HCSB Study Bible, Purple LeatherTouch, Indexed Imitation Leather – September 1, 2015

This Bible is without question packed with features. The notes and commentary are conservative, as one might expect in a KJV study Bible.I did not notice any “superstars” in either the Reformed or Evangelical camp as one finds elsewhere, and the contributors seemed balanced if a bit skewed to Baptists. The notes are said to have come from the HCSB Study Bible. I have looked for a Reformed bias, but nothing leaps out at me as strong Calvinism. For example Ephesians 1:4-5 notes do talk about “Sovereign initiative,” “election,” and “predestination,” but there is no explicit Strong Calvinism double-predestination. It seems to stress God’s reaching out to man before any act on man’s part, which few Christians would argue with. Maybe a Reformed reader would read more Calvinism “under the radar,” but nothing made me want to chuck it as “just for Reformed readers.” On the other hand, it is probably closer toward the Reformed end of the spectrum than the Evangelical-Norman Geisler end. The bottom line is I think most conservative Christians could use this Bible without a problem.I want to say up front this is an excellent note-taking Bible (more on that in a minute).The notes are copious, sometimes taking up two-thirds of the page. They are *unusually substantive* and do not simply restate the text, as many study Bibles seem to do. There are lots of useful word studies. There is no collection of theological essays at the back, as with the two most recent heavyweight contenders in the ESV and NIV translations. I think this is a good thing. If I want to read systematic theology, I would rather pick my author.Yes, this is a heavy Bible (perfect for demon-smiting) and yes, the edge color sticks the pages together, so be prepared to moisten your fingers with your tongue the first time you turn any page. However, I haven’t found the weight to be an issue, and I can easily separate the pages as I read.The more serious problem is the printing.The font for the Bible text is small but readable serif font. Color (blue) is used intelligently in the center cross references, where it does help to find the verse. However, the same blue color is used in the subject headers in a large, bold font that visually overpowers the text of Scripture. With several often on the two open pages in front of the reader, they are distracting. On the other hand, book and chapter at the top seem oddly small. The notes are separated from the text by a broad gold bar. These are design choices, and you may be fine with them, but I thought they were dated and kind of clobbered my eyes. [EDIT: the graphics choices become less of a distraction over time.]Any Bible this big is going to have thin pages, and these are probably no thinner than most, so no points off for that. [EDIT: they actually have a nice crisp feel.] Of all my Bibles, this one seems to strike the right balance between necessarily thin paper quality in a loaded study Bible and note-taking. The margins are wide enough for notes (I can write small) and my Sakura Pigma 005 pens do not bleed through. My Zebrite highlighters don’t, either, no matter what color I use. This has turned out to be a *huge* plus for me.I have included a picture of a heavily marked-up page and the flip side to show you just how bullet-proof these pages are.There is some distracting ghosting where the flip side of the page is jazzed up with graphics of various sorts. [Edit: another thing I got used to; we are in the Bible publishing Age of Color, no doubt.]Worst of all, the notes are printed in a very small, very thin sans serif font with only the lightest touch of ink. At first I thought the hard-to-read notes reflected the publisher's stated intention to keep the Scriptural text supreme. However, I managed to find pages where the notes were easily readable because they were printed more darkly. You may get a copy that has consistently readable notes.[EDIT: Notes are still harder to read compared with most Bibles due to thiness of font and light impression, but it is not quite as dire as I first thought. Every Bible has reviewers who complain about the smallness of the font. But it’s a trade-off with weight and thickness and comes with the territory. You are probably going to notice your notes are significantly harder to read that the ZNIVSB or ESV SB. It is hard to beat non-color study Bibles like the (surprisingly excellent jam-packed) NLTSB, or the older NIVSB in my opinion. In actual use, it did not turn out to be as big of a deal as I thought it was going to be.]Maps (including some welcome inline ones) are bold, useful, full-color and some of them have a pleasing "retro look" to them. Photos are okay; I’ve seen more vibrant ones. Some look slightly muddy. Personally, I don’t want to feel like I’m reading my high school social studies textbook, but others love it. Illustrations are in a delightful artistic style different than one usually sees in a study Bible: bold, original, and clear to the eye. There are a few short essays, chapter introductions, tables and things like a subject index to Proverbs. There are a couple of pages of weights and measures. One very nice feature is a KJV (‘King’s English”) - English-as-we-know-it dictionary, although I have noticed some puzzling omissions. The notes do a pretty good job making meanings clear, though.There is also a fairly slim concordance. There are a one-year reading plan and a three-year plan, complete with boxes to tick off your progress and a few supplementary readings for Christmas and Easter.My star rating has crept up the longer I have used it until I can give it a five-star recommendation. It is a bit of an odd duck among the sleeker, newer color study Bibles, but it has grown on me. One of the biggest factors is how well-suited it is for note-taking, with surprisingly opaque pages and not-too-skimpy margins.

