Rating: 
Summary: a commentary also
Review: Overall this is a good study bible. It's user friendly and has plenty of cross references, maps, limited concordance, and even a topical reference section. At the beginning of each book it has very good introduction explaining the background info and the current events of the time. The one minus is instead of having only help notes (definition of terms, etc.) to give you clearer understanding it has a commentary also. I like my study bibles and commentaries separate.
Rating: 
Summary: BEWARE.....
Review: This bible couldve been a wonderful study tool if Macarthur hadn't have been a calvinist. Those who oppose the calvinist heresies beware. I myself am neither calvinist nor armenian, but am peticularily disturbed by calvinism and it's dangers within the church.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, as long as you're content with a single viewpoint...
Review: John MacArthur has a definite point of view that he believes in and emphasizes in this study Bible. He clearly knows his stuff within his tradition (Reformed / Conservative), but doctrines and viewpoints which Christians can (and do) reasonably disagree on get little or no coverage; deliberately I think. So I would call this study Bible "infuriatingly excellent". Excellent in what it *does* cover, but woefully lacking in what it does not. Readers with no previous knowledge or experience could easily come away thinking (as MacArthur does) that certain difficult passages are perfectly clear, when in fact, believers continue to wrestle with alternate meanings. I think a study Bible should point out passages that have generated disagreement... perhaps defending one viewpoint, but at least giving other views a hearing. I suspect that John MacArthur believes that there are enough even-handed study Bibles on the market already. But since MacArthur rarely seems to mention alternate interpretations, I would recommend other Study Bibles ahead of this one: my personal favorites are The Nelson Study Bible (NKJV) for a conservative viewpoint, and the New Interpreter's Study Bible (NRSV) for a more liberal point of view. Both are excellent and fairly even-handed... the Nelson being often overlooked, and perhaps the best single Study Bible around... i.e. if you can only have ONE, I think the Nelson Study Bible may be the best choice overall.
Rating: 
Summary: A resource for YEARS to come....
Review: Johnny Mac has put his life into getting this volume together and it shows. Filled with copious amounts of notes, maps, explanations and much more on virtually every verse of scripture, this is probably the BEST study bible on the market, bar none. My only caveats - there's a few small points here and there that I don't agree with, but they're open to discussion (i.e.- 2 Cor. 13 - Paul's thorn in the flesh).... but otherwise this is a pretty solid resource. He should've included a topical index like the New Open Bible does. Lastly, he needs to make this available in the ESV translation as soon as possible. Other than that- GREAT! I say get one right now.
Rating:
Summary: Great Bible StudtyTool
Review: this book is a great help for Bible study. It uses the Bible to understand the Bible, by referring to different passages.
| 
