The Holman Study Bible Family

The Holman Study Bible is published by Broadman & Holman, one of the oldest publishers of Bibles in the country. Broadman & Holman have put together a fantastic study Bible. If you recall from our first article in this series, a study Bible is simply a Bible with study notes (comments and explanations on what the verses mean, along with introductions to the books of the Bible, maps, charts, etc).

Basically, a study Bible is like having the professors notes from Bible college along with your favorite Bible text. Usually, the Biblical text is at the top of the page and the notes are at the bottom of the page (see image below).

The Holman Study Bible is currently available in three translations - KJV, NKJV, and CSB plus Spanish - so you get this great resource in the translation of your choice.

Inside The Bible

The various translations of the Holman Study Bible are almost identical and in general, include the following features. 

• 15,000+ study notes
• 315 word studies
• 141 photographs
• 62 timelines
• 59 maps
• 24 articles
• 16 illustrations/reconstructions
• 15 charts
• Book introductions and outlines
• Concordance
• Two-column text with center-column cross-references
• Topical subheadings
• Sewn binding—lays flat when open
• 9.5-point text size
• 9.50" x 6.75"

Note the layout of a Study Bible in the image below. The Biblical text is at the top and the notes/commentary are at the bottom, separated by a dividing line. The notes have the verse number in front of them so that you will know which verse the note refers to. Additional verses (cross references) are listed in the middle column at the top of the page as well as in the notes at the bottom of the page. 

Summary of Choices

The Bibles themselves are available in 3 English (KJV, NKJV, CSB and 1 Spanish (RVR) translation.

They are available in hard-cover, flexible leather-like colors, and a few leather editions. 

As for size, there is the personal size (smaller print), regular size and large print (therefore larger Bible). 

Prices range from $50 (retail) to $100 depending on the options chosen. In general, most study Bibles are about $50 (retail) for a hard-cover edition and about $80 for a regular leather-like cover. Large Print is usually $10 more and Indexing (the books of the Bible marked on the edges of the page) is $10 more.

All of these prices are retail prices of course. At FIT Books our Bibles are currently on sale, with most Study Bibles being 30%-40% off the retail price.

If you missed the first installment, What is the difference between a Text Bible and a Study Bible? in this six-part series click below to go directly to the article. Below that link I have repeated a couple of the charts from the first article to help you remember the difference between translations. 

The chart below provides samples of some of the main translations, along with year the translation was completed and the reading grade level of each translation.

Watch your inbox for the third article (of six) on Bibles and Translations. It will be out on Wednesday and will cover the CSB Family of Study Bibles, along with a fuller explanation of the CSB translation..