Old Testament is black and the one for the New Testament is red.

Did I mention how flexible this Bible is? Due to the sewn spine and edge lined binding this thing is super supple, for my alliteration fans. It does open nice and flat, it also can be easy to hold onto with how it can be bent. Take a look.

Among the features I already mentioned, here is a list from Holman’s product page, “…Features include: Smyth-sewn binding, Presentation page, Two-column text, Center-column cross-references, Topical subheadings, Black letter text, 9.5-point type, Concordance, Full-color maps, and more…” I really like the maps 🙂

Here is a picture of their robust cross reference system.

Weights and measures.

A respectable and useful concordance.

and some well done maps.

If you are in the market for a large print ultrathin reference Bible, I encourage you to give this one a look. It has all of the features you could want. It uses a translation that will speed you along in your studies. It comes in at a reasonable price for the top line model and a very good value for the other editions. You’d be hardpressed to find another one in this segment of the market with all of these features for this price. I believe Holman has this edition set to sell for about $139.00 but I am sure sites like Christianbook.com will sell it at a deep discount. Make sure to check out all of the pictures I took of this Bible on my flickr site. You can read more about the CSB translation on their site, www.csbible.com You could also purchase a copy on Amazon.

ISBN: 9781462743223

Bible Rebinds · Bibles · How to · Uncategorized

How to Add Ribbons to your Bible.

December 30, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

I have been asked by friends in the past how to add ribbons to their Bibles. I thought I’d take a moment to share the two easiest methods I’ve employed for doing this. There are two ways most people do this. One way is pretty easy, and the results are pretty good. The other way is a bit trickier with slightly better results.

FYI, the ribbons in the Bible pictured above are stock. They are in my R.L. Allan NASB Reader’s. This is what most of us are are trying to emulate. High quality ribbons, and more than just one. Most mass produced Bibles these days come with one, low quality ribbon marker. I like to have at least three ribbon markers. One for my daily Old Testament reading, one for devotional or current study, and one for my daily New Testament reading.

The first way is to get an acid free glue that will hold fabric to paper.(I use a book binding water based glue.) Open the Bible up all the way to make the cover over the spine open up. Then, measure out some pieces of ribbon so that there will be about 2 to 2.5 inches of the ribbon in the spine, with the rest in between the pages, with about 2 to 4 inches hanging out the bottom. That last one is whatever your preference is. Then have a popsicle stick or butter knife handy. With your finger, smear a good dab of glue on the first ribbon to go in. Keep it to just the part that is going to be attached to the spine. Then, carefully slide it down to where you want it. Then, press it firmly to the spine. Repeat the process for additional ribbons.

Keep in mind the more ribbons you want, the more narrow they will have to be. You don’t want to go too narrow, because they could tear your pages when you use them to open your Bible. You also don’t want them to be too thick or thin. Thick ones will make imprints on the pages. Too thin, and they will curl up, and wrinkle or fold on you. They also don’t last as long.

After you’ve put the ribbons in, use some heat to sear the edges where the ribbons were cut to stop them from fraying. I don’t generally worry about the end inside the Bible as the glue will keep it from fraying as well as the fact that it is inside the spine. You can also heat up a butter knife on the stove to use as an iron to put a fold in the ribbon at the top of the Bible, so it folds the way you want it. This method ends up with the ribbons covering the head band. For some people this isn’t acceptable.

If you want to put them under the headband so the Bible looks more professional, you have to use an exacto blade or some other thin bladed knife to put it between the head band and spine. You have to pry it up from the spine without tearing it or cutting it. Once you have removed it, glue the ribbons into place. Let them dry. Put more glue on the head band. Slide it into place. Press it down and find some way to keep it pressed onto the spine until the glue can hold it. Then don’t mess with it until it has all dried overnight. Give it a good 12 hours to dry, and be carefull with it for a couple of days. The glue takes awhile for maximum adhesion.

One final word on ribbon selection. I like satin or silk ribbons the best. I think they look, and hold up better.(Berisford in the U.K. is one of the prefered manufacturers.) Find a color that complements your Bible’s cover. If you search Amazon, you’ll see a pretty big selection of silk ribbon. You can also try Joann’s fabric store or Hobby Lobby.

