Looking for a study Bible

worshipjunkie · Feb 10, 2019

Anyone have recommendations on a study Bible? I'm considering the Reformation Study Bible but wanted some other opinions. I prefer NKJV or ESV translations.

Radagast · Feb 10, 2019

The ESV Study Bible is very, very good. I would recommend it.

Monk Brendan · Feb 11, 2019

There is the ORthodox Study Bible. The NT is from the NKJV, and the OT is a new rendition from the Septuagint.

St_Worm2 · Feb 11, 2019

I own the Reformation (old and new), the ESV, and the MacArthur Study Bibles, and all three are excellent. In reality, I own the commentary notes from each one of those Study Bibles as part of my Logos Bible software program (which makes them very accessible wherever I am).

--David

Daniel9v9 · Feb 11, 2019

I got a few Study Bibles of different traditions with different theological leanings and they do emphasise or cover things a bit differently. I'm biased, but I find the (ESV) Lutheran Study Bible (Concordia Publishing House) very comprehensive and useful. I believe most evangelical bodies would find it quite agreeable and beneficial, as justification by faith is very central to it. It could be worth checking out some online samples.

The other thing that comes to mind regarding study Bibles is the Scofield Reference Bible. I have it and it's valuable, but it does come with a very explicit dispensationalist view - it's actually the Bible edition that popularised it. If you're of a tradition that holds to this teaching, you'll probably find this useful. If not, perhaps some other study would be better. That's not to say it's bad, but I feel like it's worth knowing before getting it. Anyway, see what you think!

worshipjunkie · Feb 11, 2019

If you had to choose, which one would it be? I've used all 3 on BibleGateway.com and they all have excellent commentary, but are there other features that set one or the other apart?

Radagast · Feb 11, 2019

Surprise, surprise, the Lutheran says "get a Lutheran study Bible," and the Orthodox says "get an Orthodox study Bible."

However, the OP has specifically said he's interested in something like the Reformation Study Bible, and in the NKJV or ESV translations.

I've already strongly recommended the ESV Study Bible (and I've heard various pastors recommend it too), and @St_Worm2 has mentioned (but not specifically recommended) the MacArthur Study Bible, which is more of a one man show.

What would presumably be most useful to the OP is a list of other study bibles of that kind (I'm not familiar with any) and reasons for choosing among the study bibles on the list.

Radagast · Feb 11, 2019

This blog says "the [ESV Study Bible] would be more suitable for a mature Bible student ... the [Reformation Study Bible] would be a more a suitable study Bible for young people or those who have not yet invested a lot of time and effort into sharpening their theological knowledge."

Tim Challies points out that "the Reformation Study Bible came from a much more narrowly-defined theological position; it was Reformed, it was cessationist, it was amillennial. The ESV Study Bible, on the other hand, offers a wider or less-defined perspective. Where the doctrine is clear and undisputed among Evangelicals, so too are the notes. But where doctrines are controversial and within the area of Christian freedom or disputable matters, the notes tend not to take a firm position, even when the author or editor is firmly in one camp or the other.

... I opened my NIV Study Bible, Reformation Study Bible, MacArthur Study Bible and ESV Study Bible and compared their notes on several areas of controversial theology–end times, predestination and spiritual gifts. None of these Bibles offered notes that were unbiblical so I was left looking for the differences in perspective. In general I found that the MacArthur Study Bible offered the most defined position. This makes good sense as it represents the position of a single individual. This was followed by the Reformation Study Bible which offers the position of many individuals but each of them drawn from a very consistent theological position. The ESV Study Bible came next, offering a charitable but open view on most of these issues. The NIV Study Bible seemed almost to shy away from some of the issues.

So while it is clear that the ESV Study Bible is not distinctly Reformed in its position, neither is it Arminian. It is not cessationist or continuationist and is neither amillennial nor premillennial. In fact, it seems as if it emulates the parent who tells one of his children to cut the last piece of cake in half and the other to choose the first piece. In many cases a person from one perspective wrote the notes while a person from the other perspective screened them. This ensures the notes maintain both charity and some degree of objectivity in those areas of dispute."

Tim Challies suggests that there's no strong reason to buy the ESV Study Bible if you already have one of the others, but he does seem to indicate that the ESV Study Bible is the best.

John Piper, Albert Mohler, J.I. Packer, and Mark Dever are others who have endorsed the ESV Study Bible.

crossnote · Feb 11, 2019

I like the Companion Bible, it has decent Hebrew Greek notes, linked references. You can always ignore the Dispensational slant (all study bibles have a slant) if you so choose. Caveat: it only comes in the KJV.

eleos1954 · Feb 11, 2019

You can go here and compare many translations (at a glance) and there are other study resources as well, such as concordances, lexicon etc. You can also run word/phrase searches etc. It is a free resource.

www.biblehub.com

God Bless.

