Before I could write this review, I had to learn about verse mapping. In an age of Bible journaling, coloring and note taking, I thought it would perhaps be another creative way to interact with Scripture. To lift the words off the page and put them in our minds and hearts, with the assistance of our hands. I'm thrilled with all the options being offered to do this. It's a dream for creative types. It's taking readers deeper.

Paraphrasing from the inside of this Bible, here are the Verse Mapping 101 - Study Steps:

• Identify a verse, picking out one on your own or using a topical index (there's one in the back of this Bible).

• Write the verse down in multiple translations. What words are repeated? How does it translate differently? What is a word or phrase you'd like to study more in-depth?

• Develop your insights on this passage by looking up the answers to the questions in the previous step. Use a search engine, Bible app, concordance or commentary. We have a wealth of resources today.

• Consider context. What's happening in this passage? What happened before and after? Where does it take place? Who is involved?

• Summarize the passage using a sentence or two, including any application you feel it might have for you currently.

In the NIV Verse Mapping Bible, author Kristy Cambron expands her verse mapping curriculum series to include verses from the entire Bible, showing you how to compare Bible translations, pick out meaningful words, and delve into the true meaning of each verse using starter verse maps and prompts. Verse mapping will help you study the historical context, transliteration, translation, connotation, and theological framework of a verse. This unique study technique includes exploring Hebrew and Greek word studies, finding connections in Scripture, comparing Bible translations, and learning as much as you can from your time in God’s Word. 

This hardcover Bible gives you 350 verse mapping prompts, in addition to 70 blank verse map pages. It also has an introduction page for each book, offering the author (if known) date written, location, themes and a few paragraphs summarizing the book. Each page offers a column for taking notes as well. The 8-point fond is readable with decent white space.

If you'd like to research Zondervan's Verse Mapping Bible, here's a video. Enter to win a free Bible here! Contest runs through March 10, 2021.