Finally, watch this video that my Facebook friend, and fellow Bible lover, Paul Tanca made to help you.

Keep in mind, if you plan on keeping your original ribbons in the Bible and just want to add more, do not cut your old ones out. Also, he is using the second method.

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

Review of the Zondervan NASB Classic Reference Bible in Black Genuine Top Grain Leather ISBN-13:9780310931294

November 26, 2016November 26, 2016 Bob Snyder5 Comments

I had to buy this one folks because Zondervan doesn’t send me free ones. I hope you appreciate it. 🙂 I was looking for an Ultrathin to replace my black Lockman NASB in genuine leather. I came across this one from Zondervan. Now, it is not marketed as an Ultrathin, but it is almost exactly the same dimensions as my Lockman. The Lockman I reviewed here is burgundy, but it is the same as my black one that I kept in my lunchbox for a few years until I wore it out. I really loved the size, layout, cover material, binding, and of course the NASB translation, but it had thin paper. I was hoping that I would love this Zondervan as well, but there are a couple of areas where it falls down. First, the cover material is advertised as, “top grain leather.” It may be top grain leather, but not from a cow. I don’t know, but it looks and feels like the cheap pigskin leather marketed as, “genuine leather” on less expensive Bibles. Pigskin leather is shiny, and usually has a grain stamped into it. The binding tape they used for this Bible also fights against you. It should loosen up a bit as it gets broken in. Combine that with the cover material, and it is kind of a let down considering the price. It is also not as supple, or flexible as top grain cowhide leather. I really like Vachetta calfskin leather. It is so soft to the touch, it makes you want to pick up and hold your Bible. Here is a review I did of a Cambridge Cameo in Vachetta. The Zondervan borders on false advertising, and relies on the consumer’s ignorance, as well as a lack of industry standards.

The Zondervan does have a sewn spine.

This is a necessity as far as I’m concerned. I won’t purchase Bibles with glued bindings. I think we should respect that we aren’t purchasing just some book. We are purchasing a copy of God’s word, to be studied and daily utilized. The amount of wear and tear daily use, along with travel, will cause is incomparable to a novel. So why in the world would publishers think it acceptable to print Bibles as if they are some story book? Well, we all know the answer to that, money $$$.

While this Bible isn’t extremely expensive. The cover is made from a genuine hide of some kind.

I have had this Bible for a little while now. The cover is softening up a bit. The binding is also getting broken in. It lays flat now when I put it on the table to read from it.

There is a presentation page in the front.

The standard notes from Lockman about the NASB translation are present as well. This Bible is printed in China according to the publisher’s information in the front.

The page edges are gold gilt, with rounded corners and a rounded spine. The pages are printed well. It would be a bit better if they had utilized a bolder font. As it is, the text is clearly printed and uniform.

It is laid out in a double column, verse format, with center column references, and footnotes. There are pilcrows, or paragraph markers noting the start of new paragraphs. This is a helpful feature when you are using a verse format Bible like this one.

The paper is acceptably opaque. Ghosting is not bad considering this is a less expensive Bible. The ghosting on this Zondervan is not near as bad as it is on the Lockman. So in that category it is a win for the Zondervan.

The Zondervan is on the right, with the Lockman on the left.

The words of Christ are in red, making this a red letter edition. The red is not too bright.

The Lockman is lacking something this Zondervan has, brief book introductions. They might not seem that important, but they are a welcomed addition to any reference Bible. You get an introduction and concise outline. The introduction consists of, title and background, author and date of writing, and the theme and message.

This Bible also includes decorative head and tail bands, decorative gilt line around the perimeter of the inside cover, a perimeter groove on the outside cover, and one black ribbon marker.

In the back of the Bible we have a useful double column concordance, Promises from the Bible, Perspectives from the Bible, and 8 color maps.

Overall, this is a great little Bible. If you are after a verse format, ultrathin reference Bible in NASB with a leather cover, this has got you covered. There are more expensive Bibles. There are better built Bibles, but this one is in the sweet spot. It is better than your regular cheap bargain bin Bibles, and better than the value line Bibles. This would make a great gift for the Christian on the go, who wants a full reference Bible in a thin package. You can pick one up on Amazon.com, or Christianbook.com You can read more about it on Zondervan’s product page. If you would like, go to my flickr page and look at all the pictures of this Bible. As always, thanks for reading and have a great Christmas.

