Brief Description:
This study Bible is the work of Greek scholar Spiros Zhodiates. It contains
many study helps that are not readily available elsewhere. A handy bookmark that
contains the codes to the grammatical notations is included. It has a Lexical Aids
section that highlights certain more important Greek and Hebrew words. Everything is
numbered according to the Strong's numbering system. There are book introductions
and some footnotes. The individual NT and OT volumes, known as the Complete Word
Study New Testament and the Complete Word Study Old Testament do not have
the center column references found in the Bible. There is also a Complete Word
Study New Testament with a parallel Greek Testament. There are subject headings
over the various pericopes in the text, but no real outlines.
Advantages: There is a wealth of
information in the Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, much of it not found together
any where else. The grammatical notations are particularly helpful for those who
have no knowledge of the original languages. The concordances and dictionaries
provide a one book library and study aid. The doctrine behind this study Bible is
strong, also, as it is premillennial and pretribulational.
Disadvantages: I have tremendous respect
for Dr. Zhodiates and the work he has done over the years, so I am hesitant to disparage
anything he does. Further, I hate to diminish any interest Christians have in the study of
the original languages. However, I believe there are some holes in the Hebrew-Greek
Key Study Bible. It seems to me that it is stuck in area where it is
technically too difficult for someone without a least a working knowledge of the original
languages, but really not deep enough for those who have the working knowledge (or
better). The lexicon in the back is far too limited. In my use, it seems like
many times I go to research a word there, it is not listed. I realize that is would
be difficult to carry a Bible with everything in it, but I question the value of one with
half the words in it. The book introductions are skimpy, outlines nonexistent,
footnotes are of good quality, but few in number. The cross-referencing could be
better, though the reader can go to the concordance in the back of the Bible. Even
there the different nuances and uses are not clear, so it really hasn't been that helpful.
Along with this, the case structure for nouns is ignored in the grammatical
notations. Seems somewhat strange to me to go into such detail with the verbs, and ignore
the nouns. It really should have been more extensively footnoted, maybe reducing
some of the helps in the back of the Bible, and moving them to the text pages.
Recommendation: With all that being said,
I have to offer a non sequitur concerning this study Bible. Based on the
doctrinal soundness, amount of information contained in it, and what can be learned from
it, there are people with a basic working knowledge of the original languages, or at least
a very strong desire to find out, who will find the Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible
quite useful. With that being said, I think that much of what is in this study Bible
can probably detract and confuse those who have no real knowledge of the original
languages. As the old credo goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Most Christians would probably get more out of one of the other top-notch study Bibles,
such as the Ryrie, KJV Study Bible or New Open Bible. So, the bottom line is a mixed
recommendation. A decent tool in many ways, but not for everybody.
