Bible Editions Worth Reading: The Open Bible, KJV (50th Anniversary)

For over 50 years, Thomas Nelson Bibles has been publishing The Open Bible, KJV. This study and resource Bible is available in the King James Version (KJV), the New King James Version (NKJV), and the New International Version (NIV). It is a Bible, as they explain, that is meant to help you read and discover the Bible for yourself. Readers will find that The Open Bible, KJV is packed full of commentary, cross-references, translation notes, informative articles, study aids, and countless reference resources.

Though I had heard of The Open Bible, KJV, it was not an edition I had ever explored. A few months ago, I was humbled when Thomas Nelson Bibles gave me the opportunity to review the latest edition of The Open Bible, KJV. This latest edition of The Open Bible, KJV is the 50th Anniversary edition, and it is special. As I began to explore it, it quickly became the edition I reached for in my sermon preparation, personal study, and reflection. 

I am grateful to have explored this 50th Anniversary of The Open Bible, KJV, and to continue to do so. As we continue our Bible Editions Worth Reading series, I take a closer look at The Open Bible (50th Anniversary Edition), a resource-rich King James Version study Bible.

About The Open Bible, KJV

The Open Bible, KJV (50th Anniversary Edition) has an extensive topical index with over 8,000 items, including subjects, names, places, objects, concepts, events, doctrines, and more. There are subheadings under each topic. The cross-reference system of The Open Bible, KJV is also elaborate. When a Messianic prophecy is present, a star is used to show that it is later fulfilled in Jesus, and notes in the back address this. Translator notes are also extensive. They explore alternative translations, literal translations, language notes, textual notes, and explanatory notes (which I find really helpful). This is a beginner’s devotional, commentary, history lesson, context articles, and practical resource library in one volume.

The introductions, outlines, study articles, and topical indexes featured in The Open Bible, KJV (50th Anniversary Edition) really help us to read in context and study thoroughly. It includes guides on how to study the Bible, resources on redemption, a year-long Bible reading plan, 100-word studies, a look at the intertestamental period, and more. The Open Bible, KJV Leathersoft cover is one of the highest-quality covers I have felt on a Bible. I love the black cover edition. It has a nice resilience and flexibility, allowing The Open Bible, KJV to open comfortably and bend without feeling stiff or rigid. At the same time, The Open Bible, KJV has enough structure and substance that it doesn’t feel thin, cheap, or flimsy. The material feels soft and smooth, and the overall construction gives The Open Bible, KJV a quality feel. One thing worth noting is that the inner liner appears to be glued rather than sewn into the cover. The stitching seems primarily intended to hold the Leathersoft material together rather than attach a separate inner liner. Overall, The Open Bible, KJV cover strikes a nice balance between flexibility and sturdiness, making it comfortable to handle, carry, and use regularly.

The Premium Features of The Open Bible, KJV

The Open Bible, KJV has many premium features. The ISBN of this edition I am reviewing is 978-1-4003-5239-5, Style #6953BK. This is a quality-built Bible, with outlines for every book, introductions to each book of the Bible, extensive articles, reference systems, and topical indexes. The expanded resources in this new version include a Christian’s Guide to the New Life, a 32-part guide to the Christian life, and a concordance with over 6,200 words and 37,500 verse references. It also includes a Visual Survey of the Bible, which offers a thorough twenty-one-page narrative overview of the Bible’s people, events, and themes in a visual way. 

This Leathersoft version features a black cover with thick, well-stitched edges. The Open Bible, KJV is stamped in gold on the front. The spine has five double-line spine lines, stamped in the same reflective gold. The Open Bible, KJV, and the logos for the KJV and Thomas Nelson Bibles are also stamped on the spine. The back features a clean, sleek black cover with just the ISBN and style number in a reflective gold stamp at the bottom right. 

The pages are coated with beautiful, shiny gold gilding, and an almost inch-thick red ribbon bookmark sits inside. With Maps, The Open Bible, KJV features over 1,600 pages. As a quirky side note, I think they missed an opportunity to make this Bible 1,611 pages (the publishing date of the King James Version Bible). This version of the Open Bible, KJValso, has a great thumb index, which actually fits a thumb and makes flipping to a chapter fast and easy. I would guess the paper thickness, which shows little see-through or bleed-through, is at least 32 gsm, but I would guess the quality is better and thicker, perhaps 36. This paper quality is unmatched. Every part of The Open Bible, KJV feels premium, well-built, informational, and educational.

The quality and premium features are found inside The Open Bible, KJV. After the title page of this 2026 edition, we find the introductory “Welcome to The Open Bible, KJV,” a publisher resource that examines the KJV and the inner workings of The Open Bible, KJV approach. The publisher’s note introduces us to the topical indexes, the Visual Survey resource, the Christian’s Guide to the New Life, study features (book introductions, word studies, charts, maps, and illustrations), but also resources on the harmony of the Gospels and articles throughout the Bible on a wide range of contexts, topics, Scripture arcs, and more. We also learn that there are several other resources, such as the Jewish calendar, religious feasts, conversions to the monies, weights, and measures used in the Scriptures, a list of Messianic prophecies fulfilled in Jesus, and more indexes, such as the teachings and illustrations of Jesus, interesting facts, laws, reading plans, and more. Readers will find that The Open Bible, KJV is packed with practical takeaways, sound doctrine and theology, seminary-level lessons, and context that turns on the lights for greater understanding. 