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

A Review of the Trinitarian Bible Society’s Family Bible.

October 21, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Trinitarian Bible Society (T.B.S.) was kind enough to send me a copy of their Family Bible in KJV translation for review. As usual it was packed very well, and arrived in perfect shape.

This Bible comes in a clamshell type retail box. It should be retained for storage.

T.B.S. as usual has been great to deal with. They always package their Bibles well, and are nice to correspond with. I gotta hand it to them, they have been pretty consistent.

The Family Bible is a Cambridge layout of their large print text Bible. L.E.G.O. SpA (LEGATORIA EDITORIALE GIOVANNI OLIVOTTO) of Vicenza Italy printed and bound this Bible. They did a fine job. I have seen a few Bibles from them. They seem uniformly consistent in quality.

The cover is black calfskin leather. It has a pronounced grain and is comparable to the calfsplit leather covers on Cambridge Bibles.

It is durable and provides a good sturdy exterior to hold on to. This is a case bound Bible with a liner that matches the black color of the cover.

The spine is decorated with the words, “Holy Bible” and the TBS logo in gold colored hot stamping.

The page edges are art gilt. This means there is a red color under the gold color. When the Bible is closed the page edges present a gold appearance. When the pages are shifted, like when it is opened the red color is visible.

There is one, black ribbon marker. I like to see at least two ribbon markers.

The spine is sewn to ensure durability and flexibility. A sewn spine should be a prerequisite for a Bible binding. There are decorative head and tail bands in the Cambridge red and gold.

This is a double column, verse format, black letter edition, with self-pronouncing text. The paper is opaque and strong. A 10 pt. font is utilized. It is bold and well inked. The text stands out well and contrasts with the paper nicely.

This Bible is called a Family Bible because of the records pages in the front. Back in the old days before all of the government interference in our lives, people used to keep their records in their Bibles. Since then, the practice has fallen out of popularity. People have been more than willing to accept the government forms and records. I have a feeling this might change in the near future. As the government becomes more intrusive. The records pages are from Cambridge, and are printed on a sturdy card paper.

To sum things up, I was pretty impressed with how sturdy this Bible feels. I was also impressed with the good looks of this Bible for the price. It is just under $100.00 dollars and is worth the money. Not only does it give you a great place to record your family history, it also would make a terrific wedding gift. If you are in the market for a family Bible or if you need a large print text Bible this would fit the bill nicely. Give T.B.S. a try if you haven’t already. They have been one of the best organizations I’ve dealt with. Keep up the good work T.B.S.

You can purchase yours on their site www.TBSBibles.org

Make sure to check out all of the pictures I took of this Bible on my Flickr page.

ISBN: 9781862280311

9U/BK (Black)

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

A Review of the Holman HCSB Military Families Bible in Navy and Crimson Leathertouch, Red Letter Edition.

July 4, 2016July 4, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

I want to get the failings of this Bible addressed right off the bat. In my opinion it fails at what it aims to accomplish. Here is a quote from the B&H product page, “Family, friends, and loved ones of military service members want comfort and guidance in how to pray for those in harm’s way and in how to cope with those tensions in their own lives so that they will have peace of mind. The Military Families Bible provides 60 pages of devotionals and prayers that minister to family members and loved ones of military personnel as well as equip the reader to minister to and intercede for those in the military.” All of these articles are in this Bible, but (come on, you knew there was going to be a but…) They are all in the back of the Bible. They don’t have page numbers, and they are not indexed in any way shape or form. You might be asking, “What’s so bad about that?” Well, say for instance you are having a specific problem, that one of these articles addresses, wouldn’t it be great to be able to look it up? The next problem is that these articles should be interspersed throughout the Bible and be attached to relevant scripture passages. As it is, they are just lazily thrown into the back of this Bible. Sure, it puts them in one convenient place to read, but they literally could be a separate devotional book instead. My final problem with the devotionals is that some cited scripture passages have been torn out of context and misapplied by the writer. This doesn’t happen a lot, but it shouldn’t happen at all.

