The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible

by Joel R. Beeke, Michael P.V. Barrett (Editor), Gerald M. Bilkes (Editor)

A Study Bible to Feed Your Soul . . .

Thoughts for personal and family devotions for every chapter
Three dozen articles on how to live the Christian life
Guidance on how to experience the truths of the Bible
A Study Bible to Instruct Your Mind . . .

Thousands of study notes with integrated cross-references
Introductions to each section and every book of the Bible
Classic Bible text with explanations of difficult words
More than fifty articles on key Christian teachings
Concordance, color maps, daily reading plan, and more!
A Study Bible to Discover Your Roots . . .

Overview of twenty centuries of church history
Ancient creeds, confessions, and catechisms with introductions

Endorsements
“Every Christian agrees that there is no book in all the world like the Bible. Within its covers lies the knowledge of God and of eternal life. It is the place where Jesus is revealed to us and where we see ourselves. Like the fields of Boaz in the book of Ruth, it is full of heaven-sent bread, open to us to come, glean, and feed upon its riches. It is a home report of heaven and a guide for getting there. The Bible truly stands alone. But perhaps Christians do not agree on which edition of the Bible is the best in the world. Having looked over the following pages, I think I may have found it. This is a study Bible whose additional articles, notes, tables, and quotations have only one purpose: to place the text of Scripture in the highest possible prominence and to help us understand it in the clearest possible way. For serious followers of Christ, the Bible is indispensable; for serious students of the Bible this edition will soon become indispensable also. To God be the glory for His Word, and to the publishers our gratitude for this splendid edition.” – Iain D. Campbell, Point Free Church, Isle of Lewis, Scotland

“This monumental production is surely destined to be of immense help to countless users for years to come. Its scope is extraordinary, its guiding principles are rock solid, and it is remarkably readable. I know of nothing like it, and I commend it warmly.” – John Blanchard, internationally-known author, evangelist and Christian apologist

“The publication of the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible arrives on the scene as other translations seek to sweep the poetry and beauty of the English language aside. The KJV is a timeless translation of the most influential and life-changing book ever to be printed on the page. You hold in your hands a book that men of great faith have given their lives to see printed in the English language. Reformation Heritage Books has done a beautiful job in compiling excellent materials for this new study Bible. Specifically, this study Bible assembles key articles defining and explaining Reformed theology from the perspective of the Reformers and Puritans. An especially valuable feature is the notes included within each chapter that encourage personal and family devotions. Read the words of this Bible, praying that God will apply the truth to your heart and life.” - Steven J. Lawson, president, OnePassion Ministries, and professor of preaching at The Master’s Seminary

Genres: Scripture, Ancient, Theology, Christian, Classics

Kindle Edition

First published October 20, 2014

About the author

Dr. Joel R. Beeke serves as President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been in the ministry since 1978 and has served as a pastor of his current church, Heritage Reformed Congregation, since 1986. He is also editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society. He has written, co-authored, or edited fifty books and contributed over fifteen hundred articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. His Ph.D. (1988) from Westminster Theological Seminary is in Reformation and Post-Reformation Theology. He is frequently called upon to lecture at Reformed seminaries and to speak at conferences around the world. He and his wife, Mary, have three children: Calvin, Esther, and Lydia.

Reviews

[Peter Krol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess: I have never read the entire King James Version of the Bible. I grew up in the 1980s, and I vaguely remember some dispute in my church when the New International Version replaced the KJV in the pews. But Bibles in my possession have always been either "New" or "Standard," or both.

I confess further: I have at times been numbered among those who find KJV language to be quaint, outdated, "not modern English," and an easy target for ridicule. Thou shalt not claim the KJV as good enough for Jesus or Paul. And everybody who is anybody knows there is no art in heaven. We pray to our Father who is in heaven. Hallowed be his name.

Yet the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible intrigued me, and the publisher graciously gave me a free copy to review. And I must say: This Bible almost persuaded me to use the KJV for next year's Bible read-through.* This study Bible is something special.

What it Does

Like other study Bibles, the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (RHKJV) presents the full text of Scripture with study notes at the bottom of the page. But the RHKJV notes do a few things that make it unlike other study Bibles:
1. One-sentence summaries for each chapter.
2. Plain-language definitions for archaic terms. (Granted, most other translations don't use as many archaic terms, but it would still be nice if they "translated" Christianese jargon into ordinary language.)
3. Application!

Allow me to expand on this third point. Every chapter of the Bible has study notes ending with "Thoughts for Personal/Family Worship," which suggest potential applications of the chapter. These applications don't always flow from the chapter's main point, but they're still usually very good. They're not so specific as to become dated, and they're not so general as to be useless to real people. I couldn't believe the amount of space dedicated to such thoughtful application, but it fits with the editors' vision to offer "a study Bible to feed your soul...a study Bible to instruct your mind...a study Bible to discover your roots."

The RHKJV has short book introductions that get to the point quickly. Three cheers!

In addition, the RHKJV has three sets of articles.
1. Theological topics (57 one-page articles). These articles are inserted at relevant points in the biblical text, such that you can read about Satan after Job 1-2 or about adoption after Romans 8.
2. How to live as a Christian (36 one-page articles). At the end of the volume, these articles direct Christians on topics such as the fear of God, how to pray, and fleeing worldliness.
3. Church history (20 one-page articles and 9 creeds & confessions). There is one article for each century of church history, along with ecumenical creeds (such as Apostles' and Nicene) and Reformed confessions (such as Belgic and Westminster). When I hit the articles about church history, I could not put this volume down.

There is a little more standard fare at the end: yearly reading plan, table of weights & measures, concordance, and maps.

