Positive Reviews for Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible:
[I am most thankful to Amazon and these reviewers of my book, Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible. Thankful to Amazon for keeping these reviews on line; thankful to the writers of these reviews. Fifteen out of 16 reviewers gave my book “five stars,” one gave it “four stars” because of its small print and thin paper. Of course, we cannot have it both ways: to keep this book portable, it must be printed on thin paper using small print like most Bibles are.]
Wow!!!! Outstanding Product, May 10, 2009
By Frederick Douglas (Collierville, Tennessee)
This review is from: Nelson’s Cross-Reference Guide to the Bible: Illuminating God’s Word Verse-by-Verse (Hardcover)
WARNING: The Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible is an outstanding resource for those who (1) prefer to let the Bible interpret itself; (2) do not mind a little work — putting in some time and digging for the answers in connection with their Bible study; and (3) not overly thrilled bout study Bibles and commentaries out of concern for “opinions” of the editors/contributors. I purchased it about a year ago and I’m constantly amazed at its quality. There is so much good I can say but in the interest of space I want to focus only on how Nelson’s Cross Reference will assist you in letting the Bible interpret itself. I have no problem with study Bibles. But using a product like the Nelson’s Cross Reference will help you sharpen your own study skills, provides you with comfort in what the Bible says on a subject, verse or paragraph, and the Bible itself will either support or disprove comments in study notes or a commentary.
My assumption is that most reference Bibles skimp on the cross references because of formatting and attempting to keep the “reference” edition thin. The Nelson’s Cross Reference is a outstanding primary or supplement to letting the Bible interpret itself. I study with the ESV Single Column Reference Edition, NASB Reference Updated Edition (1995), and HCSB Large Print Reference. To illustrate the value of the Nelson’s Cross Reference, for John 11:11, where Jesus states Lazarus has “fallen asleep,” on this verse the ESV has only 1 reference, the NASB has 5, and the HCSB has 2. The Nelson’s Cross Reference has an astounding 25 references including a definition of “Lazarus,” citation to the Strong’s number (2976g). For John 1:1, the ESV has 12 references, NASB has 8 and HCSB has 6. Nelson’s Cross Reference has an astounding 61!!! Including very helpful references from Isaiah, Psalms, Job, Jeremiah, Micah. Each set of words in John 1:1 is divided and references are provided for “the beginning,” “the Word,” “with,” “and he Word,” and “was God.” One last example, for John 10:9 where Jesus says he’s the door, ESV has 3 references, NASB has 1, and HCSB has no references. Nelson’s Cross Reference has 18, providing reference supports for key words in the verse such as “the door,” “if,” “be saved,” and “go in and out.”
The fact that the Nelson’s Cross Reference is tied to the KJV is not a problem at all. Again, there are many benefits to this product but to my knowledge there is no other product providing you with the tools to let the Bible interpret itself. Could it be improved — of course. However, a little work to navigate around this valuable resource will not kill you.
I simply can’t think of a single volume resource better than this one!, March 11, 2010
By Jerry Weinhausen (Gilbert, AZ)
Jerome Smith’s latest reference tool is called “Nelson’s Cross-Reference Guide to the Bible: Illuminating God’s Word Verse-by-Verse”. It’s virtually half the thickness of the massive New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge which he released in 1992 and in my estimation, this volume is easier to use. The conventions used in this Cross Reference Guide are few and simple compared to the NTSK. As stated in the Guide, they are as follows: 1) A “+” (plus) symbol marks where more verses on the theme are found, 2) References in Italic type show where the Bible quotes itself, 3) References in Italic bold mark prophecies and their fulfillment. There are several lesser conventions explained by the Guide that are easily understood and learned. Is the Nelson Cross-Reference Guide to the Bible an improvement over the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge by R.A. Torrey? I think so and most everybody commenting here might agree with me. If you’re forced to downsize your group of study helps due to economics and/or shelf space, this tool alone could replace a variety of tools by itself. I’d never find myself without a copy.
Handmaiden of the Bible, November 3, 2009
By Oecolampad (W. Haven, CT USA)
I cannot praise this book enough. It is truly a rare jewel surpassed in its value only by the Bile itself. In its simplicity, scope and completeness it is breath-taking. If the Bible is the Queen of books, then NTSK/CRGB is her only fit handmaiden. And for this precious gem we have Jerome H. Smith to thank. Of course, he built upon the work of others. But his was no quick slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am edit job. 30 years of Bible study went into NTSK. He compared verse with verse until he was satisfied that every reference was both relevant and significant. To the 500,000 references of TSK he added 100,000 of his own. For CRGB he added still more references mostly based on the alternative renderings provided by the KJV translators in the margins of their work. What’s more, for NTSK he compiled no less than 7 indices: Subject, Topic Number, Prayer, Proverbs, Name, Figure of Speech and Strong’s Numbers. He also provided an extensive bibliography. Leaving most of the notes he found in TSK unmodified, he added his own personal notes to about 275 vss. But the indices, bibliography and most of the notes were removed for CRGB. What a pity!
