It has been nearly five years since I have reviewed a Bible here. I wrote my first review of a fine Bible in May, 2018. I reviewed an NIV Schuyler Quentel. Over the next two years, I really enjoyed having the chance to review a few dozen premium leather Bibles. 

There are a handful of reasons I initially decided to write these reviews. The first and foremost is that I believe reading a physical copy of the Bible is superior to reading the Bible on a screen. You remember and retain what you read in a physical book more than a screen. But especially with the rise of smartphones, which are themselves beautifully designed and addictively enjoyable to interact with, I think there is a need for and value in Bibles that are themselves beautifully designed, a joy to hold, and designed thoughtfully for the reading experience. Fine Bibles are expensive. They are also built to be used and to last a lifetime. Simply put, I think premium Bibles are a worthy investment.

From 2018 through 2020, I reviewed Bibles by Cambridge, Crossway, Schuyler, Thomas Nelson, Trinitarian Bible Society, and Zondervan. These reviews gained the most interest and interaction from readers of about anything I’ve written, other than my “Wesley didn’t say it” series. I still get questions from people about Bibles. In fact, the most recent question from a reader was seeking advice about which NLT Bible she should purchase based on a handful of criteria. The highlight for me of those years reviewing fine Bibles was realizing that Cambridge featured my reviews in their yearly Bible catalogue. In fact, the current catalogue still has a quote from my review of the Pitt Minion (see p. 15).

I recently became aware of some significant new additions in the world of Bible publishing. This post is introducing a Bible from a publisher I did not know existed when I wrote my last post (though they officially started in 2017): Humble Lamb.

Humble Lamb currently has Bibles in four different translations: KJV, NKJV, NASB, and NLT. Each translation is a different layout. What is most interesting to me is that Humble Lamb seems to have thought through the range of options in the world of premium Bibles and intentionally created a space for themselves that is distinct but still works in the fine Bibles space. We will get into some of the differences, but they are really unique compared to any other Bible I have reviewed here. In fact, for me, they push the envelope so much that I wondered if I would like some of the choices that were made. Spoiler alert: I did!

Humble Lamb sent me a review copy of their NKJV Bible, the “Shepherd”. There are size colors available in the NKJV Shepherd. Humble Lamb sent me “Sahara Blue.” 

Distinctive Design Choices

I want to start by talking about the choices Humble Lamb has made that cause their Bibles to really stand apart from the other options currently available in fine Bibles. I see five key choices that are different.

First, all Humble Lamb bibles have “The Word of God” stamped on the spine. Most premium Bibles have “Holy Bible,” the translation abbreviation, and the publisher. Humble Lamb has changed the phrase in a way that grabbed my attention and has kept it simple. It says “The Word of God” and nothing else. This is the case across all four translations. The inside cover contains the name of the Bible and translation “Shepherd, New King James Version.” I think this design decision was a good risk. I’ll say a bit more after going through the rest of the differences.

Second, most premium Bibles have gold page edges and when the Bible is opened there is a reddish color that is under the gold. I think this might be the most dramatic design change Humble Lamb has implemented. Rather than a simple subtle color change, Humble Lamb has introduced art on the fore-edge of the Bible. It is visible when the Bible is closed but subtle and would be easy to miss. But when the Bible is open, it is unmistakable and striking. The Shepherd has two different options for the fore-edge gilt art. Mine has Jesus holding a lamb surrounding by wolves. It is a great image of Jesus’s promises in John 10. I can easily imagine this seeming cheap or gimmicky. But Humble Lamb has pulled it off. After using this Bible every morning for more than a month, this Bible would seem strange to me if it did not have this element. 

Third, Humble Lamb has added Gustave Doré illustrations throughout the Bible. This is the design element I have wrestled with the most. I think it works with the overall flow of the Bible. The art on the page edges makes the art inside the Bible make more sense. I am still undecided about whether I would choose to have this element, if I could have the same Bible with the images or without the images. The inclusion of the illustrations makes it start to feel like a Study Bible, without any of the other features of a Study Bible. I was a bit surprised there wasn’t more context or explanation for the illustrations in the Bible itself. If I had to guess, where I am unsure on this element, I bet many more people are enthusiastic about this addition. There is one other tradeoff I kept thinking about I’ll come back to in a moment.

