Every Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print® Bible features the custom Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print Typeface. In order to tell the story of the new Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print Typeface, we have to look first at the NKJV itself as a translation. The challenge we set for ourselves was to create a typeface that uniquely reflects the NKJV’s character, especially it’s commitment to being accessible to modern readers without compromising accuracy or literary beauty of the ancient texts.
The original King James Version (KJV) remains one of the English language’s greatest achievements, and it’s the version that continues to be the Bible for most of the English-speaking world. The New King James Version (NKJV) remains deeply rooted in the KJV, but has been significantly updated from modern readers by a team of biblical scholars and linguists working directly from the biblical manuscripts. Carrying forward the KJV translator’s commitment to a literal, word-for-word translation of the ancient Hebrew and Greek text, the NKJV closely mirrors the rhythm and phrasing of the original writings, reproducing Greek and Hebrew idioms, and bringing modern readers close to the biblical cultures and settings.
In the NKJV, today’s readers can experience the rhythm of the sacred poetry of David, the shepherd boy turned warrior-king; or follow the structured theological arguments of the apostle Paul, who turned his training in Pharisaical Judaism toward powerful presentations of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the early church. The NJV intentionally retains those cultural and linguistic textures, and connects Christians today with the “great cloud of witnesses,” saints of the Old and New Testaments, reminding us that we are one people, united in Christ. It truly is an English translation for our ancient-modern community of Jesus-followers.
So it was only fitting that a customized typeface for the NKJV should reflect this beloved translation’s character. Using the letter-forms found in a mid-1800s Thomas Nelson Bible as a starting point, the Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print Typeface blends tradition with the best advances in modern typography. The result is a font that’s traditional – reflecting the Christian church’s rooting in ancient spiritual truths and practices – but also entirely relevant and fresh, with modern design flourishes geared toward beauty and readability for readers today.
Together, the NKJV translation and the NKJV fonts present scared Scripture with uncompromising accuracy and literary beauty, making Thomas Nelson’s Bibles ideal for personal devotional use, public reading by the church community in worship sittings, and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the world.
