The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, was the Bible the Spirit used to bring the scriptures alive for me. I almost completely wore out that old hardcover, and then I taped it up and still have it handy for reference even today.
I also have a NRSV New Oxford Annotated Bible, which has a pretty good translation, but the notes and articles in many cases are written from such a skeptical point of view that it’s not a whole lot of good to me.
But a number of years ago my wife and I were at Sam’s Club, and I noticed there was a NIV Study Bible (2002 version) on sale, black bonded leather for about $30. I couldn’t pass it up, even though I had reservations at that time concerning Zondervan’s scholarship and the NIV translation itself.
Well, the NIV Study Bible has gradually grown on me. I have always been very fond of how easy the NIV translation was to read; in fact, the NIV was the first translation I found that I could really understand. But for a long time the fact that it wasn’t a “word-for-word” translation bothered me. Yet, I still liked it. As I grew more self-educated about translations I became more and more impressed with how literally accurate the NIV was, while at the same time being easy to read and comprehend.
While I continued to use the MacArthur, I still frequently referred to my NIV SB. Then, I started using the NIV in teaching my Bible study class, because the majority of the people who attended were using the NIV themselves. It continued to impress. I found myself recommending it to lots of people.
But there was something that I didn’t like about the NIV SB. It seemed that it was always referring you to some other place in the Bible. I was used to the MacArthur, in which everything is explained. True, it does refer you to other places; how could a study Bible not do that? But Dr. MacArthur is basically telling you what to believe about the text. And that’s fine as long as he tells you the truth. And he does, except we all know there are many parts of the scripture that are quite open to different interpretations. I found myself disagreeing with Dr. MacArthur in some areas, and had to go elsewhere to find those other interpretations I was referring to.
I found that while the NIV referred you to other parts of the scripture and commentary, it was more open to different interpretations. In fact, I am now realizing that it is one of the great strengths of Zondervan’s study Bibles. They don’t tell you what to think, they give you the tools to find out those things for yourself. What the Zondervan study Bibles are then is a reference Bible with lots of study notes. Kind of like the NET Bible but not nearly so many. I believe they advertise 20,000 as opposed to the NET’s 64,000.
And there is a place for the NET, of course. But I don’t believe most people who are in the market for a good study Bible are that interested in how most Greek and Hebrew words are translated, and so on. Zondervan’s study Bibles are an excellent compromise. They will open the eyes of the new believer, and still be enough to satisfy most Bible scholars as well. If you really need more than what Zondervan gives you, you should really be reading commentaries and interlinears as well. And personally, I’d rather not carry all that stuff around with me. My NIV Study Bible is quite sufficient, thank you.
Which brings me to one final point. I have been talking about the NIV Study Bible, and Zondervan’s study Bibles. The point is, the NIV SB is one of the Zondervan study Bibles. It is the best selling of Zondervan’s study Bibles. Zondervan also makes the TNIV Study Bible and the NASB Study Bible. I believe they also made one called the KJV Study Bible for a while, but I’m unsure whether they’re still making that one or not.
What these different study Bibles are, is the same basic study Bible notes adapted to the different translations. Whether you are using the NIV, the TNIV, or even the NASB, the notes are all the same, for the most part. Of course, they have been updated a couple times now since Zondervan first published the NIV Study Bible, but it’s still basically the same, fine, award-winning study Bible we can confidently recommend to anyone and everyone.
And what I find exciting now is the upcoming 2011 NIV, because that will result in a brand new NIV Study Bible in very short order after the new NIV Bible comes out. And I hope to get my hands on one and review it ASAP.
The Sundry Times 
Any thoughts on the ESV study Bible? I have followed your blog long enough to know you don’t necessarily love the ESV translation, but I am curious about the quality of the study notes for the study Bible that was published (last year? or ’07). I have heard generally great things about it, but have not plunked down the $$ to get one.
LikeLike
Larry, I haven’t bought one myself. I’ve only experienced it through the online sampler that was published back in those days when they first brought it onto the market. The quality of the notes generally impressed me, but I became frustrated with the “scholarly” detail of the “discussion” in the notes. I felt it was far more detailed than necessary, and had lots of nearly useless information. But that’s just my impression from back then. I’ve read lots of recommendations for it, and I think it’s probably a fine SB, especially for someone who likes the ESV. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to them. It may be good, if overwhelming, for a beginner as well. But I would probably tend to recommend the NIV SB over the ESV SB for most people, mainly because I know the NIV well and use it myself.
LikeLike
Larry, I was just at a couple websites looking at the ESV SB and also the ESV translation itself. It is certainly an impressive SB, but more than that, while I still think the ESV translation is the weakest part of that SB, reading the latest version of the ESV shows that it has been improved a bit, actually quite a bit. I think I may have to look into getting me one of them!
BTW, I was very impressed with the ESV online. It’s very friendly and easy-to-use.
LikeLike
NOTICE: I have removed the post from Anissa due to extreme length, lack of relevence to the subject, and pro-KJV-ONLY bias. GZ.
LikeLike
Annissa,
That is one of the longest posts I’ve ever read. You sure have done your reaearch. I think, though, that the reason for the differences is not actual translation of words but the underlying original language manuscripts used. Almost all modern translations use a text based on the oldest manuscripts that were unknown to the KJV translators. They used a group of texts known as Textus Receptus which was the majority of manuscripts they had. The only 2 translations I know of that use those texts are the KJV and NKJV. While there are ardent supporters on both sides of the debate, the good news is that no basic Christian doctrine relys on differences between the two. May God continue to bless your ministry of spreading the Word.
LikeLike
Gary, I appreciate your post and agree with you about the value of the NIV Study Bible. For me it was the New International Inductive Study Bible the really helped bring the Scriptures to life for me.
Have a Happy and Blessed New Year!!
LikeLike
Gary, Thanks for the thoughts on the ESV web presence and SB. I’ll have to check out the ESV online to see what you mean!
LikeLike
whew! I was hoping so. Probably it was just a cut and paste deal…
LikeLike
hello so with trying to study the bible in depth and new in my walk with God would you say get the John MacArthur or the Life Application?
LikeLike
Hello Cheyenne. That’s a good question. I’m wondering how you narrowed your choices down to those two. There are a number of study Bibles that are good if you want to get deep into the scriptures. Of those two, I think the Life Application tends to be a little more superficial. While good, I don’t think it will point out to you some of the deeper nuances that are there. I think the MacArthur will take you deeper, and I don’t believe there is a more faithful expounder of the Word today than John MacArthur. That being said, I think there are better study Bibles for Old Testament study, like the NIV and ESV study Bibles for example.
A good study Bible will get you started and can be a good companion through your lifetime. But as you get deeper and deeper into the Word, that won’t be good enough eventually. You’ll find yourself desiring more, and the place to find a lot of that will be in commentaries. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.
LikeLike