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Every Man's Bible NIV
The Bible for every battle every man faces! This is a man’s type of Bible—straight talk about the challenges of life. Every Man’s Bible has thousands of notes on topics from work, sex, and competition to integrity and more and trusted advice from the pros, just for men. Every Man's Bible is written by the best-selling author of the Every Man's series, Steve Arterburn.
FEATURES New International Version text Book introductions and 44 charts Study Notes Help you gain a better perspective on a particular verse or passage Men, Women, and God—This feature focuses on two of the most important relationships in every man's life: his relationship with God and his relationships with women Someone You Should Know—Profiles of men in the Bible and what their lives can teach us about the importance of faith in our own lives What the Bible Says About—Gives insight into the Bible's vital message on all kinds of topics for daily living Perspectives—Glean bits of information from great men who have lived through many of the same issues and struggles that you face Personal Gold—Sound advice from the pros: Henry Blackaby, Stuart Briscoe, Tony Evans, David Jeremiah, Gordon MacDonald, Bill McCartney, J. I. Packer, Joseph Stowell, and Chuck Swindoll
FEATURES New International Version text Book introductions and 44 charts Study Notes Help you gain a better perspective on a particular verse or passage Men, Women, and God—This feature focuses on two of the most important relationships in every man's life: his relationship with God and his relationships with women Someone You Should Know—Profiles of men in the Bible and what their lives can teach us about the importance of faith in our own lives What the Bible Says About—Gives insight into the Bible's vital message on all kinds of topics for daily living Perspectives—Glean bits of information from great men who have lived through many of the same issues and struggles that you face Personal Gold—Sound advice from the pros: Henry Blackaby, Stuart Briscoe, Tony Evans, David Jeremiah, Gordon MacDonald, Bill McCartney, J. I. Packer, Joseph Stowell, and Chuck Swindoll
- GenresChristian
6592 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2014
224 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Stephen F. Arterburn
257 books154 followersStephen Arterburn is the founder and chairman of New Life Ministries—the nation's largest faith-based broadcast, counseling, and treatment ministry—and is the host of the nationally syndicated New Life Live! daily radio program aired on over 180 radio stations nationwide, Sirius XM radio, and on television. Steve is also the founder of the Women of Faith conferences, attended by over 4 million women, and of HisMatchforMe.com.
Steve is a nationally known public speaker and has been featured in national media venues such as Oprah, Inside Edition, Good Morning America, CNN Live, the New York Times, USA Today, and US News & World Report.
In August 2000, Steve was inducted into the National Speakers Association's Hall of Fame. A bestselling author, Steve has written more than one hundred books, including the popular Every Man's series and his most recent book, Healing Is a Choice. He is a Gold Medallion–winning author and has been nominated for numerous other writing awards.
Steve has degrees from Baylor University and the University of North Texas as well as two honorary doctorate degrees. Steve is a teaching pastor at Northview Church in suburban Indianapolis and resides with his family in Indiana.
Steve is a nationally known public speaker and has been featured in national media venues such as Oprah, Inside Edition, Good Morning America, CNN Live, the New York Times, USA Today, and US News & World Report.
In August 2000, Steve was inducted into the National Speakers Association's Hall of Fame. A bestselling author, Steve has written more than one hundred books, including the popular Every Man's series and his most recent book, Healing Is a Choice. He is a Gold Medallion–winning author and has been nominated for numerous other writing awards.
Steve has degrees from Baylor University and the University of North Texas as well as two honorary doctorate degrees. Steve is a teaching pastor at Northview Church in suburban Indianapolis and resides with his family in Indiana.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 27, 2023
Regular Read through the Bible in a year with YouVersion App in my ear as I read.
I got this book as a replacement for my NIV Life Application Bible that I had been using for 30 years. It’s a good Bible but I felt the notes are very tailored to men’s issues (thus the name , duh) And I wanted more academic type translation notes, biblical criticism. That sent me down the rabbit hole of Bible nerditry this year. Collecting bibles, Giving bibles, rebinding bibles, and intense reading and studying of the Bible. This finished my 4th time through this year. I love it
I got this book as a replacement for my NIV Life Application Bible that I had been using for 30 years. It’s a good Bible but I felt the notes are very tailored to men’s issues (thus the name , duh) And I wanted more academic type translation notes, biblical criticism. That sent me down the rabbit hole of Bible nerditry this year. Collecting bibles, Giving bibles, rebinding bibles, and intense reading and studying of the Bible. This finished my 4th time through this year. I love it
April 21, 2025
Pretty low barrier to entry. I found the summaries and discussions good but a little too informal for my preference. I much prefer the Word on Fire Bible’s Gospels, Ignatius Study Bible, or Douay-Rheims for an older version.