Fourth, the words of Christ are blue in this Bible. (They are typically red, if they are set off from the regular text.) There are different views about whether the words of Christ should be in a different color than the rest of Scripture. I think the choice to use blue instead of red for this Bible totally works. It is the kind of change that feels dramatic, because I’d only ever seen red. However, it is not actually that big of a change. I think it is a brilliant move that makes the Bible really feel different from other Bibles.

Fifth, and finally, Humble Lamb Bibles have more color options for the cover than most Bible publishers. The Shepherd comes in six colors. I have one of the two most conservative colors “Sahara Blue.” The other is “Black Wool.” “Forest Green” looks like a good option is you want a Bible that is distinct from the typical black, brown, or blue, but aren’t ready to be too crazy in your color choice. And then there are the options of “London Red,” “Coral Coastline,” and “Aspen Gold.” I do not think I would like the brighter colors for a premium Bible. It would feel like a substantial risk to me at this price point. But what do I know? It looks to me like other publishers have been influenced by Humble Lamb as many of them seem to be offering more color options.

 Overall thoughts on the distinctive design of the The Shepherd

I think these five distinctive design elements generally work very well together. If Humble Lamb had been risk averse and had just chosen one, I don’t think it would work. If you took any of the first four things named above by itself, I don’t think it would work. I think what Humble Lamb has done so well is figure out what the principles of a premium Bible are and keep them solidly in place, while being willing to innovate and change multiple things around that. The overall feel is that this is a unique Bible that still feels like an exceptional premium Bible.

The Rest

The Cover

The cover is full-grain goatskin leather. It is a true full yapp cover. The spine has four bands, which I love.  I also really like the Sahara blue color. It is not too bright or too dull. The blue looks great with the gold “The Word of God” on the spine and with the three copper ribbons. The ribbons also come out of the box at the perfect length, neither too short nor too long. 

Layout

The Shepherd has a single column layout. This is a must for some people. It is not for me. But I do think it made it reading this Bible more enjoyable. I was initially surprised to see a Bible of this size only have a 9pt font. The space between lines and the overall layout do make it highly readable. It feels like a bigger font than 9pt when reading it.

This Bible has cross references, which is a top priority for me in a premium Bible. They are in the margins out from the corresponding verse out at the side, which makes them the easiest to use. Textual notes are in the footer, which helps separate them from cross references.

There is one thing I wish were different about the layout. I think may be a personal quirk that is not important to everyone. I prefer each Book of the Bible to start on a new page. I mentioned a tradeoff I wrestled with when thinking about the illustrations in the Bible. If I could remove the illustrations and have each Book start on a new page, I would. Luke, for example, starts with only three lines at the bottom of the page. I don’t love that design.

Overall, I do like the design choices made with the Shepherd, with the one exception just noted. The layout is key to ease and enjoyment of use when reading. I would give this Bible top marks for ease and enjoyment of reading.

The Box

I want to name one other thing that I really like about this Bible that may seem strange to you. I really like the box this Bible came in. It is very sturdy. The color coordinates with the cover of the Bible. It does not have any extra text, so it is clean and seems more elegant or substantial to me. The presentation and experience opening the Bible was the best I’ve had with any Bible. It was obvious to me that this is a place Humble Lamb put serious thought and effort. They executed this very well. 

Conclusion

Overall, I think the Shepherd is a fantastic Bible. I have really enjoyed reading it in the mornings since I received it. And while I wanted to spend quite a bit of time reading it before writing this review, this is not a Bible I am going to put away after publishing this review. It is fun and enjoyable to read. Humble Lamb has done a fantastic job with this Bible. This Bible is exactly the kind of Bible I love recommending. As I mentioned at the beginning, with the competition of smartphones and screens for our attention, I am thankful there are Bibles like this that are a delight to hold, read, and interact with. 

I am excited to see what Humble Lamb comes up with next!

Humble Lamb generously provided the Shepherd pictured here for review. I was not required to give a positive review of this Bible, only an honest one.

---

Kevin M. Watson is Director of Academic Growth and Formation at Asbury Theological Seminary’s Tulsa, OK Extension Site. He is also Scholar in Residence at Asbury Church. His most recent book, Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline describes the purpose of the Wesleyan tradition and the struggle to maintain its identity in the United States. Affiliate links, which help support my work, used in this post.