Good post.
My first study bible was the Mac Arthur NKJV (Hardcover) that was around before the NASB release. I was lost with that joint. It was over my head. About 1 year later as I matured more in my understanding of scripture that book became very valuable. At or around the same time I picked up Zondervan's Greek-Hebrew Key-Word Study Bible which exploded my understanding of scripture through the knowledge of the original language. It wasn't rich in commentary notes but it came with a Greek-Hebrew concordance in the back which was the equivalent of a Lexicon based on Strong's Concordance numbers. There truly was a focus on keywords in every verse that brought that particular passage to life in a way that no other study bible was able to do for someone who does not know Greek-Hebrew.
It also had a dictionary which was most useful in further defining these terms (with Strong's reference) accurately according to their participles citing multiple references to compare. I did not realize I was engaging in etymology nor did I know what it was because my curiosity would grow more and more with each word I discovered. I recommend it for anyone who is serious about their bible studies.
I don't use it as much today as I did 3-4 years ago because of the knowledge I have recorded in memory but I do find myself going back to it when temperature rises theologically or just to re-affirm my belief in a particular doctrinal area.
I only have 3 Study Bibles at the moment. I give most of what I have away and don't always replace it. Although I have replaced that Key-Word study bible about 4 times. I have to keep at least 1 on the shelf.
=)
I've never bought a study bible! Thanks so much for this article! It is really helpful :)
I have been studying ma bible for ages now.But I didnt know a lot of the stuff ur shared.real awakening.But I do use the Daily Bread and its fresh.God bless in the ministry ur involved in.
My dad-in-law recently gave me one of his Nelson study bibles. So far its really great. My mom just got her MacArthur study bible in the mail and so far she likes it. I'm curious about the MacArthur study bible. I've just recently started studying Gods Word seriously and I'm not really following any regimen but I do read a few verses and then refer to the notes on those verses. If anyone has any suggestions on bible study tips please let me know. Thanks
Good article famo. For me personally as of late, in light of purchasing an ESV Study Bible, I have been concerned about how extensive is the concordance and how practical would it be to carry my study bible around. I appreciate the abundance of study materials such as the articles, introductions, outlines, and maps among others, but this lead to bible needing to be bulky to accommodate it all. As a result of the massiveness of the bible I can't carry it around as easily as I could my previous study bible , which was the NIV, in addition to school books I have to make room for in my backpack since it takes up the space of 2-3 texts. The inability to lug it around with other books is a minus for me considering it is often at certain points in the day in between or after classes I get the most time to my self to delve into the word for devotional or some in depth study time in the word, but in order to so I need to carry my bible on me along with my texts for school. As of now I typically use it only when I'm at home as a desktop resource for an alternative translation along with my an NKJV Study Bible I have (which is horrible with it's tiny font, crowded layout, and lack of space along the margins for handwritten notes). Another issue I have with my ESV is that even with the wealth of exhaustive resources accompanying the translation they neglected to have a concordance up to par with them. All I can say is that the listings are few especially in comparison to that of the NIV. A concordance is something I really appreciate in light of moments I can only remember a few words or sadly just one word of a passage I eagerly trying to look for. Apologies for the long reply. These are just a few things that immediately came to mind in light of your article man regarding study bibles. With that said man thanks for the article I will be taking to heart some of the criteria you've mentioned regarding considering compatibility with one's theological background. That is one thing I can I say i didn't have major issues with when it came to the ESV considering the major Reformed contribution to it. Thankfully they tried to layout out alternative positions on matters of soteriology and eschatology. Any way thanks again. Peace.