April 17, 2021
I came across “Every Man’s Bible” when a relative received one for Christmas. I flipped through the pages and noticed the copious notes and sidebars accompanying the main text. The title intrigued me. Was this version for rugged, steely-eyed, alpha men who shoot guns, drink booze, and kick ass? Sort of. Some of the annotations offer advice on topics found in the Bible that appeal to most men—women, lust, money, battle.
Like nominal Christians, I’d never read the gospel before, so I decided to buy “Every Man’s Bible” and read it cover to cover. This version employs the “new living translation”, a clean, concrete prose style that brings into high relief the absurd and mad events comprising this classic text of Western Civilization. I didn’t care for the proselytizing tone of the annotations; they don’t so much clarify the scripture as they attempt to persuade the reader to convert. I found most of them a bit infantile, irrational, and patronizing.
But for an easy-to-read and comprehensible Bible, this version is money. You can ignore the annotations and make your own interpretations. But there’s not much to decipher because the Bible is purportedly historical—not mythological. Except for some of the psalms and parables of Jesus, the Bible is lean on symbolism, allegory and metaphor. That surprised me.
Christians insist on the Bible being the word of God; however, Thomas Paine in his cheeky work, “The Age of Reason”, argued that it is the word of man. I think it’s somewhere in between. Although I like the idea that the universe came into existence through God’s word, the Bible has almost nothing to say about the creation except to warn humans to not worship it. The Lord discourages man from admiring it, from meditating on it, from studying it, from appreciating its magnificence or finding inspiration in it. He’d rather man focus his attention exclusively on him. Most intellectually curious people view the earth and universe as marvelous and mysterious, so I found it disconcerting that the Bible offers no insight or praise for it except for a single, understated doltish clause in Genesis: “It was good.”
The Bible is verbose and repetitive on other topics. It gushes prose and verse on the Hebrews’ perpetual insolence and on God’s angry disappointment with them. Much of the Old Testament is grim and dreary with God portrayed as a psychotic tyrant. Other swaths of the text are a slog, focusing on lengthy genealogies and inconsequential details bereft of any inspiring theme.
A worthy message about the dangers of making rash promises, however, appears in Judges 11:29. When diplomacy fails to establish peace with the Ammonites, the warrior and judge Jephthah promises God to sacrifice “whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph.” God grants him victory over the Ammonites, and Jephthah is forced to sacrifice his daughter when she runs out of the house to welcome him home. In the book of Mark, Jesus Christ warns against reckless vowing, lest one regret his words: “I say, do not make any vows!”
But God himself vows. He vows to make Hebrews his chosen people and give them everything, and when he discovers “how stubborn and rebellious these people are”, the Lord regrets his promise and plans to annihilate them. Then Moses, reminding him of his vow, dissuades God from committing genocide: “You bound yourself with an oath to them.”
So God continues to give it the old college try and selects other prophets after Moses died to turn the Hebrews around. But no luck. As a final attempt to lift them out of the swamp of sin, God sends his boy, Jesus Christ. But instead of accepting Christ’s message of salvation, the Jewish leadership have him executed. Because the Hebrews never obey God to his satisfaction, the Lord pretty much says “screw it” and decides to extend salvation to the gentiles instead. Maybe they will accept his message? They do. Peter and Paul preach the “Good News” in the provincial towns while performing miracles, and in droves the gentiles accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. This irritates the Jewish leadership who demand that the gentiles obey the Mosaic Law, which means adhering to certain cleansing rituals and circumcision. But the rising Christian ministry rejects this, declaring that it’s enough for people to accept Christ and be baptized in his name.