The ultimate proof that God was pleased with the holy work of Jerome Smith is the fact that Satan tried to cut him down before he could finish his book. In Smith’s own words from the preface of NTSK:
“I almost did not live to finish my editorial work on the New Treasury, for I was shot in the head by an unknown assailant on March 13, 1986, when I had typed the text only as far as 1 Samuel 3. The Lord miraculously spared my life. During my recovery I kept working on the book, often without income.”
Smith has truly shown us what it means to live “a long obedience in the same direction.”
Fantastic resource for serious Bible students, January 30, 2010
By book connoisseur (Natrona Hts., PA)
I love this resource from Jerome Smith. It goes through the Bible and gives cross references for almost every verse. Scripture comments on Scripture and it is a great reference when you want to study a particular phrase and how it is used elsewhere in the Bible. With some phrases he will put a + and that means if you go to the verse listed you will find much more explanation there. Sometimes with just one verse of Scripture you can get “lost” going from verse to correlating verse. I use this book almost everyday and am so glad I found it here on Amazon and read the great reviews. If you are looking for a book to help you in your times in the Word of God, I think you will love this. One thing though, the print is rather small, so make sure you have reading glasses if you have problems seeing small print.
Hope you have a copier that enlarges, February 8, 2008
By J Hosack (PA)
This is possibly the best Bible Cross reference available. It is a wonder why they have made it so hard to work with as the whole book is like reading footnotes on paper that is too thin and bleeds through. The work done in this volume deserves better presentation. It is an excellent reference.
An Easy to Use, Practical Tool for Bible Study!, April 28, 2010
By David Bower (Houston, Texas, USA)
This guide is a concise cross reference to words in the Bible. It is based on the Authorized Version, also known as the King James Version of the Bible, but will work with other translations as well.
It is laid out using the same order of books as found in the Protestant Bible, meaning the Apocryphal books are omitted. There is no table of contents or index so the user must find their way as they would using the Bible. For those with some familiarity with the Bible that should not be a problem. For others there is a page called “Bible Book Abbreviations” which lists the books of the Bible in order of their appearance.
The writer includes some commentary on selected verses; for example in Genesis 6:2, the writer comments – “Sons of God” denotes wondrous, mighty, supernatural beings, frequently (but as here, perhaps not always: see Mt 22:30) used of angels in the O.T. This is an effort on the writer’s part at balancing the sons of God as fallen angels versus the sons of God as the “godly line of Seth” interpretation.
The paper is thin, as some reviewers have pointed out, but very similar to the type of paper used in many editions of the Bible. The binding seems to be first class and should give many years of service. As is so often the case, this book was published in China.
If you are interested in serious Bible study, then this book can be a valuable work tool.
Desert Island Scenario: Only Two Books, August 14, 2011
By Charles “Jesus is King!!!” (Pittsburgh)
If I could only have one book for the rest of my life I would choose the Bible.
If I could have two I’d choose this and the Bible.
Get one.
Initial post: Sep 5, 2011 7:50:24 AM PDT
Arthur Roshkovski says:
agreed
Great Reference, April 3, 2011
By craig
This is one of the best references to have for studying the bible. Most Bibles have decent cross references in them already, but this one takes it to a much higher level. With regards to the thin pages, yes, they are thin. It is just like most Bibles though, and if that doesn’t bother you, this definitely won’t. This isn’t the kind of book you look at for more than 30 seconds at a time anyway. It’s 1500+ pages, and I would much rather have a smaller profile for carrying this around rather than a giant book with nicer pages. Definitely recommend this book.
Very useful cross reference, July 27, 2013
By Sean
I typically just use the cross reference in the middle of my Bible. I was pleasantly surprised with the extensive list of verses that are referenced. I’ve really enjoyed it.
I love this book, February 15, 2013
By Tony Harrison “Be kind to one another, tender… (Mobile Al)
Excellent study book. Cross reference is really the only way that I study the Word of God. I sometimes use commentaries but cross references are so much better because I hear straight from God about what He has said instead of hearing man’s opinion. The Bible itself becomes its own commentary by using cross references.
Great buy, great book!, November 20, 2010
By Surendra Bajracharya
It’s a book that has increased my appetite for the Word of God. I thank God for the effort that went into it.
rosebud, October 4, 2010
By rosebud
Wonderful tool to help study the Bible. I didn’t think the print was too small… I’m over 50. As for the thin pages, they aren’t any different than a good Bible.
Great product, April 26, 2014
By RuthW
This is a great book. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible and this book has all the cross references on each chapter of the Bible.
The seller sent a very good book with no underlining or highlighting. I would recommend them.
[The review by RuthW may reflect that my book has gone out of print; I understand from a notice on the Christian Book Distributor’s website that my book will become available once again in November of 2014]
Very Helpful, June 5, 2013
By Brandon E.
I think this is a must have book for serious bible study, for the layman and preacher alike. Highly recommended!
GOOD BOOK, May 16, 2013
By Nita
I ordered this book for a friend and myself, My friend love the book for his Christian studies however, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for in my daily Bible study class.
GIFT, January 22, 2013
By Larry Gross
I sent this book as a gift to a friend in a foreign country. It arrived very quickly (about 3 weeks) and in good shape. They were happy – I’m happy! Good job, well done Amazon!