Best KJV Study Bibles and Journaling Bibles

The King James editions worth knowing about, sorted by what you want the book to do: study notes, margins to write in, or type large enough to read comfortably. Below the picks is what actually differs between editions — print size, paper, binding, red letter — so you can judge any KJV listing, not only these.

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Quick Picks

If you already know how you read, start here. Each pick jumps to the section that explains it.

These notes describe what each line of Bibles is built for — the features the publishers put in them — rather than a hands-on comparison of every edition. Prices and covers change constantly, so none are quoted here; check the current listing.

Other KJV Editions Worth Knowing

Scofield Study Bible III(Oxford) carries the best-known dispensational notes in print — useful to have read, and firmly within one interpretive tradition rather than neutral.

Thompson Chain-Reference Bible (Kirkbride) is not a study Bible at all: instead of commentary it threads topics through the whole Bible in chains of references, so you follow a theme from verse to verse under your own steam.

Cambridge Concord and Clarion editions are reference Bibles bought for their typesetting, paper, and sewn bindings. No notes, nothing to date, and the setting most pleasant to read at length.

Easier on the eyes

Large-print and giant-print KJV Bibles

Print size is the most common reason to replace a Bible that is otherwise fine. Sizes go large print, giant print, super giant print — and grow the book with them. Most study Bibles are also sold in a large-print edition of the same text, so check before buying a second volume.

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How to Choose a KJV Bible

Eight things that differ between editions and are easy to miss in a product listing. They apply to any King James Bible, not only the ones above.

Notes or cross-references?

A study Bible adds commentary written by an editorial team; a reference Bible adds none, only cross-references pointing from one passage to another. If you want scripture to interpret scripture and nothing else on the page, a reference Bible is thinner, lighter, cheaper, and probably what you want.

Print size is not standardised

Large print, giant print, and super giant print run in roughly that order, but the names mean different things at different publishers — one house's giant print can be smaller than another's large print. Read the point size stated in the listing and open the sample pages before ordering.

Paper, ghosting, and line matching

Bible paper is thin, so text shows through from the other side. Better editions print with line matching, so the lines on the reverse sit behind the lines on the front and the ghosting is less distracting. This matters most in journaling editions, where you are adding ink of your own.

How the binding opens

Glued (perfect-bound) hardcovers are cheapest and resist lying flat; a Smyth-sewn binding opens flat and survives daily use. Covers run from hardcover and imitation leather up through genuine leather and goatskin — the jump in price is mostly cover and binding, not text.

Red letter or black letter

Red-letter editions print the words of Jesus in red. Some readers find it useful, others find red type harder to read, and it is purely a printing decision — the underlying text is identical either way.

Verse-per-line or paragraphs

The traditional KJV layout starts every verse on a new line, which makes references easy to find and poetry easy to scan. Paragraphed editions set the text in prose blocks, which reads more naturally in the epistles and narrative. Neither changes a word.

The italics are deliberate

Words printed in italics in a KJV are words the translators supplied to make the English work, with no direct equivalent in the Hebrew or Greek. It is a feature of the translation, not emphasis — and a reason some readers prefer the KJV to versions that hide the seams.

The Apocrypha is usually absent

The 1611 printing included the Apocrypha between the Testaments. Nearly every KJV sold today prints the 66 books only; if you want the Apocrypha, you have to look for an edition that says so.

Read the KJV Free While You Decide

The King James Version is public domain, and all of it is here at no cost. A printed Bible is for the notes, the margins, and the holding — not for the text.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best KJV study Bible?

There is no single best one — it depends on what you want the notes to do. For general study, The King James Study Bible (Thomas Nelson) gives verse-by-verse notes, book outlines, and maps in one volume. For notes in a Reformed and Puritan register, with material for family worship after every chapter, the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible. For notes aimed at daily application rather than background, the KJV Life Application Study Bible. If what you actually want is cross-references and not commentary, a reference edition such as the Thompson Chain-Reference or a Cambridge Concord will serve you better than any study Bible.

What is a KJV journaling Bible?

A journaling Bible prints the text with an unusually wide outer margin — ruled in editions like the KJV Journal the Word Bible, left blank in notetaking editions — so you can write beside the passage instead of in a separate notebook. Interleaved editions go further and bind a blank page facing every printed page. The paper is usually heavier than in a standard Bible, though many pens will still show through, so test yours on the back page first.

What is the difference between a study Bible and a reference Bible?

A study Bible adds commentary: notes explaining verses, book introductions, charts, and maps, all written by an editorial team. A reference Bible adds no commentary at all — only cross-references to related passages, usually in a centre column or the margin. Reference Bibles are lighter and cheaper; study Bibles are heavier and carry someone's interpretation alongside the text, which is worth remembering when a note and the verse seem to disagree.

What print size should I look for in a KJV Bible?

Publishers label their tiers large print, giant print, and super giant print, in roughly ascending order, but the names are not standardised between houses — check the point size given in the listing rather than trusting the label. Bear in mind that print size drives the size and weight of the whole book: a super giant print Bible is a desk Bible, not a carry Bible. Many study Bibles are also sold in a large-print edition of the identical text.

Is the King James Version free to read online?

Yes. The King James Version is in the public domain, and the complete text is free on this site — all 66 books and 1,189 chapters, a verse of the day, and a search across all 31,102 verses. A printed study or journaling Bible adds notes, margins, and something to hold; none of it is needed to read the text.