From the beginning of the NLT translation work in the late 1980s, Tyndale Bible editors and the NLT translation team had talked about developing a new study Bible and commentary series with the help of the NLT scholars. The vision was to further the goals of the NLT itself by giving readers the historical, cultural, and literary context for a clear, accurate, and life-changing understanding of the Bible text.

In 1988, Tyndale published the Life Application Study Bible, using the The Living Bible text. Most study Bibles at that time either focused on details of the language and historical background or were intended to support a particular doctrinal system. The Life Application Study Bible broke new ground by focusing on applying the Bible to life. It included historical background and doctrinal discussion, but with the emphasis on practical application.

As the NLT text was being developed, the Bible team wondered if the Life Application Study Bible would serve as the ideal study Bible for the new text. But as time went on, it became clear that we wanted to develop a study Bible that would focus less on drawing conclusions about application and more on helping readers understand the Bible text in its original historical and cultural context, so that they could grasp the significance of Scripture for themselves. There is only so much space in a study Bible. So we set out to develop a study Bible, complementary to the Life Application Study Bible, that would focus on the meaning of the Bible text in its own original context.

In 1996, the NLT was published. I started at Tyndale in February 1997. By April 1998, the Bible editorial team was talking about Tyndale’s desire to produce a study Bible to support the NLT, and thinking together about what the NLT Study Bible should include. We were also talking about what was needed in the world of study Bibles.

There have traditionally been three general categories of study Bibles, those that focus primarily on (1) information, (2) systematic doctrine, or (3) application and devotional reflection.

As we looked around in the late 1990s, very few Study Bibles focused on meaning in context. My first memo about the NLT Study Bible is dated May 18, 1998, and contains the following paragraph:

We see a need on the market for a study Bible which handles the meaning and message of each section of Scripture — not just technical details about words and phrases. Most study Bibles don’t provide this kind of “big picture” help for readers. Because the NLT is meaning-focused, we have a prime opportunity to make the meaning and message of the Bible clear to our readers.

Many study Bibles give short shrift to the world of the Bible—the historical context in which Scripture was first written and read. As a result, people tend to understand the Bible in terms of their own world, not the world in which it was written. We saw a need for a study Bible that would vigorously engage in explaining that world, and what the Bible first meant in it. When people grasp what the Bible meant to its first readers, they are in a good position to understand what it means for them.

We also found that the aim of many study Bibles is to help readers grasp and embrace the doctrinal system of the author of the study materials. We saw the need for a study Bible that would help readers understand the theological meaning of Scripture without forcing Scripture into a doctrinal system. We wanted to help readers of all persuasions to deepen their own systematic understanding of Scripture. Finally, we saw that there was a need for a serious Study Bible to support the NLT text. We could see the success of the Life Application Study Bible and how useful it was for so many people. At the same time, we saw a need for a study Bible that would help readers move more deeply into the world of the Bible and biblical study, using the NLT.

In 1999 and 2000, I began developing early prototypes of the content features of the NLT Study Bible. We received extensive feedback from Tyndale executives about the prototypes—some of the early prototypes really needed work! By December 2000, we were ready to begin working on it, but we needed to find someone who would spearhead the development. Not having had as much experience with long projects as some of the others at the table, in my youthful exuberance I rashly spoke up: “I’ve thought that’s something that I could do.” And so, with handshakes and well-wishes all around, I began working on the NLT Study Bible full time.

On Friday, April 25, 2008, the NLT Study Bible was finally finished and sent to the printer, after what could be calculated as a ten-year development process, from first conception to manufacturing. Now the marketing, sales, and publicity teams are going full tilt to get the word out to the public. The NLT Study Bible is scheduled to be available in stores in September, 2008.

Many thanks to all who have had a
hand in the creation of this study Bible,
and most of all to the Lord of heaven and
earth, who gave us his word and spirit
so generously.