Review: The Open Bible NKJV

I love having lots of different versions of the Bible available, and I love having different styles of study Bibles.  So when the opportunity to review The Open Bible NKJV came up, I went for it.

I figure that you already have an idea as to whether or not the New King James Version is something you even want to consider (this Bible is also available in KJV if you prefer that), so I'm not going to address the "Bible" portion of this.  My review will focus on some of the features that make this Bible different from other NKJV Bibles.

Book introductions and outlines:  Okay, many Bibles include introductions to each book.  The Open Bible has significant introductions to each book.  In cases like 2 Timothy, the introduction/outline is nearly as long as the book itself.  Each introduction follows a basic format:

• Brief overview of the book, usually a paragraph or two.  This includes information about the history of the name of the book.
• Information on the author of the book
• Information about the time of the book, usually referring to the time the book was written
• Information about how Christ is presented in the book.  For Old Testament books, this section is particularly interesting.
• Keys to the book -- key words, key verses, key chapters -- and a description as to why these are important.
• Survey of the book, which goes through the main sections of the book in paragraph form.
• A chart that summarizes the book visually.
• A traditional outline of the book.

Biblical Cyclopedic Index: Three HUNDRED page index, this is the kind of thing I tend to ignore.  As I've done more Bible study with my kids though, one thing we've tried to do is to learn HOW to use various study and reference tools, such as a concordance or a topical index.  This Cyclopedic Index is a combination of those two tools, plus more. 

Let's take a look at the entry for "Clothing, tearing of" for an example.  First, there is a brief definition, in this case, "symbolic expression of grief."  For some entries, there are subheadings, but not in this case.  Underneath the entry, there are listings for each instance in Bible, with a brief description ("By Reuben"), the reference ("Gen 37:29, 34"), and the page number in this Bible.

This is something that will be handy for some of our studies.

Visual Survey of the Bible:  Roughly 25 pages, located between the Old and New Testaments, this section gives an overview of the big picture of the entire Bible, with charts, maps, timelines (including biblical and extrabiblical events), along with very brief text.  This is a great summary.

Articles:  There are also a number of articles throughout The Open Bible, including:

• How to Study the Bible
• The Christian's Guide to the New Life
• Between the Testaments
• The Apocrypha
• The Scarlet Thread of Redemption
• The Greatest Archaeological Discoveries
• A Guide to Christian Workers

Charts/Lists:  There are a number of charts, including:

• Money, Weights, and Measures
• Jewish Feasts
• Jewish Calendar
• Harmony of the Gospels
• Teachings and Illustrations of Christ
• Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
• The Parables of Jesus Christ
• The Miracles of Jesus Christ
• The Laws of the Bible
• Prayers of the Bible

 This video shows some of these features too:



My bottom line:  I am glad to have this Bible as part of my collection.  My favorite portions are the book introductions, the archaeology article, and the Visual Survey.

Disclaimer: As a Booksneeze Blogger, I did receive this Bible for free from Thomas Nelson. All opinions are my own.  No other compensation was received. For more about my take on reviews, visit my blog post here.