Nice Secondary Features, Weak in the Essential:Notes !

As much as I appreciate its great concordance, subject index, and unique Word Focus inserts (my favorite thing about this Bible), my primary use of a Study Bible is to have enhanced learning (historical, gramatical, scripture-to-scripture contexts, etc) thru the notes that accompany the Bible proper. But the Nelson NKJV Study Bible notes are annoyingly fuzzy when there is no need to be. Rather than take sides with various camps within Christendom (dispensationalists vs. covenentalists, for ex), this Bible chooses to avoid presenting helpful, decisive exegetical interpretation and (to paraphrase) says it could be this, it could be that, some say this, some say that. Furthermore,this is not an isolated failure seen only re: key prophetic passages like Daniel 9:24-27, but runs throughout the Bible. At best it's wasted space, and at worse it causes confusion, discouragement, and subjectivity in matters that are not "liberty"/gray areas but clearly taught if examined in the context of other scripture, as is the biblical method. Visually, the print is crisp and the charts/intros/timelines are especially attractive, and the crossreferences, which are insufficient, are--unlike most Bibles--not at eyelevel, but are at bottom-center. Overall, for those wanting a NKJV Study Bible, even though the MacArthur Study Bible doesn't have a concordance, I'd still recommend the TC (theologically correct) doctrine-laden MacArthur rather than the substance-challenged, PC/let's-not-take-a-side Nelson. The Nelson is not a terrible Bible, but not worth the expense or bulk ( a small reference Bible would work just as well). ^M

Outstanding study Bible

I own many different study Bibles, from the NIV Study Bible, the Scoffield, New Scoffield, Thompson Chain Reference (NIV and KJV), Dake Bible, NIV Topical Study Bible and several Parallel Bibles. While I use them all, my favorite for study and for Scripture reading is either the Nelson Study Bible or the NIVSB. The language is easy to understand and the study notes are fairly comprehensive. The commentary hails from a conservative evangelical theology.^M