What is the best study bible?

Bornfromabove30 said:

I was thinking about getting a study bible. I want one that is informative without distracting me too much from the actual scripture itself. I was thinking about maybe getting either the Companion Bible or the Dake Annotated Bible. I know E.W. Bullinger (Companion Bible) believed in soul sleep, so thats kinda making me hesitant about that Bible. I've also heard that Dake held to some strange views as well.

Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

There isn't "one" that has it all.

The best advise I can give is to get yourself a number of references...one like The Complete New Testament" by Zodiates that has Greek lexical helps. I would also recommend the New King James or New American Standard bible versions - stay away from the NIV, it is biased in ways that hurt one's beliefs rather than a help.

I would also download "e-sword" to your computer as it has some very good study helps, some for free and some you have to pay for, but worth the time and money.

A very nice member of these forums sent me what I consider to be the best study Bible.

It's the ESV Study Bible. You can check it out at Amazon.com and see if you like it.

Our pastor's son was using it for his sermon this past service and uses it regularly for study.

With that said my wife and I have 8 Bibles in our apartment in 5 different versions, 5 of those Bibles are study Bibles.

I have several translations and two study Bibles. The Apologetics Study Bible and MacArthurs. Macarthur has a reformed slant (not many non-denoms appreciate that) and the Apologetics is just the opposite with a ton of great articles and shows how cults have twisted particular text through out history.

I always have an Open King James, a King James, and A New American Standard + a Strongs concordance when I study. I use them all.

You might get a Bible dictionary also. I like mine.

Try John MacArthur's study bible and Zondervan's KJV Study Bible. As mentioned, the ESV Study Bible is good too.

Bornfromabove30 said:

I was thinking about getting a study bible. I want one that is informative without distracting me too much from the actual scripture itself. I was thinking about maybe getting either the Companion Bible or the Dake Annotated Bible. I know E.W. Bullinger (Companion Bible) believed in soul sleep, so thats kinda making me hesitant about that Bible. I've also heard that Dake held to some strange views as well.

Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

When it comes to study bibles I highly recommend the New Oxford Annotated bible. It's in the NRSV translation, the OT is translated from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew bible) and features the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal texts along with some excellent essays on each book's interpretation, message, who it was written by and for, literary technique, etc. I give it two thumbs up.

Agree with Bourne, the Oxford NRSV is a very good version, BUT the Jerusalem Bible is more accurate still, though there is no concordance available for it. As for Concordances, by FAR the best I have encountered is Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, which is based on the King James, which in turn is one of the less accurate translations. So ideally, you want several different versions.

Bornfromabove30 said:

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I think I am leaning toward getting a Thompson Chain Reference Bible as of right now.

Click to expand...

the thompson Chain is my most favorite, stay away from the John macarthur's unless you are a calvinist, that is.

I shy away from "study Bibles" because what you get is the opinion of the editor. I have found the best course for me is to ask GOD what a certain Scripture means. He will speak to us in a way we can understand. Get a translation or paraphrase you understand and let GOD teach you through it.

revrobor said:

I shy away from "study Bibles" because what you get is the opinion of the editor. I have found the best course for me is to ask GOD what a certain Scripture means. He will speak to us in a way we can understand. Get a translation or paraphrase you understand and let GOD teach you through it.

Click to expand...

I see what you're saying, but I have had God speak to me through the study notes that are in the study Bibles.

Maybe God speaks to different people in different ways?

Boidae said:

I see what you're saying, but I have had God speak to me through the study notes that are in the study Bibles.

Maybe God speaks to different people in different ways?

Click to expand...

Indeed he does, scripture itself shows how God uses mankind as his instruments. Which I think is exactly what's happening with the scholars who put together the study bibles, the same as the men who assembled the canon and the authors themselves before that.

I have a Quest NIV Study Bible. It's not the best but it was only $25 on Amazon. Cover price is $35. It has good notes and short articles, the maps and time lines are very good, but I don't have any other study bible so I have no basis of comparison.

Boidae said:

A very nice member of these forums sent me what I consider to be the best study Bible.

It's the ESV Study Bible. You can check it out at Amazon.com and see if you like it.

Our pastor's son was using it for his sermon this past service and uses it regularly for study.

With that said my wife and I have 8 Bibles in our apartment in 5 different versions, 5 of those Bibles are study Bibles.

Click to expand...

I second the preference for both the ESV translation and also the ESV Study Bible.

Sorry about the late response, I don't follow this particular forum, but this subject is interesting!
I agree that the Jerusalem Bible is better. That and the NRSV are the only ecumenical versions there are. The NRSV is too mainstream.
There IS a concordance for the Jerusalem Bible New Testament, see my profile - in the secton books that I like - that's the one!

Also, one important thing: all of You who think that the Jerusalem Bible is the best or one of the best Bibles, please suggest to Logos that it's made available in the Logos Bible study software, at the URL: Jerusalem Bible or 1975 Bible In Order - Logos Bible Software Forums
... post in that thread, please!
... You can register without having to make an initial purchase, and then post or email.
Email addresses can be found at: Contact Information - Logos Bible Software
... Suggestions.

For good discussion about a few things partially relevant to this, go to: Discussion about OT versions, commentaries, 2 Cor 6:14 - Logos Bible Software Forums
... and click the links there!

JHM said:

Agree with Bourne, the Oxford NRSV is a very good version, BUT the Jerusalem Bible is more accurate still, though there is no concordance available for it.

Click to expand...