NLT Study Bible

General Editor: Sean A. Harrison

Hardcover: 2560 pages

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0842355707

ISBN-13: 978-0842355704
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In this post I’m going to offer a couple of comments on the general layout of the NLSTB.

As I’ve been using the NLTSB over the last few days I’ve really come to appreciate the layout.  If I had to choose a word or two to describe it then I’d say it’s simple and straightforward.  It’s not flashy like the NIV Archeological Study Bible, which I love, but can sometimes get lost in all the colorful illustrations and charts.  In my mind, the simple layout of the NLTSB is more conducive to actually working through the text.   

Main Text Format

I know that many bloggers prefer a single column format for the main text, and I won’t lie, those are nice (in fact the only Bible I ever read from cover to cover was a single column), but I’m so used to reading Bibles with double columns that I’m not bothered by it.  I don’t find it any harder to read than I would a single column.  I’m not sure of the point size of the main text, I’d like to say it’s about a 10, but I have no idea.

Cross-Reference Format

While I very much like the cross-reference system, which the introduction describes as “relat[ing] the meaning of a whole verse or passage, so the cross-references are always applicable” [p. A13] I would prefer a center-column reference to inner-margin references, but that’s a minor complaint. 

Notes Format

The notes are in a three column format and look to be a point or two smaller than the main text (like I said, I don’t know anything about point size).  My eyesight has been fading over the years but the notes are still readable if I place the Bible on my lap and read while I’m sitting upright.  Another benefit of the three-column notes with the two-column main text is that there’s no worry of the text all blending together, as opposed to the HCSB Apologetics Study Bible which has two column for both the main text and notes (although on most pages there is another set of lettered notes in a single column).  And the two are separated by a simple dotted line which keeps the look clean. 

Person Profiles, Theme Notes, Illustrations, & Timelines

Wherever there’s a person profile, theme note, illustration, or timeline, it is separated from the main text and study notes by dotted lines, and appears in a single-column format.  You’d think that this might be obtrusive, but it’s not, it actually works very well. 

Words of Christ in Red

As I said, I have fairly poor eyesight but I haven’t had a problem with the words of Christ being in red.  I can understand though how people who are color blind or have worse eyesight than I do wouldn’t appreciate this feature too much.  I’ve also heard someone take issue with this feature recently calling it a serious theological error, but I think they do protest too much.  Tyndale House might want to consider going all black lettering in subsequent editions of the NLTSB.

Hebrew & Greek Word Studies, Subject Index, Dictionary/Concordance

All of these features in the back of the book are in a simple three-column format like the study notes.  I believe the text is the same size as the study notes as well. 

All in all I like the format of the NLTSB.  It’s clean and simple.  Nothing distracting within the pages (not even the maps) and each section is delineated to as not to run together.  I think the two improvements that could be made are those mentioned above, i.e., switch to a center-column reference, and all black lettering.

B”H 

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