THE BASIC GUIDE TO STUDY BIBLES In recent years the explosion of choice in regards to choosing a Bible has become to some a bit overwhelming. This guide has been made available to help cut through some of the confusion in picking out a Bible. This guide is focused on finding a good Bible to use in studying Scripture. Many Bibles on the market today have been developed for many different reasons, some even say that they are study Bibles. This has led to an overabundance of choice. This guide will be helpful in guiding you in the right direction. DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIBLES Devotional Bibles A devotional Bible focuses commentary and notes on the spiritual life of the believer. These bibles can be uplifting and inspirational and many Bible readers use them every day. There is nothing wrong with these Bibles as far as how they are used for their purpose. However, they have limited features that help the student to use them for study. Chronological Bibles The Bible in its original format is not chronological from cover to cover. Some have wanted to read the Bible in the order of the events it describes so chronological Bibles were compiled. These Bibles are arranged to be read as much like a history book as possible by following biblical events in the order they have been thought to occur. These Bibles are good attempts to order the Bible in history though some events defy dating (the book of Job for instance). They are helpful for learning and they have some study value though these do lack many features of a full featured study Bible. Many study Bibles include a chronological reading plan so the format of the chronological Bible is mostly just for convenience sake. Application Bibles As the name implies the study notes and commentary are focused on how to apply the Bible to your life. This type of Bible has been the most popular type of Bible for decades. The NIV Life Application Study Bible is one of the most popular Bibles on the market. While these editions have been a tremendous value for many people they fall short in a few categories when it comes to serious Bible study. Since they devote much of their comments to application this makes less room for factual information. The point of Bible study is on a basic level a search for application. These Bibles suggest applications from the start instead of letting the student discover them. Self-discovery is a very important component of Bible study, and some would say the very purpose of it. The best interpreter of the Bible is the Bible itself. While the reference system in an application Bible is good, an analytical Bible has far more reference points. That means there is more Scripture to compare, and therefore a better understanding of the passage can be formed. Study Bibles Study Bibles are Bibles with extra features and helps to be used in understanding the text. They usually have notes to help explain difficult passages, they have articles, outlines, book introductions among other features. There are a variety of types to choose from. Some have a particular theme such as The Apologetics Bible which focuses on defending the faith, or the Quest Bible which focuses on questions for new believers. These Bibles are good for their purpose and many people use them and are
benefitted by them. The other class of study Bible in this category is the general purpose study Bible, such as the ESV Study Bible, or the NIV Study Bible, are good study Bibles with notes that speak to a general audience, and work not to come from any one perspective. These Bibles are good but there is a category of study Bible that is perfect for study, and gives you the tools that make it easy to study the Bible on your own. Analytical Study Bibles What is an Analytical Study Bible? It is a Bible that has helps and tools for the Bible student to use to analyze Scripture. The difference between this type of Study Bible and the ones most people have is that other Bibles have study notes, articles, and applications that tell you what the passage means. Many Bibles work to take a neutral approach to the text however some are not. With an analytical study Bible the objective is to help you analyze the text for yourself. The tools are all geared to give you information that you can use to make your own observations. This is the most helpful information to have because it allows you to discover the truths of the Bible for yourself. There is no substitute for self-discovery because you can hear information from many sources but the source you will most listen to and apply is your own personal experience. DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS Why are there so many translations of the Bible? This is a question that is often asked when searching for a good translation. There really could be virtually unlimited translations of the Bible. This is because the original language can always use further clarification. This coupled the fact that words change over time. They can fall out of use and become archaic, they can change meaning over time, or new words can be coined that give a better translation. What does not change is the philosophy behind the translation. The way a version is translated is the best way to see if the translation is going to be useful for the purpose you are going to use it. There are two basic philosophies of translation, one is better for reading and one is better for study. All Bible translations fall somewhere along this continuum. Word for Word (Literal) Thought for Thought (Dynamic Equivalence) Word for Word vs. Thought for Thought A word for word translation of the Bible is known as a literal translation. This is because the philosophy behind the translation is to translate each original word into one word in the target language. The most literal translation is called a straight translation or a mechanical