I would offer a solution instead of just seemingly complaining. First, get the feel good authors out of the exposition business. Second, get some vets, their families, and some theologians together, to talk about their experiences, and to help them connect with the Biblical doctrines that comforted them. Third, intersperse the articles throughout the Bible, and connect them to sections of scripture in context, and properly apply the scripture to the situations the military families and soldiers are going through. Fourth, index the articles so that people can find them and the scriptures that can offer them soul care pertinent to their situation. See, was that so hard? Seems legit to me…

Now let’s get into the physical attributes of this Bible. It is a handsome little Bible in the HCSB translation. It came in a two piece, sturdy, retail box. The cover is a synthetic Navy blue, and crimson color leather like material. It is perimeter stitched and case bound, with a paper liner. The page edges are silver, the spine and corners are rounded. This Bible’s spine is smyth sewn, regardless of what the retail sites say.

There is some page crinkling at the beginning of the Bible, but it isn’t very bad. There is a patriotic themed presentation page. The single ribbon marker is red/crimson, to match the stripe on the cover. The publisher’s information page indicates this Bible is manufactured in China… patriotic Bible… made in China… just sayin’

I found this Bible to be just the right size. It measures approximately, 8 ½” by 5 ¾” by 1 ½” It is really more of a text Bible with devotions in the back. The paper is opaque enough, and the print is a 10 pt. font, printed uniformly throughout the Bible. This is a double column, paragraph format, red letter edition. The red print is pretty average, not too bright, not too dull. It is an easy to read Bible, mostly because of the size of the font.

It would be even better if line matching was employed. While the paper is decent, and the font is a good size, there is still some ghosting. Limited footnotes at the bottom of the page reduce clutter. The sewn spine makes this Bible nice and flexible, right out of the box. It lays flat on the table, and that is a big deal for an inexpensive Bible.

It truly is a great value with just the legibility and sewn spine. The 60 pages of devotional material are useful. Don’t get me wrong. I just wished a better implementation had occurred. Of the 60 pages, 30 are devotions and 30 are prayers. I believe that theology makes a difference, and that a firm foundation in God’s word will help you through the storms of life better than anything else. The sovereignty of God, God’s omniscience, and omnipresence, as well as all that those attributes entail gives me peace and comfort in difficult times. Besides these features there are HCSB bullet notes, “Where to turn to” scripture index, and 8 full color maps.

Make sure to check out the rest of the pics at my Flickr page. You can pick up your copy at Christianbook, or Amazon.

ISBN-13: 9781433619670

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Crossway · Uncategorized

Review of the Crossway ESV UltraThin in Black Top Grain Cowhide Leather.

June 2, 2016June 2, 2016 Bob Snyder2 Comments

I purchased this Bible on sale from Christianbook.com I was curious because it was listed as having a top grain leather cover. I was glad I ordered it. It turns out that it is now out of print. So if you can find one, I suggest you purchase it. I was pleasantly surprised by this less than a half inch thick little gem. This UltraThin came in a clamshell retail box with a clear plastic window. I retained the box for storage purposes. Once you open the box up you smell the leather and not glue or dye. The leather was very supple and soft to the touch. The grain appears to be natural. There is a nice perimeter groove and spine hubs.

The hubs add to the ornamentation along with the gold letters stamped into it. From the top of the spine down it reads, “Holy Bible, ESV, the ESV logo, English Standard Version, Then the Crossway logo.”

The spine is sewn affording this very thin Bible with great flexibility for a paste down, case bound Bible. In my opinion the cover offers a perfect compromise of flexibility, and structure.

The head and tail bands are gold and black, complementing the color of the cover, and the gold page edge gilt. There are two ribbon markers, even though the retail site only lists one. The ribbon markers are narrow, but thicker than most employed in Bibles under $100.

In the front of the Bible there is a presentation, marriages, births/adoptions, and deaths pages. They are printed on a thicker matte finish paper that takes ink well. Unlike higher gloss papers, these won’t crack or tear as easily.

Then there is the copyright/publishers page. Before Genesis begins the Old Testament we have the table of contents, preface, and explanation of features.

