Bible teachers, Bible students, and Evangelical Christians will especially welcome this edition of the English Standard Version (ESV) published by Crossway. Most Bible lovers will love it too!
In one thick volume, Crossway has packed scholarly but reader-friendly articles and extensive footnotes not usually found in a single study edition. For example, resources include:
Biblical Doctrine: An Overview
Biblical Ethics: An Overview
Interpreting the Bible
Reading the Bible
The Canon Scripture
The Reliability of Bible Manuscripts
Archeology of the Bible
The Original Languages of the Bible
The Septuagint
The Bible in Christianity
The Bible and World Religions
The Bible and Religious Cults
History of Salvation in the Old Testament
Concordance
Daily Bible Reading Plan
Weights and Measures
Map Supplement
And those are just the main headings.
Under each primary topic, you might find two well-researched articles – or a dozen! For instance, the section on “Reading the Bible” includes five articles on five perspectives: reading theologically, reading as literature, reading in prayer, reading for personal application, and reading for preaching and worship.
ESV: The editors deem the ESV “an essentially literal translation,” and I agree, considering it to akin to the New American Standard Bible but more contemporary and updated, which makes sense since it’s a few decades younger.
Binding: The ad shows a hardback cover that works well for any study edition as thick as this. However, the leather cover will last longer, which is important as this edition is one you'll want to carry to Bible study and read a lot.
Size: We’re talking big! So you might want to get two to equalize your balance and get a beneficial workout as you carry a hefty copy in each hand. To be more precise, Amazon stats weigh in the 2752 info-packed pages at 4.3 pounds compressed into 9.6 x 6.8 x 2.2 inches.
Font: The readable text comes in a serif font with the smaller but still readable footnotes in san serif.
More Notes on Notes: The amazingly thorough footnotes occasionally include maps, charts, or whatever is needed to illustrate the text on that particular page. Also, I find that the extensive information in this single volume might take 3 or 4 other study Bibles to find – if then! In addition, this ESV edition should include a code you can use to access the study materials online.
© 2012, ©2015 Mary Harwell Sayler
ESV Study Bible, hardcover
ESV Study Bible, genuine leather, indexed
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