Halbhh · Feb 11, 2019

I see plenty of useful recommendations, with some helpful comments about different ones also, and let me just add a key thing to do --

Before you read a commentary about verses in a chapter, first just read through really listening, to best hear the overall sense of meaning from all the words together as a whole. And really it's best in some new testament books Paul wrote to read fully through this way even before going back to read a commentary on one part. Generally, you want to be sure you are getting the message, and not getting too side-tracked on other interesting questions. Often in an epistle from John or Paul, some of the most helpful things (as good as any commentary, better at times) is going to be some later parts of that very same epistle.

For instance, as you read in one of the gospels and Christ is speaking, if you were right there in person, you'd strain to hear all His words, fully, as if you were right there in person listening.

You'd want to avoid getting caught up in any side question, because first you'd totally want the central message(s) He is saying. That's a crucial thing we need, that listening attitude, so we are getting the essential messages we most need, according to where we are at. It's good I've learned to take your time, and pause, dwelling in your mind on the words you've heard, which sometimes will be very deep, so that you can feel them working on you in ways you don't already know all about. It's very well to read at night for example, and then sleep on what you've read, just letting the words resonate in your mind.
After all, consider Who is talking.

St_Worm2 · Feb 11, 2019

I only know the commentary portions, and on that basis alone I would be hard-pressed to choose between the ESV and the MacArthur as a general notes Study Bible. The Reformation SB has fewer notes from what I can see, even the updated one, so if I was picking one, it would be between the MacArthur and the ESV.

Do you prefer the NKJV or ESV translations? (and which one does your church principally use?) If it's the NKJV, then your choice is an easy one, because the ESV Study Bible comes in ESV alone.

As far as the commentary notes go, I regularly use all three as I said, but around a place like this one, I've found that the MacArthur Study Bible notes are the ones I end up copying and pasting for others more than the other two.

Honestly, I don't think that you can go wrong with any of them, so start by picking the translation you want to use first.

--David
p.s. - for future reference, the next step up from a Study Bible are two volume commentaries, OT/NT, that contain more extensive commentary notes than a Study Bible is capable of holding. The two sets I would recommend are 1. The Believer's Bible Commentary & 2. The Bible Knowledge Commentary (and if you can afford both of these, you will not regret owning them

). Both are available in hardback, on Kindle, and/or on Logos.

*My favorite Study Bible is still The Thompson Chain Reference Bible, but unlike like the other three above, it doesn't contain any commentary notes. Instead, it contains extensive chain references that walk the reader through the Bible to discover what the Bible teaches via the context of the Bible itself instead. It will also help you discover and understand things like why the Christian church consistently teaches what it does, and how the church came up with most of the doctrines that we hold to, such as the Trinity. It's made for individual ~study~ however, not for quick reference/quick answers, nor does it include reference to historical facts, original languages, etc., that the other three do. I believe that it's available in both NKJV and ESV, and if you ever get this Bible and can afford it, get a full grain leather copy, because if you use it to study you'll want the sturdiest cover you can get (because you will be flipping all over that Bible all the time as you follow the chain references to get your answers).

1watchman · Feb 28, 2019

I recommend contacting Bibletruthpublishers.com in Addison, IL who have several good study books, versions, and ministry about the Bible and church history.

eleos1954 · Feb 28, 2019

There are a lot of good (free) study aides here:

biblehub.com

Romans 8 · Mar 15, 2019

It depends on if you believe in the Holy Spirit and his gifts today. I would not recommend the ESV study bible if you believe the Holy Spirit is working through Christians today. The commentary was written by multiple theologians with masters and doctorates but deny half the Gospel. Also, the text is very tiny.
If you have an iPad or laptop, e-sword is the best way to look through multiple bibles and commentaries for free. The best commentary I can recommend is that of William Henry. He has commentary on every verse in the bible and it's excellent. It's one of the free commentaries on e-sword once you buy the software.
I have paper bibles too and read the ESV and KJV, but if you want to tag and label verses so you can print them out later, and have the commentary and dictionary at your fingertips, you can't beat e-sword HD on the iPad.

worshipjunkie · Mar 16, 2019

Thanks everyone for their input! I ended up going with the ESV Global Study Bible. One reason was pricing- free for a Kindle version!, and the other was the reviews I read on it. I have Bible Gateway so I can access anything else I need that is missing. So far, it's just the right amount of 'extras'.

1watchman · Mar 21, 2019

Yes, there are a lot of good study aides in many book stores, but I was referring to Scriptural studies, not just aides to study. We need to get answers to "all the counsel of God" and see what Bible scholars down through history have learned and shared. A reliable source as I mentioned at Bible Truth Publishers, can provide deep and thorough ministry about every book of the Bible, people, church history, etc. You might find it a good source as I mentioned.

Ttalkkugjil · Mar 21, 2019

eleos1954 · Mar 22, 2019

The OP was Looking for a Study Bible,

at biblehub.com there is free access to many (not all) bibles, where one can compare many translations.

What people read/study outside of the Bible varies greatly and is of their choosing. However any teachings should be compared with Gods Holy Word.

God Bless.

worshipjunkie · Mar 23, 2019

I have to get that at some point, just to have.

Looking for a study Bible

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