4.5 Stars Out Of 5
4.5 out of 5
(27)
(3)
(1)
(1)
(2)
Quality:
3.6 out Of 5
(3.6 out of 5)
Value:
3.8 out Of 5
(3.8 out of 5)
Meets Expectations:
3.6 out Of 5
(3.6 out of 5)
88%
of customers would recommend this product to a friend.
SORT BY:
SEE:
Displaying items 1-5 of 34
Page 1 of 7
  1. Greg Pilgrim
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Best all-around carry!
    October 30, 2019
    Greg Pilgrim
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    I purchased this from CB at a great price when they had a sale, and I am not disappointed! I like the verse-by-verse format, and the black text. For such an economical bible, the ghosting is barely noticeable. Although there is only about 1/2" on the gutter for notes, the outside edge has a nice, wide 1" margin. The paper is a nice bright white and the refs on each page are nicely placed at the bottom. The 9 point font, is a good all-around font size (not large...but certainly not too small). The maps at the end are kind of a semi gloss...not a glossy finish that reflects alot of light. Even though this is not a genuine leather, the two-tone accents are a classic style, and the gold page gilding is a nice match. It does have a paste down liner, but Crossway also provides 3, quality paper blank pages in the front and 1 in the back for any notes. A single brown ribbon is sufficient for this bible. The spine has gold printing on it, but not sure how long before it rubs off....time will tell. This bible does have a Smyth sewn binding, and not the glue binding, so it should hold up well for some time. Each book has a short intro as well.

    This is not a premium bible, but for the $, I am very happy with this purchase and definitely recommend it to anyone.
  2. Randy
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    High-Quality, Practical All-Around Bible
    February 11, 2017
    Randy
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    --Bottom Line: This is a beautiful, handsome Bible. Very nice materials including good paper and the best imitation leather I've seen. The page layout is clean and uncluttered with an easily readable font. It's a little taller and wider than a standard pew Bible but no thicker. I heartily recommend it.

    --The details if you want them:

    I just received this Bible today and I couldn't be more thrilled. This Bible is more beautiful and higher quality than I was expecting. I can easily see this as being my main Bible for the rest of my life.

    SIZE: When I pulled the trigger on my order I hadn't taken careful note of the size. Later, looking again at the product description I was a little concerned that this would be too big. I refuse to lug a study Bible around; I prefer Bibles about the height and width of a pew Bible and thinner if possible. But when I opened the package I was relieved. It is a little taller and wider than a pew Bible but it's no thicker. I usually use a tablet at church and when I'm out and about so I wouldn't be carrying it around that much anyway. I'd mostly use it at home, home Bible study and when teaching. So while the overall size is a little bigger than my personal ideal, it's perfectly fine for my use.

    COVER: Only time will tell how well it holds up, but out of the box this is easily the best imitation leather I've seen, much better than my previous Bible that was also TruTone. It's really beautiful looking. It's fairly soft and is very supple opening and closing it. I'm hoping it doesn't crease too badly or start cracking and peeling too soon. But since I like the Bible so much, I'll just have it rebound when the day comes. I also like the understated printing on the spine. It's stamped with no gold leaf, just a dark impression. Very stately to my taste.

    PAPER & TEXT: I was very pleasantly surprised when I opened the Bible and saw how crisp and white the paper was. Very little bleed-through and the text is very sharp. The 9-point font is very readable, about the same as many magazine or newspaper articles. The cross-references and footnotes are very small, though; I'd prefer slightly larger, but that would probably increase the page count. I also like that this Bible has all of the text in black, without the words of Jesus in red. Red-letter text has the subtle effect of making those words seem more important than the surrounding text. But we shouldn't approach it that way. The Bible says that all of the text is God's inspired word, even the descriptive text around Jesus's words.

