Book Review – NLT Study Bible

Format: Hardcover
Page Count:  2528
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Publication year: 2008
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0842355707
ISBN-13: 978-0842355704

I wanted to extend a word of thanks to Laura Bartlett at Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. for furnishing me with a review copy of the NLT Study Bible.

In a market that’s flooded with many good bibles, it’s not very often that a particular bible stands out.  The folks at Tyndale House Publishers have been hard at work over that past seven years and have produced a fine study bible that is worth taking note of.  A team of forty-eight plus scholars and editors including Daniel I. Block of Wheaton College, Tremper Longman III of Westmont College, Douglas J. Moo of Wheaton College, and many others collaborated on this project.  The tag line used in much of the promotional material for the NLT Study Bible is, “The Truth Made Clear.”  This seems to be something they took to heart throughout the creative process as the study-related features of this bible focus on making the meaning of the text clear and accessible to every reader.  Upon release, this bible will be available in multiple formats.  The print copies will be available in hardcover, TuTone, & bonded leather.  All of these are available indexed or non-indexed.  An electronic version will be available on the web at www.nltstudybible.com as well as for 3 popular bible software platforms:  LOGOS Bible Software, Pocket Bible, & WORDSearch.

As I mentioned above, “The Truth Made Clear” tag line seems have been taken to heart throughout the making of this bible.  There are four key features that I wanted to highlight.  I feel that these features will encourage many readers to pursue deeper, more in-depth bible study.  They are:

•    Maps in book introductions – Many of us are unfamiliar with the geography of the places mentioned in the bible.  The maps included in the introduction to each book of the bible help to set the geographic context for the events within each book of the bible.
•    Further Reading – Each book and section introduction includes a section called Further Reading.  This section gives the reader the opportunity to become acquainted with commentaries and other related works that will allow them to expand their understanding of each book of the bible.
•    Word Study System – There are 100 Hebrew and 100 Greek words referenced in the word study system.  Each reference includes a Strong’s number for easy reference in a dictionary or concordance.  Also, there is a chain-reference link pointing to the next occurrence of the word.
•    Person Profiles – Think of these as mini-biographies that will help you to get a quick overview of the life of important biblical personalities and help you to better grasp their place in the overall story of the bible.

I’ve enjoyed getting acquainted with the NLT Study Bible.  The study notes and articles have enhanced my recent study of the gospel of Mark as part of my daily devotions.  Many thanks to the folks at Tyndale for all of their hard work on this study bible.  It certainly fills an important gap in the lineup of bibles offered from Tyndale House Publishers.  If the NLT is your translation of choice, then you definitely will want to get your own copy of the NLT Study Bible.

You may download a PDF of this review here.