Rating: Summary: Grab a Pen! Review: The first time I saw this Bible my first reaction was, "Look at those margins!". Yes, this Bible has a full 1 3/4" margin on the outside of each page! This is a note-takers dream. The only things you'll find between these pages other than the text are study helps at the beginning of each book, cross-references along the inside edge of each page, helpful charts, very few scattered "insights" (mainly for textual clarification) and a blank outline structure at the end of each book for you to complete. Even though most of the work is left up to the student, thankfully there is a concordance in the back. This Bible is all about getting into the Word for yourself. The only drawbacks I found were the single column text, since I prefer the double column format, and the large margins which create a rather large Bible to carry. These are just preferences however. I would also recommend "Living by the Book" by Howard Hendricks or "How to Study Your Bible" by Kay Arthur as companions to help in your approach to study the Bible for yourself.
Rating: Summary: For Deeper Study Review: This is an excellent study Bible. It has a system that prompts the reader to ask who? what? where? when? how? why? to gain a deeper understanding of Scripture. This system of study also involves marking key words and concepts in the Scriptures, and it has ample room in the margins to take notes. At the end of each chapter, the reader is asked to record what they have learned from each book for future reference and on-going study. I would recommend this Bible for both beginners and long-time readers alike.
Rating: Summary: Absolutely my favorite translation... Review: This is by far the best translation I have come across yet. It does not shy away from textual criticism and its revelation that many verses found in, say the Received Text, are not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscript evidence. Extensive sidebars and notations throughout as to these verses and as to alternate readings of certain words/phrases make for interesting reading and opens up the Sciptures in a very broad and enlightening way. Implicitly, it helps provide key insight into the challenges that translators of the Bible have faced through the years. While the NASB does not read as poetically as does the KJV it does not read as dry and 'plain' as the NIV. The maps and charts provide significant help in understanding Christian theology in light of scholarly study. It leans on the conservative side, textual criticism aside, but all in all this version has helped me to understand Christianity at a deeper and more intellectually, emotionally and spiritually satisfying level.
Rating: Summary: Best Study Bible! Review: This is the absolute best study Bible I have ever come across! I've used many, from the Open Bible, Life Application Bible, Thompson Chain Reference Bible, Ryrie Study Bible and Hebrew Greek Key Bible. There comes a time where you want to dig out what the Word says to you. Not commentators, Not translators. Just you and God. That's what this does. A small introduction is given at the beginning of each book, and you are given things to look out for or notice in each book. You have pages to record your notes on, and wide margins to write personal notes and applications right next to the text. There are also blank pages for notes in the back of the Bible. Also included at the end of each book of the Bible is a "Chapter Theme" Chart where you record the Theme of each chapter. It makes a wonderful quick reference! There is also a space for you to record the theme at the beginning of each chapter. I never realized how helpful it is to do it yourself! The more you make notes in this Bible and discover truths, the more irreplaceable it becomes. The text is a nice print and easy to read. It is single column text. The references are wonderful, and there anre many. I highly recommend it. It may be the last study Bible you ever need! UPDATE: After using this Bible intensively for 6 months I have to add this: the cross references are plentiful and are some of the best I've seen and very, very helpful. Along with the cross references are translators notes that are included are invaluble. Like a study Bible in themselves. For example Rom 3:3 reads "What then? If some did not believe, thier unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God will it?" The translator note to the side tells you that "did not believe" could also be rendered "or were unfaithful" and unbelief could be rendered "unfaithfulness" It is really enlightning to me, because although I have Heb/Greek dictionaries, I am not fluent in the original languages.
Rating: Summary: unlike anything on the market Review: When I heard that "Harvest House Publishers" had published "The New Inductive Study Bible", I sighed in disbelief: "Not ANOTHER NASB Study Bible in the NASB!" After all, we already have the excellent Zondervan NASB Study Bible; the NASB Life Application Study Bible; the NASB Student Study Bible; and the NASB Updated Ryrie Study Bible. In truth this study Bible is unlike anything on the market. It is truly inductive, in that rather than having someone else tell you what the text means, you work out the meaning for yourself. At first this sounds like a precarious journey for novices with no experience in interpreting the Bible, but actually it turns out to be joyous and secure journey into the biblical text. The reader is taught to mark keywords, phrases, and pronouns through the use of symbols and colours. Words like God, love, Jesus, Law, Repent, Sin, Covenant, Grace, are marked in singular fashion. This allows the reader to graphically connect areas in the text that are connected, like themes, contrasts, etc. All you need is the Bible, a quick read through the introduction, and a set of coloured markers, or coloured pencils. It sounds crazy, but it is quite ingenious - and simple. I was VERY sceptical, but was converted after trying it. I also tried it out with my difficult Bible study group, following which they all went out bought themselves a copy of the Bible. We now have weekly INDUCTIVE sessions. Even if you don't want to use the "inductive method" this is a great Bible. One does not have to use the inductive method at all. It is purely optional. I would recommend this Bible to anyone wanting a very well printed NASB update. The text is exceptionally clear, single column, easy to read, with wide margins. It has all the detailed footnotes of the NASB translators, and even a concordance. Beautifully printed and bound.
