The NIV Study Bible Fully Revised Edition in Calfskin Leather

There are a lot of study Bibles out there and it’s hard to know which one to choose. Many study Bibles have different features and focuses. If I could summarize in one word what I think the main feature is of the fully revised NIV Study Bible it would be “COLOR!” This Study Bible is colorful and really catches your attention when you open it. Today I’m reviewing the calfskin edition. Let’s take a closer look.

This isn’t part of Zondervan’s Premier Collection, but it is close to being worthy of that title. The Bible has a more coarse texture and the look and feel honestly put me in mind of Crossway’s top grain leather rather than a calfskin. It is still a really nice cover though. The Bible is really flexible, which is saying something for a Bible of this girth. The spine has four big, beautiful raised hubs. I really like the stamping on the spine. It’s simple and elegant. In silver stamping is “NIV STUDY BIBLE”, “NIV”, and “ZONDERVAN”. With so much real estate, they could’ve really overdone the spine, but I appreciate the simplicity of it.

The page edges are a silver under blue art gilt. The gilding on mine isn’t perfect and there is a wavy portion on the bottom side of the Bible, but it really doesn’t bother me. It also has three double-sided satin, ribbon bookmarks. I appreciate that they are in three different colors—black, light blue, and silver. These bookmarks are wide and long, which look great on a Bible of this size.

Inside, it’s a bit hard to tell whether the liner is calfskin or vinyl, but either way it’s smooth and flexible, which is really nice. It is edge lined, which is another nice premium feature on this calfskin edition. The Bible is Smyth-sewn for durability.

The average page layout in this Bible is double column with references in a center column. A horizontal line separates the notes. The font is a nice 9 point in the NIV Comfort Print Typeface. The notes may be around a 7.5 point font, but are still quite readable.

The real feature of a study Bible is the content. I would argue having two or three good study Bibles to reference is a must for getting a clear picture of a text and a well rounded view of certain topics. I don’t think there’s one study Bible to rule them all, but some certainly are better than others.

That being said, content wise, I think the NIV Study Bible is a solid offering. It’s main feature in my opinion is that it is engaging. It looks like a modern study Bible. It uses bright colors and has full color pictures and maps throughout. It uses different colors to differentiate between literary genres and you’ll see the color change as you move into a new genre in the Bible. This is really useful for navigation.

The Bible has over 21,000 study notes. At times I felt the notes were a bit jumbled and I had to read them two or three times to make sense of them, but many of them are useful. There are also over 125 topical articles. I would’ve liked to see more longer form articles in this Bible. The articles are listed in the front, but what is considered an article maybe only a quarter or half a page. I would’ve liked to see a bit more depth to some of the study articles. There are also book introductions a section introductions giving more information.

In the back, you’ll find a robust NIV Concordance with almost 4,800 word entries. It’s set in a triple column format and the font is small, but readable. This is definitely a useful feature in this Bible.

There are also 16 pages of full color maps. Typically, I’m a map hater, but I do think maps belong in a study Bible and Zondervan did them right. These maps are beautiful in color and printed on Bible paper, which is much better than glossy cardstock. Way to go Zondervan!

All in all, this fully revised NIV Study Bible is a great addition to the study Bible market. As I said earlier, it’s best to have a few you can consult for a broader picture and this one is worthy of being in your arsenal.

You can pick up your copy of the NIV Study Bible on Amazon. (affiliate)

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this Bible from Zondervan in exchange for a fair and honest review.