The text of this Bible is double column, paragraph format. This is a red letter edition. The red lettering is not too red or too light. It contrasts well against the white paper and surrounding black text. The main text is a 7.5 pt. lexicon font. Line matching is employed to aid in reduction of, “ghosting” or the appearance of the text from the opposite side of the page showing through the paper due to the opacity allowing it.

The paper’s opacity is pretty good considering how thin this Bible is. At just under a half inch, it is one of the thinnest UltraThins I’ve seen. I had assumed that they used a thinner paper. That was not the case. The paper is 31 g.s.m. 20# Thincoat Max. This is not a thin or lightweight paper. It looks like they made up for the thickness of the paper by not having any cross references. There are some footnotes at the bottom of the pages. This way they could fit the entire text into this UltraThin.

So we have a nice, legible, well printed, and bound Bible in this truly UltraThin format. It is also so soft and flexible due to the quality binding and cover, that I can fold it over itself. It is almost as flexible as an edge-lined Bible.

At the end there is a weights and measures page, and an abbreviations page. A three column concise concordance follows. Finished off with eight maps in color.

Make sure to check out the pictures I took of this Bible on my Flickr page here. You can still purchase these on Amazon until they run out. Then you’ll have to get them used. ISBN-13: 9781433538834

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Crossway · Uncategorized

Review of the Crossway E.S.V. TruTone Single Column Heritage Edition Bible.

May 21, 2016May 21, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

I purchased this Bible because it was on sale for 80% off. I figured I could write a review, and then gift it to someone. After receiving it, I might just keep it for a rebind project. It arrived undamaged. It was in a cardboard box with two other ESV Bibles, I ordered at the same time. This one has a clamshell retail box. If you need to store your Bible, it is always a good idea to keep the retail box.

This Bible is the soft leather-look, TruTone brown/burgundy, with band design. TruTone is a synthetic cover material that simulates leather. It is one of the better synthetic covers on the market.

The inside liner is paper as this is a case bound Bible.

The cover around the spine is ornamented with, “Holy Bible, ESV, the ESV logo, English Standard Version, and the Crossway logo” in gold.

There are brown head and tail bands, as well as one brown ribbon marker. The spine, and corners are rounded. The page edges are gold gilt.

There is a presentation page up front, along with the typical copyright/publisher’s information page.

I really like the size of this little text edition. It isn’t too big, or small. It measures about 5.5”x7.5” It is pretty portable, though not as much as a true compact, pocket size, thinline, or ultrathin.

Of course you would lose the font size and paper quality to drop down to those sizes. I think this is a pleasing compromise in Bible design. Since it is a single column text edition, it can afford to be smaller than a reference Bible. It also utilizes a 9 point Lexicon font, which is a great choice for a Bible of this size. Crossway also employed line matching, which greatly reduces ghosting. (being able to see the text from the opposite side of the paper) The paper is 31 g.s.m. Thincoat Max, 1720ppi.

Between the great paper, clear uniformly printed text, and line matching, this Bible is very legible.

The spine is smyth sewn.

This in conjunction with the soft cover, make this a very flexible Bible.

I can fold it over on itself. Then, hold it like a magazine in one hand. This is my prefered way to read. It also opens fairly flat. I don’t think it is suited well to pulpit duty as it is a paragraph format Bible. It lends itself to devotional, and daily reading. It would be perfect for that with one more ribbon marker. There is not a concordance or any other helps or features except for some colored maps in the back.

My overall impression of this Bible is favorable. I think it fulfills the purpose for which it was designed in an exemplary manner. It is a great value, legible, portable, durable, and flexible. It is not so nice, that I’m afraid of hurting it. It is a good value and should provide you with years of service.

You can pick up your copy at Christianbook. Amazon also sells them.

Make sure to check out all of the pictures of this Bible on my Flickr page.
ISBN 9781433537370

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

Review of the Trinitarian Bible Society’s (T.B.S.) Hebrew/Greek Bible.

May 17, 2016 Bob Snyder4 Comments

This Bible was well packaged in a heavy duty clamshell type paper covered cardboard box, with packing foam inside. TBS does an excellent job of packaging their Bibles. I have never received one damaged in the least.

This edition is a vinyl covered hardback, with the Hebrew Old Testament starting where the back of the book would be, and the Greek New Testament starting where the front would be. This might seem backwards to you if you are unfamiliar with Hebrew, but you wouldn’t be buying this book if you were… would you?

