Introduction to the NLT Study Bible
In the Introduction, there is a NLT Study Bible Features Guide. There is also a six page Master Timeline which covers the historical period from creation to approximately AD 330. The timeline is quite detailed and gives an overview of what was happening during the periods covered by books of the Bible. Not only does it list the Kings of Israel and Judah, but it also covers the kings of Assyria, Babylonia, Media-Persia and Rome.

The introduction also includes a list of NLT Study Bible Contributors. I'm no scholar and my library is limited, but several names managed to catch my eye: Daniel Block, Tremper Longman III, John Oswalt, Grant Osborne, Robert Stein, Mark Strauss, Douglas Moo, Sean Harrison and Philip Comfort.

Book and Section Introductions
The book introductions cover the usual Setting, Summary, Authorship, Setting and Date information to be found in most Study Bibles. There are several features of the Book Introductions which stood out to me as special. Each book introduction includes a map showing the geographic region covered in the book. There is a timeline for each book.

As in most Study Bibles, there is an Outline. The NLT Study Bible takes the Outline a step or two further than most in that it is a running outline. I have found this to be a very helpful feature. To quote from the Features Guide:

"Each book includes an outline with up to three levels of headings. In the introduction, we provide the first level of the outline to give the reader an overview. The full outline is embedded in the NLT text as running headings."

The Book Introductions also include a Further Reading section which has book recommendations for further study. In skimming the recommendations from several introductions, the books seem to be solid. I even own several of them so of course I like the lists.

In addition to the Book Introductions, there are Section Introductions. These include:

Old Testament
The Pentateuch
Historical Books
Books of Poetry and Wisdom
Books of the Prophets
New Testament
The Four Gospels
Letters of Paul
Paul's Letters to Timothy and Titus

There are also other informative articles of an introductory or chronological nature throughout, including:

Archaeology and Sources for OT Background
Abraham to Joshua
Time of the Judges
Israel's Monarch
Israel's Exile and Return
Life of Jesus
Harmony of the Four Gospels
Apostolic Age
Time After the Apostles

Miscellaneous Features in the Text
Scattered throughout the text are numerous helpful features including additional maps, genealogies, additional timelines, various charts and illustrations. You have to really try hard to get lost in this Study Bible. They keep everything pretty close at hand.

I have found the notes to be surprisingly relevant to the text. I say "surprisingly" because in other Study Bibles it seems that a rather large percentage of notes seem to be more filler than helpful. The notes in this Bible have been more consistently helpful to me personally.

Theme Notes and Person Profiles
Throughout the text there are notes regarding important themes and people. For instance, looking in the Gospel According to John there are numerous notes and profiles including:

The Word
John the Baptist
Miraculous Signs
Nicodemus
Believing
Living Water
The Jewish Leaders
That gets me through chapter 5.

Cross-References
I have found the cross-references to be more useful than that of most other Bibles. The references appear to be more consistently related to the idea of the verse rather than an individual word which is what was claimed in the introduction. Using them I have found it to be true. Parallel passages are clearly marked with parallel lines(//). Verses in the New Testament which are quotes of the Old Testament are marked with an asterisk (*).

Word Study System
Located within the cross-reference column are references to the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries in the back of the Study Bible. They are referenced to the Strong's Concordance numbers. The dictionaries include 100 Hebrew words and 100 Greek words. I wish there were more words included but I also want to be able to carry the NLT Study Bible without throwing out my back if you know what I mean. I would consider the words included to be rather significant, relatively speaking. The definitions are fairly broad in scope and at the end of each definition are a list of Biblical references where the words can be found. This has been a favorite, and helpful, feature of mine.

Subject Index
Following the Hebrew/Greek dictionaries in the back of the back there is a very comprehensive Subject Index which takes up 142 pages, slightly less than the TNIV Study Bible's Topics Index and Notes Index combined.

Dictionary / Concordance
The Dictionary/Concordance may be another favorite. Not only is it a concordance but it actually does contain definitions of many of the words, words from the KJV are so marked to aid someone (wisely) transitioning to the NLT, and brief biographical sketches of people.

Maps
In addition to the maps in the Introductions and in the text, there is a good collection of maps at the end of the Study Bible. There is no index included. However, given the other maps mentioned having an index in the back might be overkill. While I appreciate the inclusion of the extra maps in the back, I find myself using the Introduction and in text maps far more frequently as I find them much more convenient.

Concluding Remarks
Overall, I have found the NLT Study Bible to be an exceptional work. Beyond overall, each individual part of the work has truly impressed me. Perhaps I'm biased. When it was first announced and the features were listed on the NLT Study Bible website it seemed to me that someone had been reading my mind as to what features I had always wanted. It's almost like we were made for each other.

I give the NLT Study Bible my most enthusiastic endorsement and gladly recommend it to all. ( )