This review is not of the NIV translation of the Bible; rather, it is of the whole collection Zondervan has published as NIV Bible for Men: Fresh Insights for Thriving in Today’s World.

 

Superficial:

• It’s a hefty hardback—way to big to be one’s go-to, carry-around Bible.
• Font size is in line with most Bibles—small, but not tiny.
• Dust-jacket is typical of young-adult marketing.

 

Basic Content:

• 260 (five days a week for one year, primarily intended to be done alongside reading the Bible through in one year) one-to-two page devotional thoughts (D#) with a subsequent inquiry for application.
• 52 (one day a week for one year) “myths” (M#), each about two pages, that are expressed with a subsequent rebuttal.
• Reference list for all texts (nothing was written especially for this publication—everything was copied from online articles, Kindle edition books, and even another “men’s Bible” from Zondervan).
• Reference list of specific scriptures and their correlation to included relevant texts.

 

Critical:

• This purports to be a “Bible for Men”; however, there are precisely three (3!) of the included texts that can be identified as rather pointedly relating to men and from a male perspective (D12, D52, and D121). Thirteen others I have identified as attempts to be gender-specific but are actually gender-neutral, fully applicable to both men and women with the alteration of a gender-specific term or reference (M4, D21, D46, M16, D89, M20, D106, D108, M22, M27, D171, D172, and M40, much of which deals with porn, leadership, and other stereotypically identified as primarily male concerns). This means that 3/312 (0.96%) is specifically for men, 13/312 (4.16e%) is purported to be for men but is actually gender-neutral, and 297/312 (95.19%) is utterly gender-neutral. This is not a “Bible for Men.”
• On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being horrible and five being great, the texts included are completely hit-and-miss, running the entire scale.

 

Conclusion:

This is not what it purports to be, and isn’t worth the time or physical exertion of carrying it around. I recommend purchasing an actual study Bible if one wants some heft and decent scriptural insight, and then pick up any of the myriad of devotional books in print (topic- or gender-specific, if you like) to supplement your scripture reading and for further encouragement, accountability, etc.

 

 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”