Review of the NASB Thompson Chain Reference Bible

Thompson Chain
Reference Bible

I have owned a KJV Thompson Chain Reference Bible for about the last 46 years.  I was excited when the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid asked me to review the NASB version of this classic Bible.  As I have shared before since this blog is a member of the Blogger Grid, I am given free copies of books from time to time to review.  This is one of those cases.

Full disclosure, I do not normally use a physical Bible any longer in my study.  I use Logos Bible Software for hours every day.  I study in a file I create in Microsoft Word that has the text of the book I am studying next to that book in the original language in a table.  Along with that I have Logos open with the resources I use regularly, displayed with the Word document utilizing three monitors.  The English version in the Word document is NASB.  That said, I use a physical Bible when I am speaking to a group and when I am traveling overseas.  Those are two different versions of the NASB.  So, I am very familiar with the NASB, it is my go to version.  Therefore, I was very pleased to be given the opportunity to review this iteration of the Thompson Chain.

As I have mentioned in previous reviews of the Quest Study Bible, the NIV Study Bible, the Verse Mapping Bible and Journal, and the NASB Adventure Bible, I highly recommend that you read the introduction and prefaces to any Bible Version you are contemplating.  I will not rehearse the reasons already stated in the other reviews, but will say that for the NASB Thompson Chain, this moves from highly recommended to absolutely critical.  I will go so far as to say that you will be lost or confused by the layout of the Bible if you should choose to skip those introductions and prefaces.  There are too many features in the Thompson Chain to adequately and succinctly explain their use in a review such as this.  However, as with my other reviews I will attempt to outline the usefulness of this Bible.

Figure 1

The Good
First, the Thompson Chain is a stealth study Bible.  Stealth in that the vast majority of the study tools are in the back of the book on pages 1613 – 2238.  You read that right, there are 625 pages of “Comprehensive Bible Helps” starting on page 1613.  That is 28% of the publication.  I am pleased that those helps are in the book, especially that they are in the back.  That arrangement does not distract from the text of the Bible.  Each page of the Bible is mostly Bible rather than notes.  That allow one to study with less distractions.  Figure 1 is the Index on page 1614 of the Bible (if you click on the picture you will get a larger image).  A casual glance through that index reveals a wealth of material.  Note especially the second entry, “Principles of Bible Study”.  One of the benefits of the Thompson Chain is that it supports and encourages personal engagement in study this is the second article in the Book on Bible Study, the first is in the prefaces on page xii – xiii.  

Figure 2

The primary difference between the Thompson Chain and other NASB Bibles is also its primary benefit.  The Thompson Chain handles cross references differently than other Bibles.  Consider Figure 2.  There are three sets of notes on a page, the far-left column, the far-right column, and footnotes.  Look at the far-left column.  You will seen next to the title of the Letter, two entries, “2697 Writer, Paul,” and “4277 Analysis of the Epistle.”  These “pilot numbers” direct you to the articles in the back of the Bible.  I like the article on Paul because it does not give you answers other than the passages that refer to Paul in the text of the New Testament.  There is a suggested outline of Paul’s life, but that would not preclude you from coming to your own conclusions.  This again is a feature that encourages your personal study of the Scripture.  Rather than summarizing the content of the passages, you are told where you can find them and are left to ponder them on your own.  The next entry, “4277” is the introduction material for Second Timothy.  This is more in line with what you may find in other study Bibles: place and date, purpose, historical occasion, peculiarities of the epistle, and a synopsis in fairly detailed outline form.  I would encourage you to do an overview of the book prior to consulting this article.  To look at it prior to doing your own study would likely skew your observations toward their conclusions.  While I understand their outline, I do not agree with either their breakdown or their emphases.

Finally I would draw your attention to the notes to the left of the beginning of the epistle.  Notice that when a topic is mentioned in the text in the left or right center column, for example, Paul’s apostleship, you will find a similar notation in the left or right outside column like, “202 Paul’s Apostleship”.  These follow the same format as mentioned above concerning “2697 Writer, Paul.”  Again, these “pilot numbers” refer to the chains in the back of the book.  These chains are what gives the Thompson Chain Reference Bible its name.  There are about 100,000 references in the chains.  Note that under the “202” reference there is noted “p.p. John 3:16.”  This is a reference that is a parallel passage and is independent of the chains.  

I find this system very good for a reference Bible.  The reason is what I stated above.  The notes, diagrams, and introductions to the different books do not distract from the text.  

The not so good
If you will look again at figure 1 or 2, you will note that you can see and possibly read what was printed on the previous page.  This is because the paper on which this book is printed is exceptionally thin.  You will notice in figure 1 that I wrote in the page number on page 1614, you can plainly see where I wrote 1613 on the other side of the page.  It did not bleed through, nor did a highlighter I tested; however, I use archival quality pens and highlighters.  While it did not bleed through, it is certainly noticeable and would possibly make reading the next page somewhat difficult.

That would seem to suggest that this Bible will not travel well.  Its best use would be a reference in your study.  I would certainly test any pen or highlighter on one of the blank pages or in a margin that is clear before using them on this book.

