NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition, Large Print (Genuine Leather, Brown, Indexed, Red Letter)

Overall: I’m very pleased with this Life Application Study Bible in large print, NLT version. It’s big enough to be easily readable, but not too big or too heavy. It’s a handsome book, nice looking, nicely bound, and well-constructed. Thoughtfully translated, with many helpful extras, so that I can read narratively or get in depth with whatever passage or topic I might choose. The language is easy to understand on its own, and if clarification is needed, footnotes are right there to assist without needing additional books or apps. Why this NLT? I debated between multiple options in the NLT, and finally settled on a Life Application Study Bible because I did NOT want one that was “Filament-enabled.” From reviews, I learned that many footnotes and cross references in Filament-enabled Bibles are offloaded onto the app instead of remaining in the hard copy, and I didn’t want to be forced to read with my phone in hand too. I debated between sizes: standard vs. large print, and 8.5pt, 3lbs 8oz, and black print vs. 10.5pt, 4lbs 7oz, and words of Jesus in red. In the end I got the large print in brown genuine leather, which is actually more of a cognac than a true brown. Packaging: I could’ve wished for different packaging as it arrived in a shaped, corrugated cardboard contraption, not bubble wrap and a cardboard box. Still better than a bubble mailer alone, I guess. The box had a corner compressed, but the Bible inside wasn’t damaged. Glad this was for me and not a gift. The ding in the box wasn’t a dealbreaker. Size, weight: On opening the box, I smelled leather, not as strongly as walking into a leather store, but still there, something I liked. The spine has the publisher, title, and translation in gold. The cover has a pebbled look and feel, similar to a high end handbag, which is nice because it creates some grip and drag in the hand. I couldn’t imagine it slipping out of my hand(s) accidentally, and that’s no small thing with a 4.7lbs book. Speaking of 4.7lbs, it’s weighty, but not too big to hold in one hand (spine up). Carrying while open is somewhat awkward and is best done with both hands. In the lap or on a surface, it stays in place without sliding or slipping. Not one, but two ribbon markers are included, which is a plus in a Bible with this many pages (3264!). Interior: The page edges are nicely finished, gilded in gold, and smooth to the touch. Thumb index is nicely done, and deep enough to be useful. The paper itself is smooth as opposed to textured in any way, but not slick, with the exception of the full-color maps and presentation, family tree, and special memories pages. Black print is deeply black, not gray, with words in red in a medium red tone, that stands out. A US penny covers almost exactly 4.5 lines (so 10.5pt, as advertised), and is easily readable without glasses or contacts. Pages are not line matched, where front side lines are directly on top of lines on the back side. So, there is some shadowing from words on the opposite side, but it didn’t cause any reading issues for me. I haven’t highlighted or made any notes in the text yet, so I can’t speak to potential bleed-through or tearing from writing implements. Some pages were stuck together at the outer corners but were easily unstuck without damage. Other pages were fully stuck together and took some finessing to separate due to the thin paper. As in the stuck corners, these pages weren’t actually damaged. I consider none of the sticking to be a defect, just a mark of a large new Bible with thin pages. I didn’t make a point of manually unsticking every page, but did gently “riffle” them as I read later in the day. 2 days use was enough to fully unstick all pages. 3264 is a lot of pages to check, but I did skim through for completeness. Nothing appeared to be missing or doubled, and there were no glaring defects in the text itself (missing or smeared, etc). I did come across one small spot of “damage” on the Acts 1 page. It was in the footer, and I noticed it by the texture, not because it was glaringly obvious. Almost looked like an underline under “experience. We,” but wasn’t pen or pencil. Nothing was smeared or missing. It seemed to just be a small manufacturing defect. 1 problem in the footer on 1 page out of 3264 wasn’t enough to have me returning this, and in fact if it was in a less frequented book, I might not have found it yet (possibly not before the return window closed). Content: This resembles an old school family Bible in that it has a presentation page, family tree, and special memories page. Before jumping into the text itself, I skimmed through the introduction, which discusses all aspects of the translation process, plus proper name spelling, rendering of divine names, and a complete explanation of the footnotes. Speaking of the footnotes and other extras beyond the base text, there’s so much additional content that helps to expand and explain the text itself. Each book has an introduction, outline, timeline, and map with key places. Selected biblical figures have their own biography. Many pages have additional explanatory text about selected verses. Some pages even have approximately 50% text and 50% footnotes! That said, if I wanted to read narratively, it didn’t take much time to ignore the footnotes and just read the text. Long form footnotes, maps, etc. are separated from the main text with a green ruled line, along with smaller font (still readable). Cross references are found on the left side of the page, placed so they aren’t stuck in the “gutter” and unreadable, and unobtrusive enough they can be ignored if reading narratively. After Revelation, there’s a table of weights and measures, a “Christian worker’s resource,” a 365-day reading plan (Bible in a year), followed by a master index (notes, shorts, maps, and profiles), a dictionary and concordance, and several full-color maps. Basically, most everything an average person would want in a study Bible.

