Pastor Bob's Guide to Choosing a Study Bible

So, you're going to read through the Bible with us in 2009. What a great decision you've already made! Now comes the next one--what Bible should I choose?

Some of you will have an old, trusty Bible that you've carried for a lot of years and that has served you well. I have a Bible like that on my shelf that was given to me in high school that has lots of highlights and notes in the margins (and a note from a girl I liked at the time). Others may only have an old King James Bible stuck on a shelf somewhere and are looking for a new Bible for a new adventure in biblical study.

Well, let me make a few suggestions first about what to look for in a good Bible. You'll see some of my biases and preferences in here, so take that into account when purchasing a new Bible. When I am asked, "Which Bible should I get?" my answer is always, "The one that you'll read!" The bottom line is to choose one that you are comfortable with and gives you a good solid grounding in studying God's Word.

First, you should be looking for a "study Bible," one with some commentary and notes within its pages. A good study Bible will help you flesh out what you're reading with some background information and give you some introduction and context for each biblical book. Best thing to do is go to a bookstore and leaf through a few of them to get an idea of what they're like. The Christian Center bookstore here in Park City has a number of different types for you to browse through. I have some favorites, but more on that later.

The second, and perhaps most important choice concerns translation. There is no perfect Hebrew/Greek to English translation because of the difference in languages, but there are some that are quite good and that are readable. First, make sure you get a translation and not a paraphrase. The Living Bible and The Good News Bible, for example, are paraphrases which make the text readable for a wide audience but are less faithful to the original language. Good translations include The New International Version (which we have in our church pews) and the New Revised Standard Version, which has become the gold standard for most academic and ecumenical Bible study. Either one of those translations will be readable and accessible.

Third, you want a study Bible with good tools, like a concordance (an index of key words and where they're found in the Bible), an atlas with readable maps, and a glossary of biblical terms. While no study Bible has these in exhaustive form, they are still a valuable resource. I also recommend that you bookmark the web site biblegateway.com, which has a great concordance search engine. Just type in a word and it will give you all the references to that word in the Bible.

Fourth, you want to get a Bible that you enjoy carrying around and reading. I'm a sucker for a leather-bound Bible, but hardback Bibles are also very popular. Study Bibles tend to be thicker than a regular Bible, so a good binding will help hold all those pages together. If you want to be really fancy, you can get a cover for your Bible (my mom loved those), but that's more of a fashion statement than a necessity.

Now, on to some specific recommendations, both from me and from others in the church who've waxed poetic about their Bibles (again, if they read it, it's the best for them!)

I'm a very big fan of The New Interpreter's Study Bible these days because I think it has the most comprehensive notes from a broad theological perspective. I use this all the time in my own study, along with the larger 12-volume New Interpreter's Bible, which is a wonderful commentary. The notes and maps are excellent and provide excellent background on the text without being presumptuous of interpretation, leaving that to the reader. One drawback is that it's very, very BIG (it also contains the books of the Apocrypha, some extra-biblical material), but that's a minor quibble.

The lesser-known Access Bible is also a great study Bible that I used heavily before the NISB came out. It's got an ecumenical approach as well and some great scholarship.

A lot of folks also like The Archaeological Study Bible, which is great for armchair historians and archaeologists who want to delve deeper into the history and anthropology of the text. Great pictures, notes and maps are featured throughout the text.

The NIV Study Bible is also a good one. It's not as comprehensive as the New Interpreter's, but it's still very good and would be a great choice if you're looking for a starter study Bible.

I see a lot of people carrying The Life Application Bible, too, but I gotta be honest and say that I'm not a big fan. The commentators want to jump too quickly to applying the text without pulling in the context first, in my opinion. I don't like it when a commentator spoon feeds me his or her own theology without allowing me to wrestle with the text on my own. Still, it does have good maps and tools, so if you have one of those and want to use it, by all means do so. Again, whatever Bible you're going to read is the one you should use!

For those of you who prefer an electronic version of the Bible, there are some wonderful Bible programs out there. I use the Logos Systems software and am absolutely thrilled with it. It gives me multiple English versions of the Bible along with the original languages, a library of search and reference tools, commentaries, maps, etc. all at the click of a mouse. If you're interested in learning more about this method of Bible study, stop by or give me a call. I'd love to show it to you.

The choice is really up to you. Whatever you choose, I hope you'll bring your Bible with you to worship each week and give it a workout!

Comments

[twitter.com/CoolestRevEver]

Howdy,
May I ask what version of Logos you have?
Are the resources worth it? I'm worried about shelling out the dough only to find out that its filled with public domain drama.
Blessings.

[Bob Kaylor]

I have the Scholars Version (Mac) and love it. The Greek tools are very helpful. The commentaries run toward the conservative side and I wish there was a broader representation, but the language tools alone are worth it. Awesome to have the whole Kittel at your fingertips when you're working on a passage. Hope that helps!

[Clay Knick]

I use study Bibles on the desk in the study. I carry others with me: a leather NRSV that Zondervan no longer publishes, another one from Cokesbury that they no longer publish often goes with me on trips. I have an NIV I've nearly worn out and took with me to Israel & an RSV (which I still love!) that I used in theological school that also went with me to Israel.

I still like the New Oxford Annotated Bible, 3rd Edition, in the RSV or NRSV & the NIV Study Bible. I also like the New Interpreter's. Again, these stay on the desk, but get looked at during prep.

Oh, I really like the updated NIV. Great for reading and study, but I still like the RSV for close study of a text.

[Clay Knick]

By the way, I should have said I like the New Oxford Annotated Bible in the 2nd edition, not the 3rd or 4th(!)
The 2nd edition is better and still has Metzger's guiding hand on it.