Holy Bible King James Version Study Bible (Burgundy)

The most comprehensive King James Version study Bible published in 50 years, The King James Study Bible has 2,000-plus pages packed with thousands of notes and commentaries from respected conservative scholars. It includes doctrinal footnotes, personality profiles, archaeological information, special articles, in-text maps, and more than 5,700 annotations in a unique format, offering a broad understanding of the Bible and how it relates to the world we live in today.

The preface assures "conservative Christians" that here is a "reliable study Bible that is both scholarly and spiritually relevant," complete with abundant doctrinal footnotes and editorial commentary throughout. However, it is important for readers to realize that these additional trappings are clearly Baptist in perspective, since virtually all of this Bible's 13 contributing editors received degrees from various Baptist theological seminaries.

Although the original King James text is preserved, I sense that these editors may not be quite as conservative as they would have us believe. For example, numerous footnotes offer alternative words and phrases, many of which are identical to the wording found in liberal, New Age translations like the New King James Version, the New International Version, and others. Furthermore, at times the editors go out of their way to contest the original wording. For example in Matt. 12:40, when Jesus refers to Jonah in the "whale's" belly, the editors remark, "The reference to the whale's belly in verse 40 is unfortunate. The Greek word 'ketos' means 'a great sea creature,' not necessarily a whale. The Old Testament references are to a 'great fish' (Jon. 1:17)." A simple footnote for "whale" with alternatives like "great sea creature" or "great fish" would have sufficed. Instead, I can only infer from the tone of this commentary that it is a more deliberate attempt to discredit the King James in favor of New Age translations. Of course, we should keep in mind that our word "cetology" (the zoological study of whales and dolphins) is derived from the Greek "ketos."

Even more disturbing as with New Age translations, which place allegedly spurious passages in brackets, reduce them to footnotes, or omit them entirely, the editors of this study Bible also appear to doubt the authenticity of certain key doctrinal passages. This could do much to dissuade undiscerning Christians from their belief in the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. The prime example is Mark 16:9-20, about which the editors comment, "Ancient manuscripts contain two different endings for Mark. While some suggest that Mark did indeed intend for his gospel to end at verse 8, it ends on a note of fear and lacks a clear Resurrection account. In light of the uncertainty attached to verses 9-20, it may be advised to take care in basing doctrine upon them (especially vv. 16-18)." This latter statement is unequivocally false. These editors are either completely ignorant of the important research of Dean John W. Burgon, a 19th-century English theologian, or they flatly deny his research. Burgon's book, "The Last Twelve Verses of Mark," provides overwhelming evidence that Mark 16:9-20 is genuine and its doctrine certain.

In no other place is the Baptist perspective more evident than in the doctrinal footnotes. For every passage concerning baptism, for example, the editors, clinging to the traditional "faith-only" tenet, provide lengthy comments emphatically denying that baptism is regenerative or efficacious for salvation. Regarding Mark 16:16 ("He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned"), the editors remark, "Only faith, not baptism, is essential for salvation, as the omission of baptism from the last clause shows." This liberal interpretation overrules Jesus and implies that we cannot take Him literally at His Word here. That Jesus ADDS baptism here makes it an equally essential act with belief. Jesus omits baptism from verse 16b simply because the subject is pointless with unbelievers. With similar passages like Acts 2:38 and Acts 22:16, the editors imply that the original phraseologies are misleading and reword them in footnotes to minimize baptism. Such doctrinal bias clearly flies in the face of Scripture and could even convince some people to reject baptism entirely, because they're "saved" without it, so why bother. The editors further fail to acknowledge that, in addition to faith and baptism, the Scriptures equally require two other elements for salvation: repentance (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38) and public confession of Jesus as Lord (Matt. 10:32-33; Romans 10:9). Having faith is just the FIRST step.

It is unfortunate that doctrinal bias and New Age theology have infiltrated such a time-honored book as the King James Bible. The editorial comments cited above and others that I have examined convince me that a ready supply of liberal theology exists in this edition. Space does not permit a more lengthy dissertation. Suffice it to say that whenever any commentary appears to contradict the Word, it is much safer to let the pure Word speak for Himself.


Exceptional value!   June 2, 2001
 116 out of 130 found this review helpful

1. GENERAL EVALUATION: The intent purpose of a Study Bible is to give the reader assistance in understanding the scriptures through cross references, comments and exegesis carefully compiled by a board of theology scholars. There are many Study Bibles available, as you likely discovered [....] Each version and publisher differs to varying degrees. I own and use four Study Bibles. All my Study Bibles are very helpful.

The Holy Bible King James Version the King James Study Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishers is an outstanding value. [....]

2. FORMAT: The binding is genuine leather with gold color stamped letters. The page are also gold edged. The paper is high quality Bible paper and thin but not so thin that the printing on the reverse pages is distracting. This Bible is quite thick. The flexible leather covers are very helpful in holding the pages open for easy reading. A stiff cover might make the inside printing somewhat hard to see. The type font is large and very easy on the eyes.

The page format is the standard two column Bible arrangement with a third column between the main texts. The center column is a wealth of information. In the middle column, references to related scriptures are given. Also if an original Greek or Hebrew word has more than one meaning, that meaning is printed in the center column. There is more information in the center column that is too lengthy to describe in this review but a complete, clear explanation is given in the front section of this Bible. Suffice it say that the center column alone can indeed greatly expand the meaning of the texts.