    FORMAT: I didn't start out looking for a verse-by-verse format but the more I looked at the sample online the more I liked it. First, it goes without saying that it makes it very easy to find verses quickly, whether in a Bible study or while teaching, rather than hunting through a block of text. Also, I think paragraph formats seem cluttered by comparison. The verse-by-verse arrangement makes for a very clean, highly readable page layout. Also, I appreciate that there are not any paragraph symbols that some other verse-by-verse Bibles have. Another reviewer didn't like this but I prefer it. Of course, we know the originals were not written in paragraphs. This format helps me follow the writer's flow of thought line by line, clause by clause and makes me pay more attention to signal phrases that indicate a shift in thought or a change of scene, much more like the way they would have originally been written on scrolls or parchments. The only exception to this is that they do still provide headings in the text, but that just makes it easy to find major passages where there is usually a natural division of the text anyway. Lastly, the margins are slightly wider than a standard text-only Bible and account for the Bible's wider width and leave a little room for notes but is not what you would call a wide-margin Bible.

    THE ESV TRANSLATION: The ESV translation has been around long enough now that I'll only comment briefly for those who are new to it. There is good reason for the ESV's quick rise in popularity and you may have noticed an increasing number of pastors and authors quoting from it. The ESV is a very accurate essentially literal, theologically conservative translation. While the NASB is still generally more word-for-word literal to the Greek and Hebrew texts, the ESV is also still very literal but generally has a better literary quality and flows more smoothly. It's fantastic for daily reading, preaching and teaching. Years ago I got tired of how frequently I would be reading in my NIV only to discover a particular verse I had been focusing on wasn't translated very well. I eventually settled on the ESV and I'm very, very glad I did. I no longer have to second guess my daily devotional reading and when paired with my NASB during serious study I know I'm on target.

    CORRECTION: The product description currently lists the page-count at 1720 pages which made me concerned at how thick this Bible would be. Actually, with the introductory pages and maps in the back the page-count is a little over 1300 pages.

    As I said above, I'm thrilled with this Bible and I highly recommend it to you. I plan on keeping this until I meet the Author himself.
  3. Jim B.
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Great Teaching Bible
    February 20, 2020
    Jim B.
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    I purchased this bible because of the format. I find it difficult to teach from a paragraph format sometimes. This one is the perfect size, font and material. This is the bible I carry to church and lead bible studies from.

    I have other study bibles but when I am teaching or following a sermon I prefer a verse-by-verse layout.

    I also appreciate the black text; I am not a big fan of red letter bibles.

    The font size is very good and I like the font style. The verses are not packed tight together, there is room between each line; it is a very clear and clean layout.

    The margins are wide enough for making small notes.

    Crossway's trutune is a fantastic cover too. Soft and bendable but made very well. I am a really big fan of edge sticking.

    The price makes this extremely affordable as a main or second bible.

    Overall, I couldn't be happier with this bible.
  4. Snyder's Soapbox
    Fruitland, Idaho
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: Male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A Review of the ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible, in Black Top Grain Leather.
    February 16, 2016
    Snyder's Soapbox
    Fruitland, Idaho
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: Male
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    A Review of the ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible, in Black Top Grain Leather.

    Crossway sent me this beautiful Bible for review. It is a wonderful value. You get so many great features with this Bible. It is also a good multipurpose Bible. Initially I thought the font might be too small for Pastors to use it from the pulpit, but I was wrong. The verse format layout, terrific paper, and crisp clean print, make it well suited to serve as a preaching Bible. It is a reference Bible, so it also lends itself to study. The references and notes are out of the way at the bottom, so it also works good for reading. If you are in the market for a new Bible to fill a few roles, keep reading. I think youll be as impressed with this edition as I am.

    The ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible was packaged in a small white cardboard box.

    The Bible itself was inside the retail clamshell box. Keep the box for storage. This is not a Bible to be stood up on edge like a hardback book. The Bible arrived undamaged from Crossway. Inside the packaging the Bible was wrapped in clear plastic.

    Once removed, I was able to begin assessing the top grain leather. It had a very supple feel to it. It was nice and soft. There is also a perimeter groove on the cover.

