Bible Editions Worth Reading: NIV Giant Print Reference Bible

In this blog post, I look at the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible. The NIV Giant Print Reference Bible has been within my reach for the past year. I usually read it on Sunday mornings at River Corner Church and use it in my studies leading up to Sunday. It is not the only Bible I consult, and it is not my “carry Bible,” but as a pastor serving in a church that utilizes the New International Version, the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible has become a friend.

In this blog series, Bible Editions Worth Reading, I take a closer look at Bible editions I have come to appreciate and recommend. I explore their translation, design, quality, and the features that make each edition worth reading and using. These are personal reviews informed by my experience as a pastor, student of Scripture, and lifelong Bible reader, and I write them to help others find editions that serve them well. I have explored some really cool editions from the NASB, NET, KJV, NKJV, and ESV. The NIV Giant Print Reference Bible feels much more premium than some of the other editions I’ve explored in this series.

NIV Giant Print Reference Bible

I reach for the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible each week. I purchased this edition because I wanted a readable, large-print reference Bible I could use regularly for study and ministry. Published by Zondervan in 2018, this Bible contains 1,856 pages and measures 9.5 × 6.5 × 1.5 inches. It weighs 2 pounds, 10 ounces.

The NIV Giant Print Reference Bible features a generous 13.5-point font, making it one of the more readable editions I own. It uses Zondervan’s NIV Comfort Print typeface and a traditional two-column layout with an end-of-paragraph cross-reference system rather than footnotes. I appreciate this approach because it keeps the biblical text relatively uncluttered while still providing helpful connections to other passages. The words of Jesus are printed in red, and the Bible includes thumb indexes for quicker navigation. At the back, there is a concordance, Bible dictionary, additional note pages (approximately 20), a table of weights and measures, and full-color maps. It also comes with a protective sleeve box, which is particularly useful for someone like me who regularly carries Bibles in backpacks, to cafés, on bike rides, and just about everywhere else. The Bible is designed to lay flat, and despite its substantial 13.5-point type, it maintains a relatively manageable footprint. Overall, it is a practical, readable reference Bible that keeps the resources I want close at hand without getting overly complicated.

The Shortcomings of the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible

For all I appreciate about the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible, it has some noticeable shortcomings. The cover is a plastic-like imitation leather that feels plasticky and thin, and it lacks the quality of a genuine leather Bible. There is no decorative spine, no yapp, no gilded page edges, and, unfortunately, no ribbon bookmark. The paper is also quite thin, with considerable show-through. Highlighting on one side can be noticeable enough to affect the opposite page. I also find the spacing and typography a little unusual. While I appreciate the 13.5-point font, the letters seem stretched horizontally rather than simply larger, and there appears to be more space between words than I would prefer. This has occasionally caused me to stumble when reading Scripture publicly, requiring me to slow down and pay closer attention. The reference system is helpful, but it does not offer nearly the volume of cross-references found in comparable NASB, NET, or ESV reference editions. For a Bible at this price point, I would have appreciated better materials and a few more thoughtful details. It sometimes feels more like an economy Bible with a premium price attached.

In Defense of the NIV

Sadly, I feel like I need to visit here: The New International Version (NIV) has received its fair share of criticism from certain corners of the evangelical world. This is not a paraphrase like the New Living Translation, The Message, and so on. No, I certainly don’t agree with every translation decision, but I believe the New International Version (NIV) deserves a fair hearing from many critics. It is still a serious, carefully discerned translation, developed by more than 100 biblical scholars representing a broad range of evangelical traditions and denominations. Interestingly, among the scholars who contributed to the original translation and its subsequent revisions are Gleason Archer, Kenneth Barker, Bruce Waltke, Richard Longenecker, Gordon Fee, Douglas Moo, Karen Jobes, Craig Blomberg, and William Mounce. If you have been around, these names are not unfamiliar in evangelical scholarship. Some have also contributed to other translations and biblical resources that are highly regarded in the very theological circles where the NIV has received criticism. The NIV is not a careless paraphrase or an attempt to make Scripture say whatever its translators want. It is a translation committed to faithfully communicating the meaning of the biblical text. 

The NIV’s history has been pioneering. It is a fresh translation that broke ground in many ways. First published in 1978, the NIV underwent a significant revision in 1984 and then another major update in 2011. Each edition sought to preserve the translation’s commitment to accuracy while responding to developments in biblical scholarship, English usage, and translation methodology. The 2011 revision, in particular, changed how certain gender-related expressions were translated, seeking to convey the original languages more accurately in contemporary English. Some of these changes were needed, but others have been widely criticized, right or wrong (I won’t get into the nuances here). While these decisions have not been without controversy, the NIV remains one of the most widely read and preached English Bible translations in the evangelical church. I needed a good NIV in my library for sermon preparation, and that is where the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible comes in.

The NIV follows an approach often described as dynamic equivalence, or thought-for-thought translation, although I think it is better understood as a balance between formal and dynamic equivalence. This is different from a more formally equivalent translation, such as the NASB, which places greater emphasis on retaining the structure and wording of the original languages. The NIV seeks to communicate the meaning and intent of the biblical text in clear, natural English. This does not mean abandoning accuracy for readability. Rather, it recognizes that faithful translation involves more than matching individual words exactly. Scholars can better explain how Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek each have their own grammatical structures, linguistic expressions, cultural idioms, and ways of communicating meaning that a formal word-for-word approach does not always capture. This makes the work challenging for translators. Translating those expressions into English sometimes requires moving beyond a strictly word-for-word rendering to communicate what the original author intended. The goal is not simply to reproduce the words but to help readers understand what those words mean.

The NIV is also grounded in serious attention to the biblical manuscripts. For the Old Testament, the translators primarily use the Masoretic Text, as represented in the standard editions of Biblia Hebraica. They also consult the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and ancient translations such as the Septuagint, Syriac Peshitta, Latin Vulgate, and Aramaic Targums. More premium Reference Bibles will make more notes about this than we will find in the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible. As I understand it, where the Masoretic Text presents difficulties, these other witnesses can help inform translation decisions. For the New Testament, the NIV uses an eclectic Greek text based on the Nestle-Aland and United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament. This means the translators evaluate the available manuscript evidence and decide which readings best represent the earliest attainable text, noting significant alternatives where appropriate. The earlier, the better. In other words, the NIV doesn’t simply follow one manuscript tradition without question. It engages the broader body of textual evidence available to biblical scholarship. 

Final Thoughts on the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible

Since River Corner Church uses the NIV, I reach for the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible every week. It serves its purpose well as a preaching and teaching Bible, particularly when reading publicly or working with people who benefit from larger print. The 13.5-point type, useful reference system, thumb indexes, and additional resources make it a practical Bible to keep within reach.

The NIV Giant Print Reference Bible is not a premium Bible. The imitation leather, thin paper, lack of ribbon markers, and noticeable show-through are real shortcomings. I wish Zondervan had invested a little more in the materials and construction. But that does not take away from what this Bible does well.

If you are looking for a large-print NIV with useful reference tools, particularly for preaching, teaching, or reading with those who struggle with smaller print, I can recommend the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible. It isn’t the Bible I would choose for someone looking for premium leather, extensive cross-references, or an academic study edition. But for its intended purpose, it is a useful and dependable Bible. I have used it consistently for a year, and it has earned its place within reach.

You can buy the NIV Giant Print Reference Bible from Zondervan.