Conclusion
If you are looking for a good reference to expand your Bible Study, this would be a good selection.  You can get this book from BibleGateway here or from Amazon here.  If you choose to purchase this from Amazon, Entrusting Truth will receive a small part of your purchase as a donation from Amazon.

Review of Verse Mapping

NIV Verse Mapping Bible

Assignment
From time to time, because my blog is a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, I am provided with free Bibles and Books about the Bible to review.  Recently I was asked to review Kristy Cambron’s Verse Mapping Bible Study Journal, the Verse Mapping Bible, and the Verse Mapping Bible for Girls.

NIV Verse Mapping
Bible for Girls

Similar to Verse Analysis
The covers of all three items suggest that this method of study was developed by Kristy Cambron.  While the layout is perhaps new, the elements of the study closely resemble the Verse Analysis Study to which I was introduced in 1973 during Undergraduate Pilot Training in the Air Force.  I use verse analysis in my personal study and in the seminars I lead on Bible study.  Further, have written about that study in my blog about thirteen times; the first was the thirteenth post I ever wrote.  That post links to the Entrusting Truth website which challenges the visitor to do the study and has a link to download the form I use.  That study has eight steps, Kristy’s Study is five steps.  

Though Verse Mapping is like verse analysis, the presentation is probably more appealing and there is one particular step that I really like and have also suggested to anyone who has been in my seminars.  In fact, that step is the reason that I will heartily recommend this study method, as well as the Bibles that are associated even though they are NIV, of which if you have read any of my reviews of the NIV study Bibles you will know that I am not a fan.

Verse Mapping Bible Study
Journal

Common Content
All three of the publications have instructions on how to verse map.  The Bibles have two pages at the front of the Book.  The Journal has a very helpful and detailed 14 page instruction and examples starting on page 5.  

[Note, One Challenge: The last sentence on page 13 of the Journal is either a typo, very confusing, or simply wrong.  The sentence as published says, “If a Greek word was used in one translation and not another…find out why.”  In my office I have a bunch of Bibles, say 20ish; on my computer, I have 20+ more, none of which, whether version, translation, or paraphrase, have any Greek words in them.  They are all in English, Spanish, French, or Arabic.  I have contacted the person at Bible Gateway who sent me the books about this.  He forwarded my comments to Kristy’s editor, she contacted me and told me that she had talked to Kristy and they were going to recast the sentence to explain Kristy’s point more accurately.  I think I know what she meant, but I cannot be sure.  I have held off on writing this review in hopes of hearing how this is resolved.  As yet, I have not heard.  However, the spirit of what is being suggested is good.  I will touch on that later in this review.]

The Verse Mapping Bible is top
The Verse Mapping Bible 
for Girls is bottom
The content is identical and the 
page number is even the same.

The Bibles
The Verse Mapping Bibles are virtually identical.  They are, as stated above, the NIV.  They are bare bones except that there are 350 verse maps in each of the Bibles as well as 70 blank ones.  Pages either have a fully, partially, or blank verse map, or simply text with a column next to the edge of the page for notes.  The layout is good, and the text is easy to read.  I originally found it odd that there were no cross references in the Bibles.  However, the addition of 420 partially complete or blank verse maps essentially added 420 pages to the book.  If the publisher had added cross references, it would have made the work unwieldy.  The student will need to use a concordance or a bible program such as those referred to in the Journal’s resource section to find cross references.

The Journal
The Journal has 60 blank maps for you to use.  Both have a topical index that may help you find verses to map.  There is also a Reference and Resource Guide in the back of the journal that those starting this type of study will find extremely helpful.

Providing a Bible Study Journal is a great idea.  All of us suffer from the reality of forgetting what we have studied.  Having these maps in one place to review is a good way to keep track of what the Lord has been teaching us in our study.

The Method
The method is very good.  The best part of the method, the part that mitigates the promotion of the NIV, is step 2, design.  In that step one is to compare the verse one is mapping in 2 – 4 other English versions or translations (for some help on why there are differences in versions and translations read the three blog posts I wrote on this starting here).  This is really a necessary step for any analysis of a verse in an English Bible, especially if you one does not have access to the original languages.  Comparing the texts, may point out differences in the way the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic is translated by the version’s committee or the individual making the translation.  It will also highlight things that you may need to consider as you look at the original languages.  The author gives the student suggestions on how to examine the originals both in the 14-page overview of the method in the Journal and in the Verse Mapping Reference and Resource Guide on page 137 of the Journal.  The suggestions are concise and good.

Blank Verse Map.  Note you work from top right to bottom left

Conclusion
This is a very good method from which any believer would benefit.  Either one of the Bibles and the Journal as a set would be an excellent investment.  My sense is that if one engages with the method their hunger for more will increase.  That is a good thing.  

There are two things I would suggest adding.  One is looking at other passages that support the passage you are mapping.  Thus, the reference to concordances and other resources above, as well as using the topical index in the Bibles.  The second, would be for the student to add a personal application to the outcome.  Prof, Howard Hendricks, always said that if we haven’t applied what we have studied, we haven’t really studied (that was a paraphrase).

Bottom line, I would heartily recommend this method to anyone.  In fact, I am going to show it to some of my grandchildren when they are old enough to engage with it.