After reading the Bible, none of the interpretations I heard growing up make sense anymore. The story of The Tower of Babel is a case in point. Preachers argue that it's a story about human pride and arrogance and God’s punishment. But from my reading, it’s about God’s resentment of humanity and his wish to keep people suppressed and in perpetual conflict. In the brief narrative, humans build a brick tower “that reaches into the sky” to commemorate the peace and unity they have accomplished with all people: “This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”
But God, who is plural, doesn’t want world peace--at least, not on humanity’s terms: “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”
This isn’t Sparta. This is madness! One of the great failures of the human race is its inability to get along. But now we see that it’s God who is to blame for that failure. Humans can accomplish anything, unless God disapproves. The Old Testament is full of dismal and irrational stories like The Tower of Babel.
For me, “Ecclesiastes” was the most instructive book in the OT. Purportedly written by Solomon, its central message is that life is meaningless. The sinful and the righteous meet the same end--death. And this is unfair and meaningless. Whether you experience blessings or tragedy in life, know that both come from God. Not Satan. God. “So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can,” says Solomon. “So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes with a splash of cologne!”
Words of wisdom. I think it was the singer Jimmy Buffet who said something similar: “We’re not here for a long time, just a good time!”
In the end, the Bible did not speak to me beyond a literary interest, and its demands for blind obedience to God made me suspicious. As religion, the Bible is not for me because I don’t have a spiritual hole to fill. I am content and focused in life; whereas, Christianity is mostly a faith for souls in need of solace and salvation from addiction, decadence, degeneracy, and demonic possession.
Jesus is an interesting bloke. I was surprised to read that, unlike the claims I heard as a kid that he was a man of peace and love and forgiveness, Jesus himself proclaims: “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your household!”
He further warns his followers that if “you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.”
JC makes ruthless demands for loyalty. And this leads to the Bible’s predominant message: fear God and obey him. More than once the Bible emphasizes that “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.” (Psalms 110: 10) I wonder if Niccolo Machiavelli found his inspiration in this psalm when he wrote his primer for rulers, The Prince. On the question of whether it is best for leaders to be feared or loved by their people, the answer is evident: It “is much safer to be feared than loved,” argues Machiavelli, “for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”
Yet in the Bible, fear plus love seems to equal obedience. What’s revealed in the psyche of any being bent on controlling others? What does it suggest about him? Perhaps that he is desperate to subdue and control them because he fears them! This is my impression. God fears humans. After Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God grows nervous: “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”
So he drop-kicks their asses out of Eden. God doesn’t want humans to self-actualize or, God forbid, become his equal. He’s afraid of what they can accomplish if they unite. That’s why he destroys Babel and divides them with different tongues. That’s why he demands obedience and insists that man cannot rely on his wits but on God alone. That is why he refers to humans as his flock of sheep, a creature synonymous with submissiveness, docility, and blind obedience.
I could say more, especially about the apocalypse and Lucifer (he is mostly talked about rather than seen), but this review is getting long and I have promises to keep. Overall, the Bible was a fascinating read. If my life suddenly goes sideways and I’m lost in the wilderness though, I will probably seek guidance from The Tibetan Book of the Dead instead.
Like nominal Christians, I’d never read the gospel before, so I decided to buy “Every Man’s Bible” and read it cover to cover. This version employs the “new living translation”, a clean, concrete prose style that brings into high relief the absurd and mad events comprising this classic text of Western Civilization. I didn’t care for the proselytizing tone of the annotations; they don’t so much clarify the scripture as they attempt to persuade the reader to convert. I found most of them a bit infantile, irrational, and patronizing.
But for an easy-to-read and comprehensible Bible, this version is money. You can ignore the annotations and make your own interpretations. But there’s not much to decipher because the Bible is purportedly historical—not mythological. Except for some of the psalms and parables of Jesus, the Bible is lean on symbolism, allegory and metaphor. That surprised me.
Christians insist on the Bible being the word of God; however, Thomas Paine in his cheeky work, “The Age of Reason”, argued that it is the word of man. I think it’s somewhere in between. Although I like the idea that the universe came into existence through God’s word, the Bible has almost nothing to say about the creation except to warn humans to not worship it. The Lord discourages man from admiring it, from meditating on it, from studying it, from appreciating its magnificence or finding inspiration in it. He’d rather man focus his attention exclusively on him. Most intellectually curious people view the earth and universe as marvelous and mysterious, so I found it disconcerting that the Bible offers no insight or praise for it except for a single, understated doltish clause in Genesis: “It was good.”