Inside The Open Bible, KJV, we are also introduced to the many well-known contributors to this edition, including Dr. Kenneth D. Boa, Wick Broomall, Dr. W.A. Criswell, Dr. Arthur L. Farstad, Dr. Paul R. Fink, Bruce H. Wilkinson, and many others. This section is followed by the table of contents, which tells us where to find each of the 66 books of the Bible and the countless resources and articles in this edition. Book abbreviations, a closer look at the cross-references, and many notes, such as language, explanatory, and textual notes, follow. From what I can tell, and from what I am told, many of these resources have been part of The Open Bible, KJV for some time, but they have been updated for our time and with new resources.

A few other features are worth mentioning. The words of Jesus are written in red. Resources and articles are written inside blue boxes set into the columns of the page. Footnotes are at the end of the columns, italicized, and readable. Subheadings are the same blue as the boxes, keeping the articles and resources within boundaries separate from the Scriptures.

The typography is worth mentioning again. I love the font used in this edition. The Bible comes in a reusable sleeve box, which I keep it in for extra protection as I travel with it and move it from one space to the next. Each page is laid out well, similar to the ESV Study Bible, and with great care. Each page of The Open Bible, KJV, is packed with information. Though I didn’t see it listed, I believe it has a sewn binding. The spine has some flexibility, and the book stays open and lays flat throughout the whole Bible. It has some weight to it. Thomas Nelson Bibles has produced the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Open Bible in a classic way. Great detail has been put into every feature, page, and resource of this Bible.

Thomas Nelson and the KJV

Thomas Nelson Bibles has been around since 1798. Throughout that time, they have published the KJV with care, cultivating editions that are usable and disciple readers into a fruitful and faithful life. The Open Bible, KJV is one of the many versions they have compassionately developed with care and concern. I recently talked about the new King James Version Compact Large Print Bible, which I have also found to be a Bible edition worth reaching for. For those wanting a helpful King James Version (KJV) study Bible, The Open Bible, KJV will be one I will humbly recommend time and time again. 

A Few Things I’d Like to Have Seen

Though I love The Open Bible, KJV, and it has earned a shelf spot with me for easy reference, there are a few things I would have loved to see in this edition. It would have been great to see the size 9 font become size 10. I know that 9 is a large font compared to most Bible editions; I just always wish, as I get older, that the size 9 could be bumped up to a size 10.

Additionally, I would love to see more than one ribbon. At least two ribbons would be helpful; three would be great. That is not something only with The Open Bible, KJV; I feel that way about many of these Bibles.

The stamped title on the Leathersoft looks sharp, crisp, and elegant, but in a few similar editions, the title has rubbed off the spine and cover over time from use, handling, and being thrown in backpacks. I do not know if that will happen with this edition, but I suspect it might. I’d love to see Bibles either keep the cover black or use deeper embossing to make it more permanent.

Lastly, single-column Bibles are growing on me. References can be moved to the margins. Though most Bibles are still double-column, I love a good single-column Bible, and I feel like a Bible with so many resources on a page would have benefited from the simplicity of a single-column layout.

Occasionally, I found some of the notes a little basic, and I would have appreciated more depth in a few of the articles. One example is “Conform and Transform” on page 1189. While it offers a helpful look at what Paul is communicating, I felt some of the deeper layers of the passage could have been explored further. That said, there is certainly enough here to serve and encourage a new believer.

The King James Version is traditional. It is a faithful, literal, poetic, and accurate translation. However, many of its words have changed meanings, older manuscripts than those originally used for its translation have been discovered, and our understanding of biblical words has continued to deepen. It takes approximately a 12th-grade reading level to fully understand, and though this Bible is written for new followers of Jesus, readers must have the literacy level, capacity, and capability to read it. The King James Version (KJV) holds a special place in my heart, and it is still needed for preaching, but it has a limited audience.

Lastly, for The Open Bible, KJV, I would have loved a real leather cover that was truly sewn into the Bible. This is the sort of Bible that just feels like it needs a real leather cover. Produced in South Korea, this Bible is well built but needs a real leather cover to finish the faithful witness.

Recommending The Open Bible, KJV

Personally, I will continue to use The Open Bible, KJV in sermon preparation, personal reflection and study, and teaching. I have also invited my wife and children to make use of this resource on our shelf. The margins, font size, typography, and helpful resources of The Open Bible, KJV—along with the light blue passage headings—all work together to make this a readable, useful, and reliable Bible edition.

Thomas Nelson Bibles has produced an edition of the Bible worth reaching for.

If you like the King James Version (KJV) and want a resourceful study Bible, this is it.

The suggested retail price is $94.99. However, you can almost always find Bibles under their suggested retail price.

I’d encourage you to buy The Open Bible, KJV (50th Anniversary Edition) from Thomas Nelson Bibles.

If this post resonated, subscribe for future reflections, share it with a friend, or leave a comment. You can learn more about his journey to recover a rooted Christian way of life through the Lord’s Prayer, ancient habits, leading a quiet life, and simple Jesus communities online at JeffMcLain.com, the Lead a Quiet Life blog on Patheos, or the Discovering God Podcast.