The Scofield® Study Bible III, KJV (Thumb-Indexed)

This genuine leather edition is truly beautiful. I have seen a great demonstration on youtube of the difference between bonded leather and genuine leather. Bonded leather may look similar when you buy it, but don't expect it to last. The newer imitation leathers don't yet have a track record, but I won't be surprised if they turn into a crusty rubbery mess after about 20 years. Still, I actually was going to buy imitation leather, the one with the zipper, in a local store. At the check-out I examined it closely after removing from shrink wrap and discovered the zipper was already damaged before any use. So, I decided to forego the zipper and go with something built to last.Regarding my choice of Scofield, I also considered Ryrie and the NIV Study Bible and others. I wanted NIV, so that limited my choices. I did not consider the Life Application Study Bible, because I believe it is important to understand the Bible and let the Spirit guide you in applying it to your life rather than relying on somebody else to tell you how to apply what you read. There are many other study Bibles geared to specific demographic groups or geared to new Christians which were not a good fit for me.Scofield promotes dispensationalism, which may be a plus or a turn-off depending upon your viewpoint. However, I do not consider myself a dispensationalist. I just want notes that hold to a very high view of Scripture. Ryrie and the NIV Study Bible are both very hefty books. I found that some notes in Ryrie were just stating the obvious (like a note in Genesis that explains what "livestock" means). These books seem to be engaging in the publishing equivalent of an arms race, but they are stockpiling notes instead of weapons. I feel like maybe when you have most pages with more notes than text, the notes may just become more of a distraction than a true study aid. Scofield follows a "less is more" philosophy and doesn't overwhelm the reader with useless information or become a crutch where the reader will want to consult the notes for every verse on the page.Besides the notes, the Scofield Bible has other features that are missing from some study Bibles, including a topical chain-reference system and a pretty good concordance. These are designed to promote the study of the Bible as a unified whole.Before buying this I was using a NKJV bible, but nobody else in my Sunday school class had that version. Most people had NIV, and I think without a doubt NIV is the most popular translation today. Scofield's original study Bibles used the KJV mainly because it was the most popular in his day. I won't even get into all the alphabet soup of various translations available today or the KJV-only debate. NIV is a very readable translation, but doesn't sound "dumbed down". I understand NIV is at about a 7th grade reading level, which is about the same as popular novels. It takes advantage of the latest scholarship, but it does not make alterations for the sake of political correctness.Of course, Oxford Bibles are of the highest quality. In this 2004 update of the Scofield Bible, you get some enhancements and reformatting which bring it up to the latest standards of Bible publishing. This includes over 60 in-text maps.

The Scofield® Study Bible III in NIV is an incredible resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the Bible. The NIV translation is clear and easy to read, and the added study notes, cross-references, and commentaries are exceptionally well-organized and insightful.The layout is user-friendly, with wide margins for notes and helpful charts and maps that bring the scriptures to life. I particularly love the introductions to each book, which provide valuable historical and theological context.This Bible is perfect for personal study, group discussions, or anyone wanting a deeper connection with God’s Word. The quality of the binding and pages is excellent, ensuring it will last for years. Highly recommend it for both new readers and seasoned students of the Bible!

My pastor and I were discussing the NIV and he told me he preferred the earlier translation of the NIV (from 1984), but that Zondervan had the rights and somehow didn't print that year any longer.I stumbled upon this and was glad to be able to grab one. I haven't delved into the differences as yet so no comment.As to the bible itself, it's beautiful. The leather is nice, well-bound to the stock material and the pages are thing but very little ghosting. Print is readable for me, a trifocals wearing man in his 60s with astigmatism (and some other -isms :-D ). Don't recall the font size but it's in the description somewhere. And I recall thinking, that's not a very big typeface, but the actual type does lend a lot to the overall readability of the text.The text is beautifully laid out, with wide margins, lots of references, easy to read paginal notations and so on. I'm also new to the Scofield study bible and so have a good bit of familiarization ahead of me, but like it quite well so far.This is not a small book, by the way. It is substantial, a couple of inches thick and a pleasure to hold. Also, the pages lay pretty flat and no doubt will do so even more through use.The gold trim is nice but frankly irrelevant to me. Still it's nice. The ribbon is good also. The thumb indices are nice and deep, in black with bright gold text that is easy to read.To summarize, I bought my dearly beloved a very nice lambskin bible last year for her birthday for nearly 4 times the cost, and this bible rivals hers in quality. Just sayin...All in all, well done.

Beautiful Bible! Perfect condition!