What it Doesn't Do

Unfortunately, this Bible does not please the eye. It has so many words that it may discourage some readers before they give it much of a chance.
• There are no maps except for those on the last 14 pages.
• There are no charts or tables to make information more digestible.
• The typesetting of the KJV text retains some ancient conventions that might turn off many readers. The font has an ancient feel and is not easy to read. Every verse is printed as its own paragraph, and paragraph symbols (¶) show up along the way.
• The notes and articles use a sans serif font, which is more suitable to digital reading than print.

Also, this Bible doesn't offer a range of perspectives on hot topics. The editors tended to choose one perspective and run with it. If you're into 6-day creationism, a young earth, a global flood, reading the Song of Solomon as an allegory of Christ and the church, amillennialism, and a presbyterian and reformed flavor of Protestantism, you'll be at home here. It's not so in-your-face as to be uncharitable, though, so if you have different perspectives on any of these issues, you'll still gain much from this Bible as it feeds your soul and instructs your mind.

Conclusion

I'm happy to recommend this Bible to you. Of course, the KJV is something of an elephant in this Bible. But if you remember to use your study Bible as a reference and not as a Bible, the translation is no big deal. Of course, if you already love the KJV, this purchase should be a no-brainer.
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*I had so much fun with my ESV Reader's Bible last year that I must do it again. But the KJV might be just the thing for the following year.

[Dane Jöhannsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This study Bible cannot be recommended highly enough. The introductions, notes and extra resources are free from modernistic and high critical doubt so frequently found in reformed literature in our day. The "thoughts for personal/family worship" sections at the end of each chapter (also sold as its own volume under the title "Family Worship Bible Guide") are worth the price of the volume alone. This study Bible comes in a number of beautiful editions, all printed and bound with the highest quality materials by the world's leading premium Bible publisher, Royal Jongbloed in the Netherlands, including: hardback, premium hardcover, large print premium hardcover, genuine leather, black cowhide leather, calf-split leather, brown vachetta calfskin leather, premium black goatskin leather.

See one of my video reviews here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZGF5...

[Redeemed · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite study Bibles. It includes extensive notes, especially pertaining to the language of the KJV (which helps with understanding in a modern context); devotional questions for personal or family worship; numerous articles outlining theological concepts and how to apply them to your Christian experience, as well as other helps such as the Reformed confessions (TFU and Westminster standards). This is an excellent study Bible, and one that helped make the King James Version much more palatable and enjoyable to read.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic resource for Reformed Theology. There are family devotion ideas, outlines, confessions and catechisms.

[Chris Land · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Reformed study Bible

[Connor Longaphie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The notes at the bottom of the page are very basic theologically, they often just give helpful factoids about history/translation or sum up the verse they're commenting on. The family worship questions are also very basic but take a very pietistic turn, which is the theological bias of the whole work, so that's to be expected, but it comes out most clearly in the questions for family worship with the heightened introspective focus and the asking of God for conversion experience etc. The articles at the back are very basic and don't really cover their topics all that well, but of course the shining star of added content to this copy of the KJV is the reformed confessions at the back, which are on a level all of their own. I would recommend buying rc sprouls reformation study bible instead of this, unless like me you just wanted a new goatskin Bible at an affordable price

[Meghan Dzurichko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quality leather bound Bible with a lot of excellent commentary and extras. I found the commentary less useful for understanding what the bible was literally talking about and more designed for seeing the reformed pov throughout the scriptures. This is fine if that is ones intended direction of study, but I, personally, grow tired of hearing what people have to say about what the bible says instead of letting the bible speak for itself. I wish I could find a commentary that merely sought to elevate the readers understanding of the context and literal meaning of the scriptures rather than pushing its own pet doctrines.

[Jacob London · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a wonderful study Bible with helpful comments at the end of each chapter for personal/family devotions. The articles are marginally helpful, the portions of Puritan works commenting on certain passages were often enlightening. My only issue with the study notes is that often all the notes are dong is clarifying the KJV language when the space could be used for more helpful commentary.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be one of the most underrated Christ-exalting study Bibles on the market today. I was disinclined to pick up a copy because the KJV is not my preferred translation, but there is so much gold in this volume. Among my favorite features are the one sentence summary and Thoughts for Personal/Family Worship for every chapter of the Bible. Excellent! Highly recommended!

[Jean Pierre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This study bible is a great bible for either personal devotion or family worship. At the end of every single chapter are a few thoughts that you can incorporate in family worship. The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars is that it is in KJV. I’m not anti-KJV, but it is much easier for me to read in the ESV or NASB.

[J Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are close to 40 articles in the back of the back PLUS introductory material at the beginning of the Bible. In addition, there are dozens more articles scattered throughout the Study Bible, in addition to an Introduction to each Bible book.

[Coalición por el Evangelio]

Una de las necesidades de la iglesia en Latinoamérica es una mayor variedad de Biblias de estudio que sean confiables y realmente nos ayuden a entender mejor la Palabra. Por eso hoy me gozo por la «Biblia de Estudio Herencia Reformada», publicada en español por Reformation Heritage Books (Libros Herencia Reformada) y Poiema Publicaciones. Esta Biblia usa el texto de la Reina Valera 1960, y viene en diversas presentaciones: tapa rústica, tapa dura, símil de piel café, y piel genuina negra.

Lee la reseña en Coalición por el Evangelio.

[Ryan Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing study bible. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Includes helpful notes for family and private worship on each chapter. It is also includes various sections on important doctrines adapted from various writers in the Reformed tradition thru history. Lastly it includes the ecumenical creeds, Reformed confessions and catechisms, and a brief introduction to church history. Highly recommended.

[Josué · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best study Bible with great reformed thought.