    The inside liner seemed to be a bit different than the outside cover. I e-mailed Crossway and asked them about it. They informed me that it is Cromwell bonded leather. For those of you who are balking at that, keep in mind that Cromwell bonded leather is not the same as the low grade bonded leather you are used to seeing in the past. It is a far superior product and should last as long as the top grain leather cover, if not longer. One of the bonuses of using this material as a liner is that it can be had in thin sheets. This makes it possible for the bindery to get the cover mated to the liner with more precision and less bulges on the corners.

    This, being an edge-lined Bible, it is important to not use a heavier material that would reduce the supple feel of the cover.

    In my opinion, it was implemented quite well. For the price, I would definitely recommend purchasing this edition over the ones with genuine leather or synthetic covers if you can afford the extra money.

    In the front youll find a Presentation Page, Publishers Page, Table of Contents, Books of the Bible in Alphabetical Order, Preface, and an Explanation of Features.

    The spine is ornamented with four spine hubs, and gold lettering.

    The page edges are gold gilt and the corners are rounded. There are also decorative gold and black, head and tail bands. There are two black ribbons that are decent quality.

    They are thicker than some less expensive ribbons. For me two ribbons or more is a must. Three ribbons is perfect in my opinion. You get one for the Old Testament reading, one for devotional reading of Proverbs, and one for the New Testament. Of course, two will suffice, and is certainly better than only one. Four just seems supernumerary to me.

    Of course where this Bible shines is the paper and print. Crossway has done a good job utilizing superior paper compared to their competitors. Rarely do you find Bibles in this niche with paper of the same weight and opacity. Crossway is employing a 36 g.s.m. Apple Thin Opaque paper. Keep in mind that many of their competitors call 28 g.s.m. paper top notch. The print in this black letter edition is sharp and uniform throughout. I havent run into any areas where the print fades or is smudged. The font is 9 pt. in size and is Lexicon face. At first glance it seems larger than it is, in my opinion. I think that is due to the opaque paper, print, and line spacing, making it very legible. It is easy on the eyes.

    Preaching from the pulpit and looking down at a 9 pt. font in another Bible with lesser paper and more ghosting would be a bad idea, but with this Bible you could easily do it. There is also a generous outside margin for some limited note taking.

    The drawback of course is that some of the type gets lost in the gutter.

    In some regards, like the paper and print, I would rate this Bible up there with the premium ones. Due to the lack of some of the more ornate features, like art gilt page edges, better ribbons, gilt perimeter lines, and better leather for the inside liner I cant call it a premium Bible. Of course the price on this edition more than makes up for what little quibbles I might have. Ive paid over two hundred dollars for an Allan. This Bible can be had for a bit over eighty dollars. That makes it an outstanding value. The suggested retail is one hundred and fourty nine dollars and ninety nine cents. Some publishers list a suggested retail that I would never pay. This Bible is worth the suggested retail. On some retail sites it can be found for as little as eighty four dollars and ninety nine cents. Other than the gutter complaint, the layout is great. You get a double column, verse format, with approximately 80,000 cross references located at the bottom of the pages. You also get a 76 page 3 column concordance, and 8 color maps in the back.

    At the start of each book is a brief introduction. I personally love well written book introductions.

    You also get a smyth-sewn spine with this edge-lined Bible adding to the durability and flexibility.

    You would be hard pressed to find a Bible with all of these features even in a higher price range. In my opinion, Crossway has hit the ball out of the park with this edition and set the standard for their competitors in the eighty to one hundred and fifty dollar range.

    ISBN-13: 9781433545689

  5. J Adams
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Love it
    April 20, 2019
    J Adams
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 4
    This is the best ESV I own. My eyes give me trouble, the verse by verse format is perfect. The text is easy to read, easy to find and the study helps are just right. Can't say enough good. The only improvement would be a center column verse by verse.
Displaying items 1-5 of 34
Page 1 of 7