I was very impressed with the apparent quality of this book considering the low cost. Those two things alone make this a great value. Other original language Bibles go for three times this price to start and climb up from there. I assume that the low price can be attributed to the fact that TBS is a ministry not a for profit corporation. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the copyright/publisher information page, and found that this volume was printed and bound by Jongbloed.

They are the premier printer and binder of premium Bibles. I don’t think any company in the world does a better job at this point in time. This fact explains the excellent print job. All of the masoretic vowel marks are printed sharply and uniformly, along with all of the 9 pt. Greek and Hebrew text.

This makes them supremely legible compared to other lesser print shops work. All of the text is printed in black. The notes at the bottom of the Hebrew section are so small they are difficult to read.

The Greek is text only. The pages are a smooth Bible paper, comparable to the paper of the Cambridge Clarion, but perhaps a bit whiter. I found it to be opaque with limited ghosting.

The page edges are white. The spine is rounded and smyth sewn. The corners are not rounded. There are two round ribbon markers, that are silver. The head and tail bands match the markers in color.

This Bible is close to the same size as the Cambridge Clarion. The specific texts used in this Bible are, the Ginsburg/Bomberg edition of the Hebrew Masoretic Text, and the Textus Receptus of F.H.A. Scrivener for the New Testament. I imagine if you are thinking of purchasing this Bible it is because of the source texts. I am not a KJV onlyist. I don’t agree with their assertions. However, I do understand people who prefer the KJV. Some prefer it because of the source texts, some prefer the way early modern English sounds. While I can appreciate those preferences, I oppose those who make it a matter of salvation. There are groups out there that say, “If you haven’t heard the gospel preached to you in KJV English, then you are not saved.” I don’t believe that is what T.B.S. is about. From what I’ve read on their site, they use the KJV because they believe it has the best source text. I use the NASB primarily, but still enjoy reading from the KJV and 1599 Geneva from time to time.

Make sure to check out all the pictures I took on my Flickr page here.

You can purchase it from TBS on their site here.

You can also purchase it on Amazon

ISBN 9781862281165

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

Review of the Chronological Study Bible in NKJV from Thomas Nelson. Earth Brown/Auburn Leathersoft.

May 11, 2016May 11, 2016 Bob Snyder3 Comments

It is a novel idea, but not very practical. It is also not a study Bible. It is more of a reference Bible with added notes. If you want to look up a verse you have to go to the verse index in the back, find the verse you are looking for, then go to the page indicated by the index. I know that if you have purchased this Bible it is probably for the chronological arrangement, but the trouble of finding your way in this is not worth the trouble in my opinion. There is a good reason for having the Bible arranged in books instead of epochs. They could have scrapped the book, chapter, and verse, format altogether and went solely with the epoch arrangement. This would have required the user to learn the location of verses within their historical location, but would have negated the need for an awkward index system utilized by this hybrid arrangement. Of course they wouldn’t be able to reach as many customers that way. The best option, in my opinion is to stick with the book, chapter, and verse arrangement, and use book introductions with the appropriate notes. The typical commentary notes you’d expect from a study Bible are missing. Instead there are features, or small articles interspersed throughout the Bible. Many of these are not Reformed, or complementarian friendly. They also seem to employ a cultural hermeneutic to many scripture passages instead of the proper hermeneutic for the particular passage. It is obvious that this Bible’s articles are focused on appealing to the modern cultural sensitivities in hopes of selling more Bibles. If you are a Methodist, Nazarene, Arminian Baptist, or any other non-Calvinistic confessor you will like the notes.
The heading for Romans 8 says that it is about the rejection of the gospel by Israel. From that heading it is meant that Romans 8 is about a national election not an individual one. Which is quite odd considering how most of the converts of the early Church were Israelites. The gospel came to them first and then the gentiles. In Ephesians 5 there is an article imposing a cultural hermeneutic on the passage instead of making it prescriptive it is implied that this was just for that culture. The same thing is done with 1 Timothy 2.

The Bible was shipped in a cardboard box with air bladder packing material. The Bible arrived undamaged.

It has a two piece retail box.

The synthetic cover has perimeter stitching.

