NIV Essentials Study Bible

Zondervan Publishers' "NIV Essentials Study Bible" is AMAZING! This Bible is the ultimate study tool for those who want to really get an in-depth look at Biblical figures, events, and wisdom. There are several different study tools that are all packed into this Bible. The Bible itself is the NIV translation, and a traditional text.

This Bible offers a TON of footnotes. The bottom 1/4 of each page on most pages is filled with additional explanation/insight into the words of the Bible. Sometimes there are passages of the Bible that are confusing or aren't easy to understand and the extensive use of these footnotes really help make the message clear and concise.

This Bible combines many other study tools from some of the popular study Bibles that have been published. In this particular Bible, you will find tools from the NIV Study Bible, NIV quest Study Bible, NIV Archaeological Study Bible, NIV Student Bible, The Great Rescue Bible, and The Essential Bible Companion.

Some of the tools that are found in this study Bible are the "Q & A", "Dig Deep Look Close", and "Important People In Focus". The "Q & A" section of this Bible is a really neat feature that I haven't seen before in a Bible. Popular questions are placed throughout the text, inside of a small box, along with a Biblical answer to that question. I loved how these were strategically placed near text that Biblically supported the given answer. The "Dig Deep Look Close" tool gives a deeper look into the people, history, archaeology, artifacts correlating to the Biblical text. For example, in Luke 7, there is an in depth look at Jewish Burial Practices. These help to understand the times in which the Bible was written, including customs and traditions. The "Important People In Focus" tool is also very interesting, as it profiles characters in the Bible, giving the reader a much more complete picture of who they were and what significant role they played.

I love this new Bible, and am so impressed by the amazing tools packed into it. I would highly recommend this Bible to anyone who is looking for a Bible that is going to offer a more complete picture of the life and times of Biblical events and figures, as well as a traditional NIV text.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com, through their blogger program.