Rating: Summary: unlike anything on the market Review: When I heard that "Harvest House Publishers" had published "The New Inductive Study Bible", I sighed in disbelief: "Not ANOTHER NASB Study Bible in the NASB". After all, we already have the excellent Zondervan NASB Study Bible; the NASB Life Application Study Bible; the NASB Student Study Bible; and the NASB Updated Ryrie Study Bible. In truth this study Bible is unlike anything on the market. It is truly inductive, in that rather than having someone else tell you what the text means, you work out the meaning for yourself. At first this sounds like a precarious journey for novices with no experience in interpreting the Bible, but actually it turns out to be joyous and secure journey into the biblical text. The reader is taught to mark keywords, phrases, and pronouns through the use of symbols and colours. Words like God, love, Jesus, Law, Repent, Sin, Covenant, Grace, are marked in singular fashion. This allows the reader to graphically connect areas in the text that are connected, like themes, contrasts, etc. All you need is the Bible, a quick read through the introduction, and a set of coloured markers, or coloured pencils. It sounds crazy, but it is quite ingenious - and simple. I was VERY sceptical, but was converted after trying it. I also tried it out with my difficult Bible study group, following which they all went out bought themselves a copy of the Bible. We now have weekly INDUCTIVE sessions. Even if you don't want to use the "inductive method" this is a great Bible. One does not have to use the inductive method at all. It is purely optional. I would recommend this Bible to anyone wanting a very well printed NASB update. The text is exceptionally clear, single column, easy to read, with wide margins. It has all the detailed footnotes of the NASB translators, and even a concordance.
Rating: Summary: unlike anything on the market Review: When I heard that Harvest House Publishers had published "The New Inductive Study Bible", I sighed in disbelief: "Not ANOTHER NASB Study Bible in the NASB". After all, we already have the excellent Zondervan NASB Study Bible; the NASB Life Application Study Bible; the NASB Student Study Bible; and the NASB Updated Ryrie Study Bible.
In truth this study Bible is unlike anything on the market. It is truly inductive, in that rather than having someone else tell you what the text means, you work out the meaning for yourself. At first this sounds like a precarious journey for novices with no experience in interpreting the Bible, but actually it turns out to be joyous and secure journey into the biblical text. The reader is taught to mark keywords, phrases, and pronouns through the use of symbols and colours. Words like God, love, Jesus, Law, Repent, Sin, Covenant, Grace, are marked in singular fashion. This allows the reader to graphically connect areas in the text that are connected, like themes, contrasts, etc. All you need is the Bible, a quick read through the introduction, and a set of coloured markers, or coloured pencils. It sounds crazy, but it is quite simple. I was sceptical, but was converted after trying it. I also tried it out with a Bible study group, following which, they all went out and bought themselves a copy of the Bible.
Even if you don't want to use the "inductive method" this is a great Bible. I would recommend this Bible to anyone wanting a very well printed NASB update. The text is exceptionally clear, single column, easy to read, with wide margins. It has all the detailed footnotes of the NASB translators, and even a concordance.
Rating: Summary: Great translation, decent implementation of inductive study Review: While I do not use the New American Standard translation as my primary bible, I love this translation. It is very literal, and great for studying. My only complaint with this translation is that it can be a bit difficult to memorize, and sometimes is awkward to read because of it's strict literal approach. In terms of the bible, the Inductive approach is a great idea. Letting God speak through His word, and meditating on it makes much more sense to me than running to study notes for someone elses interpretation. It's a wonderful way to learn and grow. The New Inductive Study bible explains the process for this form of study, but does not encorporate it as well as I thought it would. It provides things to be aware of while reading, key words to highlight, and questions to answer, but to me the best approach is to ask your own questions, and search through the bible yourself to answer them. When doing this, I skip the New Inductive Bible's study suggestions/notes completely and just use it's concordance and book summaries to supplement scripture itself. What I like the best about the New Inductive Study Bible is the fact that it has a fairly thorough concordance (only rivalled or beaten by a few bible's I've seen), a large and very readable font, is based on a great translation for study, and has wide margins. I could have done without the questions / suggestions for study, and would have preffered an even larger concordance. Also, the bible uses a verse format for the text, so each verse is on it's own line. This is great for locating verses quickly, but I find it greatly hinders the flow of the text. Overall, I would suggest passing on the New Inductive Bible, and instead picking up a basic version of the New American Standard such as the Thinline Large Print NASB and investing in a full concordance. If you like to write in your bible though, or have never studied inductively before, I'd recommend this. It's a great supplement to anyone's bible library. NOTE: I use the English Standard Version, as it's very literal, but is a little easier to read and memorize.
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