The stitching would have been a nice feature if the inside liner were not paper.

The cover is pretty flexible. That in conjunction with the sewn binding makes the entire Bible flexible.

There is a single ribbon marker, along with gold gilt page edges.

The text is in a double column format with full color features interspersed throughout. The 9 pt. font is legible and uniformly printed.

There is a substantial concordance in the back and some ruled paper for notes.

This Bible is advertised as a study Bible, but it is definitely not. It forgoes them for biased articles. If this were just a NKJV Bible I would recommend it, but due to the bias in the articles, and notes I cannot. I would definitely not purchase this Bible unless I was not a Calvinist. I found it insulting to be honest.

2383E
ISBN 9780718040536

If you’d like to purchase this Bible you can get a copy here.

Make sure to look at all the pictures I took of this Bible on the Flickr album page.

American Made · Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

Review of the, “The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible in Genuine Leather.

May 7, 2016 Bob Snyder3 Comments

I requested a review copy quite some time ago, and was refused. This is why it has taken a while for me to do a review of this Bible. Recently I purchased a copy, at my own expense for the purpose of review. I was curious about this Bible because of the title. I am a Reformed Baptist. I hold to reformed soteriology. Since I affirm believer’s baptism, or credal baptism, I cannot be said to have Reformed theology proper, as that would include infant baptism, or paedo-baptism along with some other theological distinctions.

This Bible came shipped by Amazon in a cardboard box with no padding.

One of the corners of the retail clamshell box was dented. The Bible inside was undamaged.

When I first examined the Bible I didn’t notice that some of the pages were folded under and failed to be trimmed with the text block. I had to trim them myself with an exacto knife. I contacted Reformation Heritage by e-mail. It has been several weeks without a response. I was waiting to do the review because part of my e-mail had to do with questions about this Bible’s manufacture. I wouldn’t let their failure to respond stop you from purchasing this Bible.

This edition has a genuine cowhide leather cover and not pigskin leather. On the front cover, “Holy Bible” is hot stamped in gold color foil. The texture of the leather seems to be natural and comfortable to hold. this is a case bound Bible.

It is not as high grade as some, but far exceeds many lesser quality covers on Bibles in the same price range. This Bible lists for about $80.00, but I purchased it on sale for $55.88 from Amazon. You would be hard pressed to find a study Bible with all of the features this Bible has for the same price. We are talking about an American printed and bound Bible with smyth-sewn spine, cowhide leather cover, unique study notes, creeds and confessions, notes on family application, and numerous articles in back along with a concise concordance and maps.

This Bible is only available in the King James Version. (KJV) It is a verse format, double column, layout with notes at the bottom of the page.

Before each book is an introduction and outline of the book.

A sharply printed and uniformly inked 9.8 pt. Minion Font is used for the text of the Bible, and 8 pt. Myriad SemiCondensed Font for the notes is employed.

The page margins are pretty small, so you won’t be making many notations in them. The page edges are gold gilt. The corners are rounded, the spine is not.

Since this Bible employs a sewn binding it lays flat without having to fight the binding or cover. It is pretty flexible.

There are gold and burgundy head and tail bands as well as two narrow yet, substantial black ribbons.

The ribbons are both fixed in the spine at the same place making them a bit awkward compared to others that are glued in differently.

I truly like the paper used for the presentation/records section in the front and the maps in the back. RHB made the best decision of not using the glossy papers that crack. Instead they went with a thicker matte paper that will last a long time.

I would have liked to see a thicker, more opaque paper employed, however, to include all of the features in one volume without making it a behemoth like the ESV study Bible, I can understand why the chose the paper they did. Don’t misunderstand me, the paper isn’t bad. It is just a little less opaque than I would like. Ghosting isn’t bad at all and it appears that line matching was employed. For the money, there aren’t many full study Bibles on the market that could compete with this one. I highly recommend this Bible if you are a fan of the KJV, and historic creeds and confessions. It is an all around solid study Bible. Here is a link to the publisher’s page for this edition. Here is a link to this edition on Amazon. Finally, here is a link to this Bible on Christianbook.

Don’t forget to visit my flickr album of all the pictures I took of this Bible.

ISBN: 9781601783264

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