The Bible is verbose and repetitive on other topics. It gushes prose and verse on the Hebrews’ perpetual insolence and on God’s angry disappointment with them. Much of the Old Testament is grim and dreary with God portrayed as a psychotic tyrant. Other swaths of the text are a slog, focusing on lengthy genealogies and inconsequential details bereft of any inspiring theme.
A worthy message about the dangers of making rash promises, however, appears in Judges 11:29. When diplomacy fails to establish peace with the Ammonites, the warrior and judge Jephthah promises God to sacrifice “whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph.” God grants him victory over the Ammonites, and Jephthah is forced to sacrifice his daughter when she runs out of the house to welcome him home. In the book of Mark, Jesus Christ warns against reckless vowing, lest one regret his words: “I say, do not make any vows!”
But God himself vows. He vows to make Hebrews his chosen people and give them everything, and when he discovers “how stubborn and rebellious these people are”, the Lord regrets his promise and plans to annihilate them. Then Moses, reminding him of his vow, dissuades God from committing genocide: “You bound yourself with an oath to them.”
So God continues to give it the old college try and selects other prophets after Moses died to turn the Hebrews around. But no luck. As a final attempt to lift them out of the swamp of sin, God sends his boy, Jesus Christ. But instead of accepting Christ’s message of salvation, the Jewish leadership have him executed. Because the Hebrews never obey God to his satisfaction, the Lord pretty much says “screw it” and decides to extend salvation to the gentiles instead. Maybe they will accept his message? They do. Peter and Paul preach the “Good News” in the provincial towns while performing miracles, and in droves the gentiles accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. This irritates the Jewish leadership who demand that the gentiles obey the Mosaic Law, which means adhering to certain cleansing rituals and circumcision. But the rising Christian ministry rejects this, declaring that it’s enough for people to accept Christ and be baptized in his name.
After reading the Bible, none of the interpretations I heard growing up make sense anymore. The story of The Tower of Babel is a case in point. Preachers argue that it's a story about human pride and arrogance and God’s punishment. But from my reading, it’s about God’s resentment of humanity and his wish to keep people suppressed and in perpetual conflict. In the brief narrative, humans build a brick tower “that reaches into the sky” to commemorate the peace and unity they have accomplished with all people: “This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”
But God, who is plural, doesn’t want world peace--at least, not on humanity’s terms: “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”
This isn’t Sparta. This is madness! One of the great failures of the human race is its inability to get along. But now we see that it’s God who is to blame for that failure. Humans can accomplish anything, unless God disapproves. The Old Testament is full of dismal and irrational stories like The Tower of Babel.
For me, “Ecclesiastes” was the most instructive book in the OT. Purportedly written by Solomon, its central message is that life is meaningless. The sinful and the righteous meet the same end--death. And this is unfair and meaningless. Whether you experience blessings or tragedy in life, know that both come from God. Not Satan. God. “So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can,” says Solomon. “So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes with a splash of cologne!”
Words of wisdom. I think it was the singer Jimmy Buffet who said something similar: “We’re not here for a long time, just a good time!”
In the end, the Bible did not speak to me beyond a literary interest, and its demands for blind obedience to God made me suspicious. As religion, the Bible is not for me because I don’t have a spiritual hole to fill. I am content and focused in life; whereas, Christianity is mostly a faith for souls in need of solace and salvation from addiction, decadence, degeneracy, and demonic possession.
Jesus is an interesting bloke. I was surprised to read that, unlike the claims I heard as a kid that he was a man of peace and love and forgiveness, Jesus himself proclaims: “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your household!”
He further warns his followers that if “you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.”
