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Best Bible for Personal Study and Accuracy

Customer Rating:
This is the best Bible for personal study. You can take notes in the wide margins. Make your own notes......Spend more time in the Scriptures instead of in someone else's Study Notes.

Perfect for group Bible study!

Customer Rating:
At the age of 60, I think I must have every version of the Bible produced since the 1960's. The majority of them have been gathering dust for years. I have had only 2 Bibles since 1986 that have been heavily used. One is a very small print KJV and the other is a NIV that I used after the KJV started falling apart at the seams.

Many of the Bibles I own are "study Bibles". Although I enjoy "reading" them, I must admit that when I use a study Bible, I find myself relying on the notes more than I should. I don't really "study" when using a study Bible but tend to rely on the author's interpretation of Scripture.

I recently started to attend a church where they use the NASB almost exclusively. I had a NASB Study Bible that I began using but again, I found myself reading the notes more than the Word. Since I DO write in my Bible (I always have and I write a lot), I went looking for a wide margin Bible. Due to lack of free space in most Bibles, I end up either writing over the text or writing so small that I can't read what I wrote.

After a lot of research, I decided on Zondervan's NASB Wide Margin Bible. It is bonded leather which I have found will last for years of constant use before it falls apart. I can usually get 10 years out of a bonded leather Bible before I have to replace it. It's color is burgandy which is OK although I wish they made more black Bibles like they used to. The print is easy to read, even for my old eyes.

I like how each verse is separate, starting on it's own line. It makes finding a particular verse much easier than trying to pick it out of a block of text. There is OVER 1 1/2" of space on the outside margins in which to write notes and there are no distracting side notes or references except for a few on the bottom of the page. If you are looking for a cross reference Bible, this one is NOT for you. This may not be a good Bible for personal Bible Study but for group study, I think it is perfect. And, if you like myself have a Pastor who is an expository teacher, the lack of cross references is no big deal and you DO have a lot of room in which to write YOUR OWN references. I think you will learn much quicker having to write it down yourself. If you do use a study Bible, just remember that you are reading somebody else's interpretation of the Scriptures which might not necessarily be the correct one.

I really can't think of many negatives about this Bible. I DO wish the paper was a bit thicker as you can faintly see the print on the next page. But personally, that doesn't bother me at all. I don't use highliters in my Bible so I don't know if they will bleed through or not. I have tried "dry markers" but I don't think they are dark enough to be much good.

The Zondervan NASB Wide Margin Bible is reasonably priced and I am really enjoying using it.

Beautiful Bible - Hard to Reference

Customer Rating:
I requested and received this for my birthday. Outside of getting over the initial heebie-jeebies of making my first note in such a pristine space, I have found it to be a wonderful resource.

Good points:
The text is laid out very plainly, easy to read and without visual clutter. (References are great, but this is a journaling Bible - you write your own references.)

The paper is sturdy and accepts ink well. (I am not much of a highlight-er so no reviews, there.)

As a person who does not journal much or write in my bible much, it has introduced a meaningful and personal application to my bible study time.

Points to Consider (or improve, if you have such influence):
The book and chapter references are aligned with the body of the text. It sounds minute, but it is difficult to flip through quickly and find a chapter and book with all of the white space to the side of the references. These should be as far to the outer edge of the page as possible to allow the reader to flip through and find their reference.

Another crazy request: for those of us with perfectionistic tendencies, a blank page in the back where we can test our pen inks would be helpful - you never know how the paper will accept the pen ink or what the ink will do to the other side of the page.

Overall, if you are not journaling in your bible, it is a great exercise and this one is a good one to start with.

Great Study Tool

Customer Rating:
I love to write in my Bible as I study it, but normally I only have about a quarter of an inch or less to make notes or ask the questions that are on my mind. With this Bible that is no longer an issue, the margins are over an inch and a half. The text is readable and the NASB is the most literal translation of the Bible that we have. And on top of all of that it is printed right here in America. At this price this Bible is a great buy. Make the notes in it that will both inspire and encourage your children and granchildren for generations to come, and really get into the word of God again.

Very Good

Customer Rating:
This bible is very good for someone who really wants to take alot of notes.

The font is a good size, the margins are REALLY Large; so you have plenty of room.

I researched plenty of wide margin bibles, and this is it!

I say pick this up for those who want to take notes.