HCSB Study Bible, Jacketed Hardcover Hardcover – October 1, 2010

I love CSB translation very much that I ended up buying this Bible. Here are some thoughts about the version I have which arrived yesterday.+ Paper quality: very well made though they seem like a little thinner than those in the ESV study bible [2008].+ Font size: I have no problem reading anything whatsoever. I have found no blur on the Bible and commentary text but some paragraph headers.+ Covers are very thin (genuine leather).+Navigation: I think you should get an indexed version since those thumbs will help you much easier to get to where you want instead of flipping back and forth on such a large bible. Every thumb covers 3 books. A little more expensive but in the long run, those pay off.+ Commentary: This is the part I like very much. I prefer them over those from ESV Study Bible for many reasons. First, the simplicity of explanation without going over necessarily materials. Having said that, by no mean those commentaries only introduce you to the basic. They cover the background, culture at the time, capture the essence and intentions of the writers and above all, the details that most of us miss while reading the Bible. For instance, in Ruth, they read, In the Hebrew order of books of the Bible, Ruth comes after Proverb whose ending was about a noble woman, an excellent wife. As a result, the book of Ruth attached smoothly right after. They also did a great job in capturing Naomi emotion... then contrast her thoughts (the Lord against her) and the Lord's actual mercy plan for her (love and grace). They analyze Boaz's responses (in detail) to Ruth and explain how he was a noble man. They did that in such a way that you would want to stand up in front of your bible study group and re-tell them.+ Word study: There are 240 words of the Bible distributed from cover to cover. Those are awesome in defending your faith since there might be some pastors who boasting about their [tiny] knowledge of the original languages in order to twist the Scripture. Not so in this case because you also have them in your bible. For instance, In Genesis, Yon, means day describing a working day. And how the interpretation of 24 hour period day overwhelming other interpretations. Okay... 24 hours mean a day. No million years.Final thought: Get an indexed version. This Bible harmonizes extremely well with the intention of the HCSB translators that was to equip 1.3+ Billions English users out there with the resources they can read and understand in order to serve God correctly. You will see quite a few number of place the Name Yahweh appears. And that's awesome I believe. There is a picture of the garden of olive trees where Jesus prayed to His father before he was crucified.PS.Here are some cons:The bible doesn't have text to speech built in... so you kinda have you read on your own.The bible is a little smaller than the ESV study bible so you will look less spiritual when standing next to anyone who held an ESV study bible.

Don't get me wrong, we are blessed in the English-speaking world with an "embarrassment of riches" in excellent translations (KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, HCSB, etc). And there are many helpful and excellent Study Bibles (Open, Ryrie, NIV, MacArthur, LAB, ESV, etcetera, etcetera).But after years of reading about translation theories, translations, and just reading the TEXT in those translations, I just LOVE the HCSB. I'm not a Southern Baptist, and this isn't a "Southern Baptist" translation (the team chief is Presbyterian I think, etc, etc). It reads beautifully, makes the Bible "fresh" (it's about the only popular completely NEW translation since the NIV), lets you feel the Hebrew-ness of our faith again, has great footnotes (e.g. when the choice was made to be more dynamic in a particular phrase translation, etcetera).As far as the Study Bible notes - HELPFUL and FAITH-ENCOURAGING. And the layout and colors - beautiful and HELPFUL.I'll be honest with my strong bias here - though I can benefit from the ESV and NIV study bible notes - they "make room" for unbelieving ideas and tell the reader that some "faithful" people believe these anti-scriptural ideas and that there is "room" in the Scriptural text to allow such beliefs. It sure "feels" like they do it for broader marketing and sales, and also to be accepted into liberal "scholarly" camps as well. No, this isn't in the majority of the ESVSB/NIVSB notes, but it's in key areas.Obvious example - Evolution (different KINDS of life developing from other KINDS of life by mutation, death, struggle, etc). Believe that if you want, but don't say the original texts "make room" for "faithful" people to think that's how God created different kinds of creatures.I'm a licensed environmental engineer, studied ecology and evolution (A+ in Biology at University because I wanted to really understand the theory so I could figure out "life" on a broader level). Though "micro" evolution or natural selection DOES occur, it is only WITHIN the same KINDS of living things, not to the extent of producing other KINDS of living things (which is the idea of "macro" evolution). No proof of "macro" evolution, not logical, and absurd if you look at life with unblinded eyes (Romans 1). Or simply look at the probabilities - especially of ALL of the supposedly advantageous mutations occurring simultaneously in the SAME most successfully adapted creatures - chemistry, cellular incredibleness, not to mention multiple crucial "survival of the fittest" systems such as vision, hearing, reproduction, and on and on. Bankrupt at any level, starting from "everything from nothing by no one," to the primordial soup, and from the sub-atomic "world" to the Universe. No. Very poor theories - but it's all you've got if you reject a wise, personal, loving Creator (that you have to answer to one day). Mantras I was taught, at a top University: "Given enough time, anything can happen. Fifty monkeys at typewriters will eventually type a Shakespearean play." Not so.I rejected macro evolution 7 years before I became a Christian.And yet the ESV and NIV SB "make room" for it. That's not their only unbelieving flaw.Go with the HCSB Study Bible - real Scholars, but Believers - apparently not seeking to be accepted or avoid criticism by the supposed scholar "stars" of the world.