This book is beautifully detailed and such a wonderful version of the Bible to have, even though the language is very much outdated and not suited for understanding the scriptures in this day and age.Aside from this, the reason why I'm giving this book a "1-star" is because of a manufacturing defect. My bible is missing the first 1/3rd of the Book of Isaiah. I just figured this out after having it for about 2 months, and I'm just appalled. Everything in the book seemed to be so well bound and organized, and yet the book is missing 66 pages of material. If anyone wants to check for the same defect, look at pg. 1087 and follow thereafter: it should lead directly into Isaiah.I don't want a new bible because I have already been marking it up, but at the same time it's a HUGE problem to not have a complete bible...Make sure to check this Bible, or any other, for defects that would prevent you from getting the whole message!

I recently bought this Bible to study and to better understand specific scriptures. And as a plus, it was advertised as a "large" print and this was one of my requirements for purchasing a new Bible. Here are my thoughts and observations.The Pros:* Big Bible.* Large Print.* Great Detailed Maps.* Lengthy notes in some chapters.* KJV which is extremely important.* The Quality in the colors are rich and bold.* Crisp, clean lines and is neat and Organized.* Colorful photos with beautiful colors in the Text sections.* Nice References, study notes, and explanations of the history.* Wonderful Timelines throughout the entire Bible that help to make it clear about dates and times of certain things.* Formatting is different in that I have researched and looked for Bibles in a similar formating and have not found it.The Cons:* These pages are very thin. Reading the reviews I knew this but was not aware that if there is a colored photo on the back it bleeds through to the other side. I have not marked this book with any markings yet, but probably will not since I have detected this poor defect.* For example... page 512 you can see the back of the colored fill map seeping through and its hoover overs the text on the other side.* The print is advertised as the font being of a larger text, but they could have gone up to be more Enhanced.* The section of the text where the notes are very tiny and seem as if the font of this text is eight or nine.* Another example is in the chapter of 1 Samuel 24: The note of this particular section containing the verse could have been covered much better. The notes are good, however, it could have gone into more detail than what they did. I was disappointed by this as well as the other portions.* In the study note grouping below the scriptures - I've noticed there are some verses in the chapters they are skipping. They are not covering each verse and it is a missed opportunity I feel. Today in my reading, I went down to the study portion to help me better understand a few scriptures and it was not there. They skipped over it and went to other numbers. For example: If they have one, two, and three and I am looking for verse four they did not have it and they skipped in the study notes to five then that is perplexing. I thought this Bible touched on each verse, but it does not. Most of the ones I wanted more insight on - it was passed over and skipped to the other numbers.I was hoping this Bible could have been a cut above the rest, but some changes can be done to improve the character of this Bible. It is not a bad Bible and this is why I have given it three stars because of the positives that was named above.--------------------------Updated: April 4, 2021I have had this Bible for over eight months now and I have noticed some things. But, the main reoccurring problem I have with this study Bible is that - some commentary scriptures are skipped. And when I say skipped, I mean - at times I could be searching for the scripture commentary and they'll skip five to six or maybe more verses. It is disheartening because I do like this Bible and it has grown on me, but they have missed some opportunities to further explain in some areas of the actual Bible verses. I will go to a verse and become excited to see the commentary and realize it is not there. It happens too often in this "study" Bible unfortunately and this is why I am updating my original review. Hope this will help someone who is looking for a study Bible like I was.

I really like this KJV Study Bible. It has a lot of pictures and maps that help me understand the Holy Bible.Do you know where you'll spend eternity?If you haven't trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior now is the time to do it.

This is a Good Bible for study purposes. It contains a great deal of information about and around the text you are reading. I find it does not draw your attention away from the text if that is only what you want to read but the information for further study is there on the page if you require it. Coloured maps and pictures about places as well as some history and general information are all available in this Bible. I am very pleased I bought this and would recommend to anyone who is interested in the KJV and would like additional information in one volume.I would like to add this Bible is Quite Large. and is not what you may consider as something you would easily carry to Church.It would be good for either a Pulpit Bible due the size or a good Bible to study at home with.One more thing be sure to separate each page when you get your copy as they are stuck together at the edges and may tear if you do not. I spent the time doing this when I received my copy and do not regret the time spent doing it. This Bible is worth every penny and is available in some other translations if you prefer.

Although I am not a native english speaker I find the KJV not difficult to read and understand at all. The comments are not "obtrusive", they don't distract from the Word of God, but offer great help to understand the context of a particular story. Also the visual design is great. The maps, illustrations, and other visual elements are very very nice. This is my "best" Bible so far (I have 7 others, in Spanish, German and English).The Word of God is deeper as the ocean and fuller of treasures. This Bible definitely helps with the "fishing" of treasures.

Another present for the Wife. She says this is quite a large Bible (which it is) but other than that she loves the cover and the contents.This Bible has a great amount of study notes and articles in colour. It really has everything you need if you are looking for a study Bible, including The Translators to the Reader. This is almost the perfect KJV Study Bible. The only problem is that it is quite large as already stated so if you are looking to take this to Church perhaps a smaller Bible is what you may prefer. So Almost Perfect.

The Holman King James Version of the Bible is perhaps the best on the market today. Full colour pages, really good commentary plus a 1 year or 3 year Bible reading plan, also "A King's English glossary of terms".I would say the only downside is the concordance which is on the small side, however you can buy a concordance for around £10.

I am a KJV Bible lover . This is a beautiful bible to own. Very pleased with this purchase! Would advise one to also buy!