NIV Integrated Study Bible – A New Chronological Approach For Exploring Scriptures
One of the current trends among Christian publishing houses is to produce Bibles that provide us with the ability to read and study the word of God chronologically.
In the past several months, I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing Chronological Bibles from Tyndale House Publishers and Thomas Nelson.
The NIV Integrated Study Bible – A New Chronological Approach For Exploring Scripture is Zondervan’s contribution to this niche.
One thing that distinguishes The NIV Integrated Study Bible from others that I have reviewed is that it is a more basic Bible than the others. In spite of the “study” label that is integrated into the title, this Bible doesn’t really include any study materials to speak of – its focus is solely on presenting the Word Of God without any external distractions.
In the Introduction to the NIV Integrated Study Bible, Editor John R. Kohlenberger III writes:
The NIV Integrated Study Bible is intended for reading and study but further resources are needed for more detailed study of biblical chronology and history and the difficulties that sometimes come up when parallel texts are not exact.
The Introduction goes on to list a number of Zondervan resources, such as The NIV Essentials Study Bible, for further study.
If you prefer a basic Bible with no niceties such as color pages and commentaries to distract you – you will like this Bible!
If you prefer a more full-featured Bible – or a more attractive one – I’d recommend you compare this Bible to the other Chronological Bibles on the market before purchase.
The NIV Integrated Study Bible is chronologically divided into seven major historical sections:
- Creation Through The Patriarchs
- Exodus To Conquest
- Conquest Through The United Kingdom
- Divided Kingdom And Exile
- Return To The Land
- The Life Of Jesus
- The Early Church
A chronological timeline runs through the bottom margin of each page.
Another feature that distinguishes the NIV Integrated Study Bible is the use of parallel passages throughout the text. Depending on which portion of Scripture you are reading, the text may include a full page of text (one column) – up to three side-by-side columns per page – or up to 4 columns of text spread across both pages.
Now – conceptually – this is a great idea, but aesthetically – the results aren’t always pleasing on the eye. Because you may go from one layout to another several times on the same page, at times, the visual presentation can be a bit of a mess.
In addition – in the one-column format – there is no room for taking notes. I also found the pages on the thin side – as you can see from the photos, they are somewhat translucent – and the font is rather small.
Now, the NIV Integrated Study Bible is a good, basic study chronological Bible if you are looking for a meat and potatoes Bible.
However – if you are looking for a comprehensive study experience – I’d be remiss not to recommend checking out these Chronological Bibles before making a purchase:
I rate this Bible 3 out of 5 stars.
NIV Integrated Study Bible – Book Trailer
Resources
For More Information
- Visit the Zondervan Website.
- Connect with Zondervan on Twitter.
- The NIV Integrated Study Bible is available on Amazon.
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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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I like the timeline across the bottom of each page. That’s pretty cool! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday! Hope to see you again this week!
Tina
I love the timeline idea too!
I read the Bible everyday. It’s powerful reading material.