JC makes ruthless demands for loyalty. And this leads to the Bible’s predominant message: fear God and obey him. More than once the Bible emphasizes that “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.” (Psalms 110: 10) I wonder if Niccolo Machiavelli found his inspiration in this psalm when he wrote his primer for rulers, The Prince. On the question of whether it is best for leaders to be feared or loved by their people, the answer is evident: It “is much safer to be feared than loved,” argues Machiavelli, “for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”
Yet in the Bible, fear plus love seems to equal obedience. What’s revealed in the psyche of any being bent on controlling others? What does it suggest about him? Perhaps that he is desperate to subdue and control them because he fears them! This is my impression. God fears humans. After Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God grows nervous: “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”
So he drop-kicks their asses out of Eden. God doesn’t want humans to self-actualize or, God forbid, become his equal. He’s afraid of what they can accomplish if they unite. That’s why he destroys Babel and divides them with different tongues. That’s why he demands obedience and insists that man cannot rely on his wits but on God alone. That is why he refers to humans as his flock of sheep, a creature synonymous with submissiveness, docility, and blind obedience.
I could say more, especially about the apocalypse and Lucifer (he is mostly talked about rather than seen), but this review is getting long and I have promises to keep. Overall, the Bible was a fascinating read. If my life suddenly goes sideways and I’m lost in the wilderness though, I will probably seek guidance from The Tibetan Book of the Dead instead.
December 7, 2023
Writing a book review alone about the bible is quite unique because it’s not written by a single author but rather by multiple authors over many centuries. The bible is divided into two main sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament, and contains different genres like history, poetry, prophecy, and letters.
The writing styles vary throughout the Bible depending on the author and the purpose of each book. Some books are poetic and filled with beautiful imagery, while others are more historical and factual. The authors use different literary devices to convey their messages, such as metaphors, parables, and allegories.
Rating the bible is tricky since it holds different meanings for different people. I give it a ten because even if you don’t follow the religion it still has a great story and advice. For many though its a sacred text that provides guidance and spiritual nourishment. It has shaped the beliefs and values of billions of people around the world. So, if I had to give it a rating it will always be a 10/10 because of its timeless and influential growing masterpiece.
Overall as for a recommendation, I would say that reading a bible that is meant for men can be a profound and enlightening experience, regardless of your religious beliefs. It offers insights into humanity, nature, morality, and the complexities of life. It's a book that has stood the test of time and continues to be relevant today. So whether you're seeking God, spiritual guidance, and simply interested in exploring ancient texts. I'd recommend giving the bible a read. Just keep an open mind and approach it with a highlighter and curiosity along with respect.
The writing styles vary throughout the Bible depending on the author and the purpose of each book. Some books are poetic and filled with beautiful imagery, while others are more historical and factual. The authors use different literary devices to convey their messages, such as metaphors, parables, and allegories.
Rating the bible is tricky since it holds different meanings for different people. I give it a ten because even if you don’t follow the religion it still has a great story and advice. For many though its a sacred text that provides guidance and spiritual nourishment. It has shaped the beliefs and values of billions of people around the world. So, if I had to give it a rating it will always be a 10/10 because of its timeless and influential growing masterpiece.
Overall as for a recommendation, I would say that reading a bible that is meant for men can be a profound and enlightening experience, regardless of your religious beliefs. It offers insights into humanity, nature, morality, and the complexities of life. It's a book that has stood the test of time and continues to be relevant today. So whether you're seeking God, spiritual guidance, and simply interested in exploring ancient texts. I'd recommend giving the bible a read. Just keep an open mind and approach it with a highlighter and curiosity along with respect.
April 23, 2023
It's a study Bible after my own heart. It's informative without being unnecessarily dense so your focus rarely strays from the scripture. The myriad inspirational teachings geared towards men are resonant and at times even powerful. Instructive supplementary texts like those that introduce each book of the Bible or excerpts from tomes written by exemplary Christian men are also enlightening and inspiring.
I have the deluxe Heritage edition, and I can tell from its feel and construction that it is designed to last. I like how portable it is despite being complete and downright packed.
Personally, the only way this could have been improved is if the version has been NKJV instead, but that's a trifling cavil. It's great enough as it is, and I'm looking forward to deeply imbibing all of its lessons.
9/10; 5 stars.
I have the deluxe Heritage edition, and I can tell from its feel and construction that it is designed to last. I like how portable it is despite being complete and downright packed.
Personally, the only way this could have been improved is if the version has been NKJV instead, but that's a trifling cavil. It's great enough as it is, and I'm looking forward to deeply imbibing all of its lessons.
9/10; 5 stars.
May 16, 2020
What can I say that hasn't already been said in 2000 years.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews