Quest Study Bible-NIV

I ordered a paperback Bible. Received a hardback bible. I like the Bible but is way too heavy for bible study!

This is my go to Bible. No matter what I am reading; I always have to have this Study Bible with me. It's easy to understand. I think everyone should have this Bible.

This newly updated version of the Quest Study Bible is the version I would suggest to anyone who wants to understand the Bible but has a minimum of Bible knowledge. Based on the New International Version it has over 7,000 sidebar notes written in a clear, comprehensible style. As a result it is easy to understand the background of the different passages. In addition to the sidebar notes it has almost 350 articles including many brand new ones since the last edition. Multiple timelines, charts, maps, book introductions, a dictionary, a concordance, and a reading plan add even more benefit to this book. If you are into Hebrew and Greek word studies or other really detailed, in-depth studies then this book is probably not what you are looking for. On the other hand, this is one of the best versions available for the young Christian or anyone else wanting to gain a good, meaningful understanding of the Bible. Probably the best way to explain how this Bible works is to give an example or two. If you open it to Joshua 18 the sidebars have the following questions and the answers to them: "What was the purpose of the Tent of Meeting", "What were these seven tribes waiting for", "Why cast lots to divide the land", "Was this an advantageous placement for Benjamin". An example from the New Testament might be Acts 17 where it has the following questions: "What did the Epicureans believe", "What did the Stoics believe", "Why did the philosophers call Paul a babbler", "What was the Areopagus" and others. This is also an excellent resource for Sunday School teachers because it poses and answers all the most common (and many unusual) questions that people are likely to have. This is simply the best version available for young Christians seeking to gain an understanding of the Bible, but it is also recommended for teachers and anyone else dealing with young Christians.

I got the earlier version of the Quest study bible 10 years ago when it first came out. At that point, I hadn't read through the bible yet but I would get frustrated when I couldn't understand what I was reading. Since I got this bible I have made my way through the bible three times. The questions and answer style along the side are very user friendly. I would highly recommend this bible!

I am not at all familiar with religion in any sense, but have been feeling curious lately. I received the Quest Study Bible as a gift and was pleasantly surprised. I have never read the Bible and this version is very easy to follow and its side notes help you to better understand. I am so impressed with this Bible. I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't know a whole lot about the Bible and are wanting to become more familiar with it. In the back of this Bible, suggestions for readings are given for if you are feeling hopeless, lazy, angry, etc. This is a really neat Bible! I highly recommend to everyone!

Indeed, this is most definitely a very good study Bible, but as the other Lutheran minister (2 reviews below me) would surely agree, not everything in it is 100% agreeable. I've found a few things that I don't agree with completely, such as issues on Free Will and Sovereignity. Nothing truly serious (I still also give it 5 stars), but remember to take the notes with a grain of salt. The same goes for any study Bible. :) It's a wonderful beginners study Bible, but you might want to move onto a New Oxford Annotated Bible later on. (Another good one is the Concordia Self-study Bible. It's suitable for all Lutherans, not just Missouri Synod, and any other non-Catholic Christian as well.) The New Oxford is my all-time favorite, with the Concordia following along (the Concordia is actually a heavily edited edition of the NIV Study Bible).