You can get the NIV Verse Mapping Bible here, The Girls version here, and the Journal here.

Review of the NIV Study Bible

In September of 2019 I was asked to review the Quest Study Bible.  This last fall I was asked to Review the NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition.  I am invited to do so and provided a review copy because I am a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid.  I was supposed to have this done by the end of October, but the effects of chemo did not allow that to happen.  So this is late along with two other reviews that will be published here shortly.  As with the Quest review, I will address the good and the things I consider not so good about this work.

The Good
There is much to recommend this Bible.  Much of that is the front and back matter.  For any Bible you use you should read the preface.  Why?  The preface explains the reason for the version and the philosophy of translation.  Further, there is usually information about how the work is organized.  The committee will also point out which parts of the work of which they are especially proud.  

In the case of this work, the parts that are highlighted are very good.  There are several articles included that explain or expand parts of the Biblical text or story that are good.  There is a table of contents at the beginning of the book that is specific to those articles.  Reading through that table one would be inclined to read several of them.  The titles alone are instructive in the sense that they deal with questions or sections of the Bible about which many believers are curious.

The map section in the back is very good. Additionally, there are maps throughout the Bible showing the locations that are referenced in the text.  That gives one geographic orientation as one is dealing with a section without having to pull out an atlas.  In the front of the book there is an index of all the maps.  That index is presented by book of the Bible which is especially helpful.

There are also a number of helpful charts that would help the student synthesize or understand sections of scripture.  As with the articles and maps, there is a separate index for the charts which is also presented by book of the Bible.  Looking at the book of the Bible and seeing the charts related to that book is instructive.

The cross references are good and many.  The charts are informative and have their own table of contents.  The articles are adjacent to the Scripture to which they are most relevant, and they have a separate table of contents.  The notes have a topical index.

At the beginning of each book of the Bible there is an introduction and outline of the book.  These have helpful information about the author, date, and content of the book.  The outlines are detailed.  I would recommend that one do and overview of the book including one’s own outline before reading these.  The reason is that once you read their outline it will be difficult for you to see anything differently.  There are significant differences between the outlines published and the ones I have done for each book.  That is not to say either mine or the published outlines are wrong, it just means that this gives you a chance to compare what you see to what is published.

There is in the back several helpful tools.  First there is a topical index to all of the notes.  For instance, suppose you are studying Hebrews and you have a question about Melchizedek.  The index lists all the Biblical passages that have a note that mentions him.  

There is a good concordance in the back of the book.  The preface calls it the most complete concordance ever published in a Bible.  I would not dispute that.  It allows you to find a passage based on a word that you remember in that passage.

Lastly, and for me this is the most appealing thing about this work, there are center column cross references in this Bible.  They are extensive.  These give the student a means to study themes and or words throughout the Bible.  It is a good exercise for either study or devotions to chase a theme through these cross references.

The Not So Good
If you have read my review of the Quest Study Bible you will know that I am not a fan either of the NIV or study Bibles in general.  

I do not prefer the dynamic equivalence philosophy of translation.  I believe that there are too many choices made for the student.  Admittedly, this version of the NIV altered the passage that I found the most troubling, but their choices still do not reflect the Greek wording.  While the choices made by the committee may in fact be accurate, making the choice for the student eliminates the student’s investigation of the text and short circuits their coming to their own conclusion as to the point of the author.  It adds, I believe, an unnecessary layer of insulation between the student and the original.

This version of the NIV takes this further in that it changes the gender of many of the statements in order to align with the most common use of English.  The problem with this is that the Bible texts were not written in English.  Rather, they were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.  Those languages have gender associated with pronouns and nouns.  It was by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that these languages, the vocabulary, and the associated grammar were used to reveal the nature and character of God and His redemption of His people.  As I have stated in the earlier review, it seems that choosing to accept the gender issues of the world is in violation of Romans 12:1 – 2.

Conclusion
Despite my aversion to the NIV, this work would be a good resource to use after one has done one’s own study.  The introductions, and outlines would be helpful for most students.  The articles would also be helpful, especially since they are indexed to the books of the Bible and are adjacent to the passages to which they refer.

I would use this as a commentary rather than a Bible.  I would use the tools to either further my personal study on a passage or a topic using the copious cross references, or else to compare my conclusions with those of the committee.  I would study a more literal version and use this as a supplement.  

Another use would be to check a literal translation (as NASB or ESV) with the NIV and where there are significant differences in the translations, this raises the appropriate question of what is happening in the text that is causing this difference.  That is where Bible Gateway can help.  One can look at the interlinear version to see what the original says and use a lexicon to look up different options for the meaning of the word or do a search on the word for other places it is used in the Bible to compare with the passage you are studying.

In Bible Gateway (https://www.biblegateway.com/) if you choose the interlinear, you can click on the anglicized Greek word and a box will open on the right giving you the word in Greek, it's Strong Number and Greek Number.  Clicking on the link "see everywhere apostolos appears..." takes you to Bill Mounce's  helpful website with a full list of where the word appears in the New Testament.

Should you choose to get a copy you can get one here.