Icons are used to clarify to what a note or comment refers. Doctrinal Footnotes Icons are used for systematic Biblical teachings. Personality Footnotes Icons give descriptions and information on persons in the Bible. Archeological Footnotes Icons refer you to information about places in the Bible and recent discoveries. These footnotes and icons are of significant help to the reader.

The Holy Bible King James Version the King James Study Bible differs from many Study Bibles in the format the notes are presented. The notes are, as with most Study Bibles, on the lower part of the scriptures pages. However, in many Study Bibles, you will see: See notes on Mt 4.16 as example. Turning to that reference can cause one to lose the train of thought. This is not so in The Holy Bible King James Version the King James Study Bible. In well over 90% of footnotes, all the information pertaining to the text is on that page – complete.

The expositors did an exceptional job of a running account of clarifying each verse! There are many references to the original meaning of Greek in the NT and Hebrew words and thoughts in the OT. This, alone, should help the reader gain a better understanding of the Bible.

Maps are included on the pages to which they relate.

3. CONCLUSIONS: Nelson’s comment, “The most comprehensive KJV Study Bible ever printed” is indeed accurate. The study notes and comments are, to say the least, profuse and in depth.

A word, if you will, on the debate over the King James Version. Some folks claim the King James Version is not an accurate translation. This is simply not true. This version is, in reality, quite precise. The basis of this opposition may well be in the language used in the 1600s when the King James Version Bible was translated. The word archaic language pops up in most debates. Archaic is not the proper word. POETIC is! The wording in the King James Version is lilting, flowing like a Mozart symphony. Archaic, no. Beautiful, yes. If you are one who thinks the King James Version is archaic, try reading the lines as you would a poem. Allow the words to sing the message.

-4 – CONCLUSION: No mater what translation a person selects and/or prefers, they all tell the same time proven, enduring message.

To augment understanding of the Bible, I would suggest reading whatever version you prefer with a copy of The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. This book has Greek and Hebrew dictionaries. You do not have to know Greek or Hebrew to use the dictionaries. The words you want defined are looked up in the concordance in English and referenced by numbers in the Greek or Hebrew dictionaries. While the words are in Greek or Hebrew, they are also transliterated into English. [...], this book is a real bargain.

I have no reservations in giving this exceptionally well-done Bible five stars.

I hope my comments are of some value to you.


Informative, resourceful, affordable.   September 30, 1998
 55 out of 63 found this review helpful

I highly recommend the Nelson KJV Study Bible. Its many features include book introductions, outlines, references, annotations, maps in the text, red letters, 'Doctrinal Footnotes,' 'Personality Profiles,' and 'Archaelogical Sites,' all of which are easy to read and understand and provide a rich background and context for biblical events. The pages are well laid-out, with an easy-to-read type-face on medium-weight paper, bound in genuine leather with the traditional 'Holy Bible' stamped in gold on the front. With resources rivaling the Ryrie Study Bible, Nelson's King James Study Bible is well worth the modest price.


A Great Tool for Serious Bible Study   August 21, 2001
 55 out of 60 found this review helpful

I have recommended The King James Study Bible (Nelson) to family, friends, and members of my church: and this Bible has won even the Thompson Chain Reference group over! I appreciate the notes in the center column which explain the subtle differences in translations of words used within the text; I find it especially helpful to read the reference verses in the center column of each page, which point the reader to other, related verses; I LOVE the "keys" (doctrinal footnotes) on the bottom of the pages which give in-depth, fresh insights into the Scripture; and the special sections dealing with biographies of Bible characters and Bible archaeology are wonderful.


Probably the best King James study Bible you can get   May 15, 2003
 55 out of 58 found this review helpful

Right up front you should know that the commentary in this edition is "fundamentalist" and mostly Baptist, heavily biased in favor of the literal truth of everything in the Bible. If you share that point of view, you'll love everything about this edition, and you'd probably give it five stars.

I'm not a Baptist or a fundamentalist. I'm a lifelong Lutheran, and I don't see any need to waste ink insisting on the literal truth of the Creation story or the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. But, putting aside my doctrinal prejudices, I find this edition so useful that I wouldn't be without it.

Aside from the small core of Baptist dogma and fundamentalist apologetics, the real mission of the commentary is to help you understand the Christian Bible on its own terms. In that it succeeds much better than "liberal" study Bibles, some of which seem mostly interested in endless and useless speculation on text sources. Whatever your position in the Christian spectrum, from far right to far left, you'll find all the help you need to understand the text itself--historical background, outlines, comparisons with other illuminating passages in Scripture, and genuinely helpful translation notes.

If you love the King James Version, this is the edition that best helps you read it with complete understanding. Its great strength is that it gives you the tools you need for drawing your own conclusions. If you happen to disagree with the editors' ideas of doctrine, you can still thank them for illuminating the text so thoroughly that you have a good basis for disagreeing with them.

In short, you probably can't find a better King James study Bible than this. My only reservations have to do with its fundamentalist bias, and I find that bias easy to forgive for the sake of the many virtues of this edition.