translation. This is a translation that takes the original words and translates them directly with the target language without paying any attention to sentence structure or syntax. Many times, it sounds like Yoda speaking. So there must be a minimum amount of attention paid to English sentence structure and some words must have multiple words supplied to have the sentence make sense to the reader. A literal translation works to keep this to a minimum so that the translation is as close to the original as possible. A thought for thought translation also known by the term Dynamic Equivalence. The philosophy behind this translation is to take the thought or meaning behind the text and translate it into an equivalent thought or meaning in the target language. This is helpful for idioms (phrases that have a specialized meaning). In American English to kick the bucket means to die. If you translated that into Chinese word for word it would make no sense to them. You would have to find an equivalent idiom in
Chinese. However, a pure thought for thought translation will do this with most of the text as a philosophy of translation. The idea is to make the text more understandable to target audience. To do this the translator must do more interpretation of the text. This attempt to bridge the gap between the original text and the target language can introduce more interpretation into the text than is needed, and in some instances, change the meaning. The further on the spectrum toward thought for thought the more interpretation is done for the reader and the greater chance there is for misinterpretation. Now if you are aware of this then you can be more discerning as you read different versions of the Bible. A Balancing Act Now that we have defined the two ends of the spectrum we can begin to understand where translations fall upon the spectrum. The translations in the middle of the spectrum strive to achieve a balance between word for word and thought for thought. This is trying to have the best of both worlds and for the most part they succeed for general purpose use. The only difficulty comes in knowing when a word for word approach is being used and when a thought for thought approach is being used without really digging into the original language. As a rule, if you want a Bible to study from a word for word philosophy of translation is going to be easier to use. A Word About Paraphrases A Paraphrase is the opposite of a straight literal translation. It only considers what the text means to the translator and pays little to no attention to the original words, structure or meaning of the original text. The original text is secondary to the interpretation of the author. A paraphrase is a restating of the original meaning with the authors own thoughts. Which may or may not be valid. A paraphrase is essentially a commentary on the Scriptures. Though now paraphrases are called translations and marketed as translations when in fact they are paraphrases. Translations Along the Spectrum
(A full comparison guide is available with the Basic Bible Study Method online course) MY TOP TRANSLATION RECCOMENDATIONS These are recommendations if you want to use a translation for studying the Bible. There are many other reasons to pick a Bible such as: Devotional reading, reading for enjoyment, easy reading etc. When picking a Bible, precision is what matters. These recommendations are for finding a good Bible to do your in-depth study of God s word. New American Standard Bible (NASB) This is my top pick for studying the Bible in English. It is the most literal translation and if you are going to study the Bible in English this is the best version for analyzing the text. It is not as good for reading books of poetry like the Psalms because it does not do justice to the poetic nature of the book. The translation has been around long enough so that there a good many study tools including an exhaustive concordance which not every translation has. It is the top recommendation for student who take the Basic Bible Study Method course. English Standard Version (ESV) This is my second pick for studying the Bible in English. More and more tools are becoming available for this version of the Bible and many pastors and churches are using it as the translation they teach out of. It does read easier than the NASB and is gaining some popularity. In my opinion it is a close second, however when I study the ESV I see many places where I would rather they stick closer with the literal than they do. These differences would be pretty much insignificant to the beginning Bible student so I still recommend it. If pressed I would choose an NASB. New King James Version (NKJV) For those who like the KJV but really can t handle the archaic language the NKJV Bible is the one for you. It keeps the same sentence structure as the KJV in many cases which makes it feel more familiar for those who have a lot of exposure to the KJV. There are many Bible tools geared for the NKJV and many churches use this version as their teaching version. For the most part it uses the same body of texts as the KJV. The NKJV also makes corrections of the KJV where there were glaring errors that have been revealed since it was written. King James Version (KJV) The King James Version of the Bible is by far the most popular translation of the past 400 years. It is the first English translation from the original manuscripts available to the translators at the time. It has archaic language meaning there are words that are no longer in common usage. This can be good because it will force you to look up more words and learn the Bible better. Many verses and passages are poetic, meaning they are written in iambic pentameter for easier memorization. Also, some passages have come down into the public through the King James Version of the Bible and are very familiar. So, it is a good translation to study if you choose it. One good thing about the KJV is that it has a word for the plural form of you (ye) which has gone out of use in English. It is helpful for understanding who the author is speaking to.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR The above comments are my recommendations for what translation to choose. While the translation is the most important factor in choosing a Bible, it is not the only factor below are some other factors you will want to look at when choosing a Bible. Facts vs. Interpretation Does the Bible have study notes? Are those study notes objective or do they promote an opinion or a theology? Read the study notes and see if they are giving facts or if they are teaching opinions. Can you tell the difference between the two? If it is hard for you to tell the difference between the two, then maybe that is not the Bible for you. Outlines Check the beginning or end of one of the books in the Bible you are looking at and see if it has an outline. Is the outline detailed or basic? Read through the outline to see if it makes sense. You may or may not like outlines but a good study Bible will have good outlines. Book Introductions When you go to the beginning of one of the books in the Bible you are looking at does it have a book introduction or summary or both? A book introduction gives the date the book was written, the audience, the place, gives some major themes, and reasons the book was written. A summary is a short explanation as to the contents of the book. A good study Bible will have an introduction and a summary. Maps Turn to the back of the Bible and look at the maps. Are there maps? Do you want maps? Are the maps in color? Flip through the pages and see if there are any maps inserted in the text. Do the maps include a lot of place names? Do they cover different periods of the Bible? Articles In the front of the Bible there should be a list of articles or other special features spread throughout the text. These are little articles about subjects that the publisher thought would make a good addition to the Bible. The same rules apply for these as for study notes. Are they objective? Are they helpful? Do you like them? Do you need them? Reference Systems Look for a good reference system. I like center column references because there seem to be more of them. Other people want single column text for reading. Look to see if there are a lot of references. Look up a few references from a sample verse you like. See if the references make sense. Does the Bible have a concordance in the back? Are there a good amount of entries for the concordance or is it sparse? Try to pick a Bible with more references. WHAT TO AVOID These are things that will not be helpful if your goal is to study the Bible. Anyone of these issues may be just fine if you have another purpose in mind
Paraphrases A paraphrase should not be the main text used to study the Bible. A paraphrase could be used as a commentary after you already have a grasp of the meaning from the Bible. Then you can read the paraphrase and agree or disagree with it. Since a paraphrase is just a restating of the original meaning in the words of the author it can give you ideas that are not found in the Bible. These ideas are easier to learn than unlearn in most cases. It is best to treat paraphrases as commentaries and not as translations for daily reading. Readability Be careful when a Bible is marketed as being readable. This usually means that the vocabulary has been limited to exclude harder words, or to bring the reading level down for different ages. If you are going to study the Bible there is no reason you need an easier reading version. If you are in high school or you have graduated from high school, there is no reason you should not be able to read anything from the ESV up on the table below: Niche Bibles Version Grade Age KJV 12+ (ages 17+) RSV 12+ (ages 17+) NRSV 11+ (ages 16+) NASB 11+ (ages 16+) AMP 11+ (ages 16+) ESV 10+ (ages 15+) NIV 7+ (ages 12+) NET 7+ (ages 12+) GNT 7+ (ages 12+) NKJV 7+ (ages 12+) HCSB 7+ (ages 12+) NLT 6+ (ages 11+) CEV 5+ (ages 10+) Message 4+ (ages 9+) Living 4+ (ages 9+) NCV 3+ (ages 7+) ICB 3+ (ages 7+) NIrV 3+ (ages 7+) A niche Bible is a Bible designed and marketed to a specific group of people. There are Bibles for those in the military, work as the police, work as a doctor, student versions, child versions, famous bible teacher/pastor versions, and just about every other segment you can think of. If you want to be a Bible collector, then these Bibles could all be on your list. There is no reason to pick one of these Bibles to study from. It is best to avoid them. TOP RECCOMENDATIONS These are my top recommendations for best study Bibles. I personally own each of these Bibles but there is no reason you have to do this. I own them all because I love to study my Bible and I like to see
how all the Bibles work. I purchased each of these for very specific reasons. The following Bibles have a focus on analyzing the text of the Bible. This I would argue is the best reason to buy a study Bible. The Thompson Chain Reference Bible (NASB, ESV, NKJV, KJV) The Thompson Chain Reference Bible is by far my most favored study Bible. The main feature is the chain reference system. It takes keywords and traces the subject through the text of the Bible by giving key verses in a chain from beginning to end. Talk about a time saver! Not only that it has the most comprehensive set of tools for studying the Bible all in one volume. It is the only Bible that I know of that has an archaeological supplement. It has charts, maps, outlines, summaries, cyclopedia, and diagrams. I like it so much that a made a little explanation and guide. I included this guide in my Basic Bible Study Method course and if you are interested you can get it there. This is the only study Bible I would recommend for the beginning Bible student. The rest of the Bibles in this list are more scholarly if you have been studying the Bibles for years and you haven t seen these I would suggest you take some time to review them. The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB, ESV, NKJV, KJV) This analytical Bible is a perfect for doing keyword studies. This Bible will help you do a keyword study from the original language. The Basic Bible Study Method will teach you how to do a keyword study in with an English Bible. This Bible makes it easy to look up original words in Greek and Hebrew. It focuses on keywords. The notes are neutral and designed to give you more understanding into the text. There is a Greek and Hebrew dictionary in the back as well as a concordance and center column cross references. Overall a good Bible with good tools. The New English Translation (NET) Bible The NET Bible is an online Bible that has the broadest collection of translators contributing to it. It resided only online at first but has since been printed. The key feature of this Bible is that it gives both translation notes and study notes. The study notes are just so-so because they are not as neutral as one would like, but the translation notes are great if you want to see why a word was translated the way it was. This is helpful because you get to know the issues behind the text. This Bible should not be the first study bible that you get. I don t think it is even available in stores, but if you were going to Bible college I would suggest picking one up as it is one of the best scholarly Bibles out there. Not only that if you go to the website then you can check out their study environment which is well done. The Archaeological Study Bible (KJV,NIV) You could say that this Bible is fairly single-purposed as well. I mention it here because there are not a lot of Bibles that go into the archeology that has been discovered in relation to the Bible. It is a great Bible that was done with full color pages. It does not have all the helps that the other Bibles have but it is just so cool I had to mention it. Archaeology is important because it brings the text of the Bible into reality. The Bible talks about real people, places and events and now you can see that as you read through the text. The major difference between the archaeology in this Bible and the Thompson chain is that in this Bible the articles are inserted right into the text where they appear in the Bible in the Thompson Chain you have to look them up in a reference in the back. Again, maybe not your main study Bible but definitely one to look at.
The following section is was taken from a great article I read on this topic. The author is listed in the section title. He has some good descriptions of major study Bible features, as well as, insight as to the viewpoint of many study Bibles. I thought it was good information to share with you in this guide. BIBLE HELPS, TOOLS, AND FEATURES (The following list was written by John R. Kohlenberger III) The Translation Proper The single most important feature of a study Bible is its text its translation because the most important activity in studying the Bible is reading it. In the nineties, all the best-selling translations have a wide variety of study systems, sizes, and bindings, although not every study system is available in a variety of translations. Introductions and Outlines Introductions usually inform one as to the author, readers, date, origin, and content of a book or section of the Bible; outlines display the contents of a book. Introductions and outlines differ in thoroughness and length, but introductions can also differ in perspective. Those written by conservative scholars take the Bible s self-witness at face value. They agree that Moses wrote all or most of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), that Paul wrote 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, and that Peter wrote 2 Peter because the books themselves say so. Most non-conservative or liberal scholars use criteria other than the text of the Bible to evaluate its statements and claims. Thus, most liberal scholars believe that a series of editors wrote the Pentateuch, that a disciple or disciples of Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles, and that 2 Peter was written a good half-century after Peter s death. As a result, the introductions might be the first place to check to discern whether a study Bible takes a conservative or liberal interpretive perspective. Cross-References One of the most useful features of a study Bible for analyzing the biblical text is its reference system. Cross-references link verses and passages on the basis of similar words, phrases, and concepts. Crossreferences are usually found in a column beside the text, as in The Harper Study Bible; between two columns of text, as in The NIV Study Bible; or in the notes, as in The Companion Bible. The most specific reference system is in the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, which identifies the topic that is referenced, keys it to a numbered topical index, and sends the reader to the next verse in its chain of references. Notes Much of the time, notes simply illuminate the text with definitions of obscure or meaningful words, explanations of customs, cross-references to similar passages, enlightenment from historical background, and similar objective information. As in the case of introductions, the notes often betray an alignment with a particular theological or critical approach to the text. The notes of the New Jerusalem and New American Bibles, for example, are noticeably Catholic in certain texts. Scofield and Ryrie are both conservative and dispensational. The New Oxford Annotated Bible and The HarperCollins Study Bible take a liberal/critical approach. Dake is pentecostal.
