The
NKJV Apply The Word Study Bible addresses what I feel is the most overlooked,
most underrated, and most crucial aspect of Bible study . . . actually applying
the word to the lives of the reader.
Where the rubber meets the road.
As Howard Hendricks would have said, “What?” (the content of the Bible)
needs to be followed by “So What?”
Without an application, the Bible is just another book.
The
NKJV Apply The Word Study Bible comes in the Kindle edition ($14.99), a
hardback edition ($25.21) and 4 imitation leather editions ($37.49 -
$44.99.) I received the EPub edition for
review, so I am somewhat limited in what I can address in terms of functions on
the Kindle. The Kindle doesn’t read EPub
files, but the Adobe Digital Editions reader does, so that’s what I’m basing my
review on.
The
first thing I noted was the intuitiveness of the EPub file. If the program works half as good on Kindle
as it does on the ADE platform, the customer will be more than pleased with the
purchase. I poked around, selecting
links at random, and every one of them responded quickly and correctly. There are cross-references clearly marked in
a light-blue color, to either corresponding Bible passages or commentary,
notes, or reference material. And while
there is a learning curve to getting back to the original passage under study,
it’s very slight . . . and then again, one can always consult the Navigation
Panel, which can be toggled on or off from a button at the top left-hand side
of the page.
There
is a wealth of reference material such as tables of weights and measures with
their anticipated equivalent in today’s standards, as well as articles, maps and charts to
help clarify the background of the passage and explain historical / cultural
idiosyncrasies. And while they are not
in-depth discussions, they help smooth the way and shed some light on obscure
passages.
The
concordance is again modest, not exhaustive.
But the passages selected provide a “broad sweep” that covers the entire
body of Scripture, and they serve as a topical Bible of sorts, as well.
The
articles related to applying the Bible are aimed more toward providing timeless
truths and principles that can be used immediately, wherever one may be in
life. Again, they are brief, and provide
more of an outline than an exhaustive compendium. But when one considers the fact that one has
a Bible which is consciously striving to provide just such an application, when
there are many study Bibles on the market which are not . . . well, you do the
math.
One
aspect of the Bible which I might consider a bit of “overkill” is the textual
criticisms noted in the text. It just
feels a bit odd to find references to critical Greek texts in an application
study Bible. Unless you are a Greek
scholar, or seminary-trained, the fact that “this particular word is not in a
particular Greek manuscript” is going to confuse you at best. Worst-case scenario, the reader may feel that
he’s got a high-falutin’ Greek Bible wannabe, instead of what he originally
purchased the Apply The Word study Bible in the first place – to learn how to
apply the word! And if he feels that he’s
bought a pig in a poke, it’s going back to the store he bought it from, pronto.
I’m
still giving this Bible 5 stars, because all of its advantages far outweigh the
one thing I found to quibble about. As a
seminary-trained lay pastor of a small church, I’ve already informed my wife
that she is to ask me, when I’ve finished my sermon preparation, if I’ve
consulted this Bible in my preparation.
If I have not, she is to send me back to my study to do so.
THE NKJV APPLY THE WORD STUDY BIBLE
THOMAS NELSON
ISBN 978-0-718-04258-5 (EPub Edition)
Bible / Reference Book / Religion and Spirituality
Thomas Nelson Publishers
4314 pages (Kindle Edition)
$14.99 U.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment