The NIV Bible has been a popular translation for many years now and having been given a copy when I was confirmed many years ago, I always thought it to be the easiest translation to read. With the NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in its Jewish and Early Christian Context, I believe that this is one of the best Bibles for any student of the Bible. If only this had been available when I studied Theology at University understanding the Bible would have been made even easier.

What I like about this version is that each Book has a clear introduction and outline which many translations do not have. These are packed with information; the Old Testament books give the reasons for the title, authorship and dating information. With the added information of background, interpretation, literary characteristics as well as the outline of the book. Previous translations gave minimal information, where this information helps you to formulate a deeper understanding of the book and the messages within each book.

At the beginning of the New Testament we are given an interesting overview of The Synoptic Gospels as well as looking at John’s Gospel separately. With each of the Gospels we are given information on authorship, dating of the Gospel as well as the place of its writing. As well as information about the structure of the Gospels we are told who would have been the early recipients, its purpose, as well as its overall structure and outline. It is similar with the letters and Acts of the Apostles but we also get theological teaching and its purpose.

What makes this even more useful besides the clear and concise maps are the many explanations of various Hebrew and Greek words and their meanings in the context of the chapter. These study notes also incorporate writings from the early church writers, rabbis and other sources. These add to the commentary of the Bible and also raise various questions for the student about the text and Biblical times.

There are also interesting articles that actually address in depth various passages in the Bible, as well as Day in the Life articles that delves in to the life of people during the Biblical period. As well as excellent chronological information as well as ancient texts that relate to the Old Testament. What I enjoyed using was the translations own Concordance, which has made my Cruden’s redundant.

The NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in its Jewish and Early Christian Context is an excellent Bible for both the serious student of Scripture and those wishing to learn more. Being able to experience the Bible in its original Jewish and Early Christian context is brilliant, being able to see things in the context in both ancient and modern is insightful. An excellent Bible that should be welcomed with open minds and open arms. ( )

As someone who writes a bit of biblical fiction, the overview description of the NIV First-Century Study Bible drew me in:

“Experience the Bible through Eastern eyes by exploring the cultural, religious and historical background of the Bible. This hardcover study Bible allows you to understand God’s Word in its original cultural context, bringing Scripture to life by providing fresh understanding to familiar passages, beloved stories, and all the Scripture in between.”

As a Booklook blogger, I got a reviewer’s copy of the e-book version of this Bible. This is a review of that edition’s Bible study features, not the NIV text.

The list of features is long and impressive. I’ve checked them out and this is what I found:

This Bible’s notes (commentary study notes and translator’s footnotes) and articles do indeed focus on describing and explaining the Middle Eastern location, history, and customs of the Bible’s writers and setting.

Textual articles consist of pieces longer than study notes and supplement each book. They cover a variety topics that go from delving into the history of part of the text (like “The Oral Law”—an article on the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:7), to explaining the customs and ethics of the day (like “Joshua and the Ethics of War”), to telling about recent archeological discoveries that support the biblical record (like “Hezekiah’s Water Tunnels”), and more. These were interesting and informative.

There are word studies. I found these short, skimpy and disappointing in that the Strong’s Concordance number was not included.

Day in the Life articles explain the lifestyle and customs of Bible peoples. Some sample topics are: “Desert Shepherds,” “Slaves,” “Widows.” Because these pieces attempt to describe and explain customs spanning the Bible’s hundreds of years, they are quite general and don’t get into subtle changes that may have occurred over hundreds of years, e.g. between the patriarchs and the time of the exile or the Old and New Testaments.

There are many In-text Charts and Models. These were not all equally accessible on my e-book version. I’m not sure how they would display on different e-readers, but know that on my keyboard Kindle, many of them are too tiny to read. When they’re set up as pure text (e.g. “Ancient Texts Relating to the Old Testament”) they view just fine. However when they’re set up as graphics, text boxes or charts (e.g. “Old Testament Chronology”) the static text size and sometimes grayed graphics made them pretty well useless.

Further Study Helps include a Table of Weights and Measures, Endnotes, Bibliography, Topical Index to Articles, Glossary, Concordance, and Zondervan’s Full-Colour Maps (14). As with the charts and models, some of these things were not legible on my e-reader (like the tables and maps). I liked the Glossary, that explains Bible words and concepts, and the linked Concordance, where Scripture references are accessed by clicking on a link.

All in all, this Bible's study features make it a great choice for anyone interested in learning more about the cultural and social setting of the Bible. For those getting it as an e-book, there is an article in the fore-matter on how to navigate this edition. Though my e-reader was unable to access all the Bible’s features, accessibility and usability no doubt vary with the type of e-reader or tablet.

Even without access to the full menu of features, the NIV First-Century Study Bible e-book version is a wonderful resource—a wealth of information, stored in one light reader, and available at one’s fingertips.

I received the e-book version of the NIV First-Century Study Bible as a gift from the publisher for the purpose of writing a review.
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