These theological positions can determine the tone and volume of the notes. The Catholic study Bibles tend to emphasize the historical dogmas of the church at key texts such as Matthew 16:17-19. Scofield and Ryrie emphasize distinctions between Israel and the church and literal fulfillment of prophecy (e.g., Acts 15:15-17). The New Geneva Bible takes a nondispensational approach at these texts. Notes in liberal study Bibles often counter the literal understanding of the text (e.g., Josh. 10:11) and point out stories and events they feel are contradictory or fabricated (e.g., Judg. 1; 1 Chron. 21). Pentecostal and charismatic writers give extra attention to texts dealing with healing and spiritual gifts (e.g., Matt. 8:17; Acts 2). Concordance and Index As the cross reference system connects key words, phrases, and concepts through the biblical text, the index or concordance lists such connections in a section separate from the text. In function, an index and concordance are about the same. A concordance, however, is more specific in that it deals only with specific words, while an index can deal both with specific words and with general subjects and concepts. Dictionary A Bible dictionary, like an English dictionary, defines key technical words of the text. Like an encyclopedia, however, it goes beyond definition to give explanatory articles about Bible people, places, events, and subjects. Its information is drawn primarily from the biblical text and is often supplemented by historical, archaeological, and other biblical reference works. Maps Just about every Bible in print has a set of maps bound into it. More recent editions, such as the NIV Study Bible and The Word in Life Study Bible, have dozens of in-text maps detailing locations and movements in the biblical narrative. Many sets of maps are indexed so that countries, cities, and natural landmarks can be easily located. Charts and Other Illustrations Charts gather and display biblical and historical data in a more visual form. The Thompson Chain- Reference Bible was one of the first to make extensive use of charts in outlining biblical history, character studies, and topical information. The New Open Bible and The Word in Life Study Bible use charts to diagram and summarize the contents of each book of the Bible. The NIV Study Bible has three dozen charts that gather biblical materials and integrate them with historical and cultural information. Special Essays and Articles Most study Bibles have special articles on such subjects as how to understand the Bible, outlines of biblical history and archaeology, theological themes, the history of Bible translation, and so on. One can almost evaluate the articles in a study Bible by its table of contents. The titles and number of pages alone may reveal how useful they are and how often one might consult them. Some are so brief or general that one may read them only once or never at all. Harmony of the Gospels and Old Testament History Many study Bibles organize the events of the Gospels into a roughly chronological outline, showing both the parallels and unique accounts of each. This parallel outline is called a harmony, usually presented in
the subheads of the biblical text or as a separate feature. Some more recent study Bibles, such as The NIV Study Bible, do the same for OT parallels. HAPPY STUDY BIBLE HUNTING I hope that this guide has given you a good deal of information about picking out a good study Bible. I wrote this guide because it is hard to take a video in the store while you are shopping for a study Bible. This saves you the time to take notes and you can keep this with you as a handy resource. Whatever Bible you choose I pray that God leads you into all truth through the Holy Spirit and that you are richly blessed in the Study of God s Word. Thank you for taking the time to read this guide. If you received this free guide, then I also offered you a free preview of the Basic Bible Study Method course. If you saw the entire free preview, then you saw the special offers that go along with the Basic Bible Study Method. If you didn t make it through the free preview, then you missed the FREE LESSON I offered. Just click on FREE LESSON and it will take you to the page where you can get you FREE LESSON and learn a little bit more about the importance of Bible study. Grace and peace to you, Jason Swofford Founder Pilgrims Light Developer of the Basic Bible Study Method