Hi, I’m Kayla. I’ve carried The Open Bible (NKJV, Thomas Nelson) in my bag for half a year. Coffee stains, bent pages, and all. I used it at my kitchen table at 6 a.m., in a noisy small group, and once in a church hallway when a friend was crying. It didn’t sit on a shelf. It lived with me.
If you want the day-by-day version of that six-month adventure, you’ll find my expanded journal right here.
So… what is The Open Bible?
Short answer: it’s a study Bible built for quick answers. The big star is the “Biblical Cyclopedic Index.” Fancy name, simple idea. You look up a topic—like anxiety, forgiveness, justice—and it lists verses and short notes so you can jump right in.
It also has:
- Book introductions with timelines and themes
- Cross-references (tiny links to related verses)
- A one-year reading plan
- Maps and a concordance (a word finder)
- Charts like “Visual Survey of the Bible”
Think of it like a Bible with a built-in guide and a mini search tool. No Wi-Fi needed.
If you want a full spec sheet, the product listing for The Open Bible (NKJV) lays out every feature.
For extra encouragement between sessions, I often hop over to Barnabas for bite-sized devotionals that sync well with whatever passage I’ve just discovered.
How I actually used it
Morning quiet time, 15 minutes before the kids woke up. I’d flip to the Cyclopedic Index and look up “patience.” Then I’d hop to James 1. On a tough week, I searched “worry” and landed in Matthew 6. I underlined “Do not worry.” Twice. It stuck.
That week snowballed into a month-long dive into weightier passages—yes, even those on judgment and hell—and I captured the honest wrestle here.
In small group, someone asked, “Where does it talk about generosity?” I opened the index, found 2 Corinthians 9, and we camped there. It kept the talk grounded when the room went sideways.
My favorite moment was late one Thursday. My chest felt tight. I looked up “fear,” then read Psalm 27 out loud on the couch. It was simple comfort. Real, steady, slow-breath comfort.
That reading also nudged me to chase down other passages on triumph and perseverance; my candid review of those “victory” verses is over here.
Design and feel (yes, we care)
Mine is the NKJV Leathersoft. It’s not tiny. Think backpack, not clutch. It lays flat after a week of use, which I loved. The font is clear—around 9–10 point—and easy on tired eyes. The pages are thin (Bible paper), so there’s some ghosting. Not awful, but it’s there.
You can also skim an independent hands-on review here for more notes on layout, weight, and page opacity.
Ribbons? Two. Handy. The text has a clean two-column layout. Red letters for Jesus’ words. The cover broke in fast and has that soft, slightly warm feel. I don’t baby it, and it still looks good.
The Cyclopedic Index is the hero
I used this more than I thought I would. Real ways it helped me:
- When my friend said, “I feel angry all the time,” I looked up “anger,” found Ephesians 4:26, and we talked about “be angry, and do not sin.”
- Teaching my kids about prayer? The index sent me to Luke 11 and Psalm 62. We read one in the morning and one at bedtime. If you’re curious how other Scripture experiments with kids pan out—spoiler: some flop—check out my field notes here.
- I wrote a note for a card to a college kid. Looked up “guidance.” Landed in Proverbs 3. It fit.
It’s not deep commentary. It’s quick pathways that get you reading the text fast. I like that.
Study parts that don’t shout, but help
- Book introductions: These gave me context—who wrote it, why, and the key theme. I used them before starting Ephesians. It made the whole book feel like one message, not puzzle pieces.
- Visual charts: My small group loved the big-picture timeline. One person said, “Ohhh, NOW I get where the prophets fit.”
- Reading plan: I followed it for a month, then fell off, then got back on. It’s fine. No guilt—just follow the next day.
The NKJV voice
The NKJV keeps the classic tone but uses modern words. I grew up hearing the KJV in church, so the NKJV felt familiar but not stiff. Reading out loud sounded smooth. If you love super casual English, NIV might feel lighter. If you love a literal feel, ESV might pull you. For me, NKJV hit a nice middle.
Things I didn’t love
- It’s heavy. Not a “hold with one hand for 30 minutes” book.
- Margins are thin. If you’re a big note-taker, use small pens or add thin note sheets.
- Some ghosting on the paper. Highlighters show through a bit.
- Cross-references use small type. My eyes got tired at night.
None of these broke it for me. But yeah, they’re there.
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Who will love it (and who won’t)
You’ll likely love it if:
- You like to look up topics fast and then read the text
- You lead a group or teach kids and need quick verse paths
- You want one Bible that works at home and church (I even used quick verses with my rec-league team—full story here)
You may want another Bible if:
- You want lots of commentary and big notes (try the ESV Study Bible or NIV Study Bible)
- You need wide margins for art or deep journaling (look for a single-column, wide-margin edition)
- You need a super light carry
Little gear tips that saved me
- Pens: Sakura Micron 005 or 01 kept bleed-through low.
- Highlighters: Zebra Mildliners worked better than gel sticks for me.
- Tabs: I added thin book tabs. Finding Obadiah got a lot faster.
- Sticky notes: I tuck small ones at the start of each book for prayer lists.
Real-life moments that sealed it
- A new mom in our group said, “I’m ashamed I’m angry.” We opened to the index, then Psalms. We read. We breathed. It helped her name what she felt without shame. Moments like that pushed me to meditate on passages about grace in the middle of life’s messes; I shared the raw story here.
- My son asked, “Why did God tell Jonah to go to Nineveh?” The book intro framed the story, and we talked about second chances while eating cereal.
- I wrote three verses on a napkin for a friend at a coffee shop. The index made that possible in, like, one minute.
Small things. But they build a steady life.
Final take
The Open Bible does what its name says. It helps you open the Bible and find your way fast. Not flashy. Not loud. Just steady tools that move you from question to Scripture.
I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5. If you want a topic-first study Bible that still keeps you close to the text, this one earns its spot in your bag. Mine’s staying right where it is—coffee rings and all.