This is hands-down the best study Bible I’ve ever owned (and I have a Masters Degree in Christian Apologetics). The NLT translation is remarkably clear and deeply faithful to the original Greek, capturing the author’s intent with accuracy and power. The study notes are exceptional—precise, insightful, and rich with detail that expands and sharpens what the text is communicating. The historical highlights are a standout feature, bringing Scripture to life by grounding each passage in its real-world setting. They add depth and color that make the message easier to grasp and far more meaningful. Simply put: this is the best Bible you could own. If you want more than information—if you want transformation—this Bible delivers. It will deepen your faith and strengthen your relationship with God in ways you may not have thought possible. And when you hit challenging passages, it provides the clarity and understanding you need to move from biblical knowledge to biblical wisdom. Everyone needs one of these.

I got this and had it personalized for my brother as a gift. He loves it! The cover is beautiful and it’s full of extra facts and timelines and pictures. I did notice a few things that were extra that weren’t correct, so I made notes by those few facts listed.

Hats off to Amazon for getting me my Bible within 2 days. What a great study Bible. I have tried on a few occasions during my 50 years to read the Bible. I have fallen short on every one. I asked my pastor for a recommendation of an easy to read Bible and he pointed me to this one. I received this Bible yesterday (8/7/22) at approximately 1700 hrs. By 2230 hrs., I had read the first 31 chapters of Genesis. All I can say is WOW!! Let me be clear, I hate reading. This Bible makes it too easy not to. What I love/like about this Bible is the Genuine Leather Cover is really nice. The large print is very nice! It has really nice maps throughout the book and color maps at the rear of the book. The book is large but that is to be expected from a study Bible. The thumb indexes are deep and well done. There are other aspects about this Bible that are nice too but I'm going to keep this review somewhat short. So far, I am not a big fan of the footnotes. I'm sure, over time, I will learn to appreciate them. The pages are a little thin and I find some of them sticking together. This is because it is a new book with the gold leafing on the edges of the pages. For me, this was not a problem. I understand it's a new book. Overall, this study Bible is awesome!!

Large, heavy, beautiful, informational and a nice large font. I purchased the leather cover and although it's beautiful it's not the quality leather I would prefer and in my opinion not worth the extra cost.

This is the best study Bible ever! So easy to read and study notes are very informative! It’s hard to put down once you start reading! Makes it easy to stay in the word!!!💕 This is the study Bible recommended by Kayla Gabbard!!! Love it!

This Bible is massive in that it contains the entire old and New Testament any new very easy to understand format. It also has tons of reference material to help you understand if you're beginning to read the Bible for the first time. this is a must have if you are new to the Bible.

I owned another edition of this Bible but lost it when my house burned in a wildfire. Love the new edition and this time I purchased it in genuine leather.

Best study Bible ever!

Very heavy. I needed some thing that was not going to make it Difficult to hold. I had to return it, but if it had been lighter, I would’ve kept it. I love the smell of the leather and it felt so comfortable in my hands and it’s just a very beautiful Bible, I just couldn’t hold onto it