I wanted to share with y’all one of the coolest study tools I’ve seen in a long time – the NIV Verse Mapping Bible.
Part of what excites me is that I’m already such a sucker for journaling. I own a couple of Bibles that are designed for note taking and journaling; they have wide lined margins that are designed for just that.
Well, this new Bible, edited by author and Bible teacher Kristy Cameron, uses that concept and takes it a step further by introducing a feature called “verse mapping.” It’s a method of studying the historical context, transliteration, connotation, and theological framework of a verse or section of verses in the Bible. Don’t let that formal definition be off-putting. This is fun.
Here’s how it works, and I’ll start with the flagship edition, simply known as the NIV Verse Mapping Bible.
(There is also a girl’s version and a supplementary journal. More about those later.
It uses the well-respected New International Version as its text. The NIV is still my go-to version for reading and study, although I do supplement it with other translations.
Verse mapping is a process of five steps, and they are executed through using a “verse map,” which is a simple form or template imbedded throughout the Bible:
- Verse – Selecting a couple of verses to study. In this particular Bible, Kristy has preselected 350 passages to get you started.
- Design – the design of the verse helps you understand the verse and its key words by comparing with other translations – the New American Standard, the King James, or whatever suits you. It’ll lead you to comparing common words and phrases that are repeated and common among the various translations. You’ll note those on your map.
- Develop – In this step, you’ll come to understand why and how the key words or ideas in your verse is important. You’ll be led to look up those words and drill down to their real meanings by using tools like the NIV Exhaustive Bible Concordance, Third Edition or any one of a number of apps like the Bible Gateway app. If the thought of digging into the original languages gives you hives, fear not. Those tools I mentioned will help immensely even if you aren’t theologically-minded.
- Actions – Here’s where you dive into what is actually stated in your verse versus what’s happening in the chapter or verses before and after it. It’s an opportunity for you to use maps, names, and capture the true meaning of the story.
- Outcome – The point in all this, of course, is for you to move beyond a dry, clinical study to how to apply what God has shown you through your study. What are you being taught? How can what you’ve read change, challenge, and/or comfort you? This is the good part. (Actually, they’re all good parts. This step is what lands the plane.)
What appeals to me so much about this Bible is that it’s not a study Bible per se, in the sense that there are commentaries and provided notes. It’s a DIY approach based solely on the scripture in hand. It helps you unpack what the Bible says with an easy-to-follow methodology.
I want to stress again that this isn’t some heady theological exercise. It’s fun, practical, and gives you plenty to chew on because you’ve done your own work instead of having it fed to you.
In addition to the edition I’ve been talking about, there’s another edition called the NIV Verse Mapping Bible for Girls. The only difference in it and the “adult” version is the look. The contents are the same. This one is just more “girl-friendly” in appearance.
In both these Bibles, and their provided Verse Maps, the first two steps are completed for you. You’ll find that very helpful as you get used to the system.
Finally, there is the Verse Mapping Bible Study Journal. This is a larger-format journal that is full of fillable Verse Map forms. There are also some extra study helps and references, samples to get you started, and some study plans.
Gotta tell ya – I love these resources. I recommend them highly.
A couple more housekeeping points;
Find out more about the NIV Verse Mapping Bible here.
Here’s the NIV Verse Mapping Bible for girls, right here.
And finally, this is the Verse Mapping Bible Study Journal here.
Check it all out. Your go-to source is the Bible Gateway.
As an aside, I was provided free copies of all these resources in an exchange for an honest, unedited review because I’m a member of BG2 ( #BibleGatewayPartner.)