Bible Study Tools
“The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.” ― Charles C. Ryrie
Lately I keep getting the same questions: What are all those notes on your Bible? How do you get them? and What do all the colors mean?
Photo of my desk when I study, @myrenewedfaith
You see, when I read my Bible, I study it. Joshua 1:8 tells us we should keep his word "always on our lips, meditating on it day and night, so that we may be careful to do everything written in it.” So when I read it, I study it like I would any other textbook at school. I underline, I circle, I look up other parts of the book where words may be repeated (bc that means it’s extra important). I read other books and references that will help my understanding from more educated and experienced scholars and theologians. This is where my notes come from.
On my desk I always have:
First and foremost my main Bible, this is usually a journaling Bible so that there is space to write on. It has very little footnotes because it is meant to be used as a reading then journaling Bible. I love it because I can add any notes that I feel are important to the passage I am reading, or maybe what God speaks to me at that moment and time. The last two I’ve used and loved are:
The light pink Dayspring Illustrating Bible. It’s ginormous and thicc. It’s definitely more of an at-home Bible. It is 9 1/4" x 9 1/4" x 2" and the pages are 75% thicker than most Bible pages so that you can paint on it as well if you’d like to.
My Zondervan NIV Artisan Collection Bible; this is my number one Bible right now. I love it! I take it to church and I use it daily on my studies. It’s my journaling Bible for 2023. It’s the one you see pictured on our FB group and my Instagram. It is not too big or small and the font is 9.5 so I don’t strain my eyes trying to read it even without glasses. The paper is thinner than the Dayspring Bible but it’s not as thin as regular Bible pages. It’s thick enough for all my highlights and colored pens.
I also have my Zondervan NASB Study Bible that was gifted to my hubby when he started at Manhattan Christian College. I love it because it has tons of notes, plus the translation is highly respected, it’s word-for-word, and perfect for a little more info when I don’t understand a verse. The downside to study Bibles is that they don’t always give more info on every single verse, so that’s where commentaries come in.
For commentaries in book format I have one: The Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible. It “combines practical application, devotional insight, and scholarship on the entire Bible. Henry has profound insights on the content, message and nature of God's divine revelation.” I really love it for when my study Bible doesn’t have any notes or commentary on the verse or passage I’m looking at. The MH Commentary goes verse by verse on the entire Bible!
Lastly I keep my iPad, which is always open to my Logos Bible Software. In the Logos software I have other translations open (NLT, Reina Valera, and KJV) so that I can compare and contrast to what I’m reading. I also have other commentaries on there like the Bible Exposition Commentary, Holman Concise Commentary, and a book by Spurgeon on the Bible book I’m reading.
Lastly, my iPad and phone are always open to the following Bible Study Tools (these are pinned at the top of our FB group as an image):
NetBible.Org
EnduringWord.com
BibleHub.com
Matthew Henry Commentary online
BibleStudyTools.com
BlueLetterBible.org
BibleGateway.com
GotQuestions.org
All of these tools have helped me greatly in my study of the Bible. I go verse by verse most of the time, which takes me longer than just reading it, but I also learn a lot more. I research and I annotate the references on my Bible. I also color coordinate the passages. Say, for example, I highlight Job 12:16 in pink, then I annotate the side of that passage with the Matthew Henry Commentary note that jumped out at me. Well, then I draw a frame around it and point an arrow back to the passage; I also color it the same color as the verse it goes with. This helps me keep my notes streamlined. Each page starts a new color coding. It’s not all the same throughout the whole Bible. Not only does this make the researcher in me happy, but also the creative in me because I love color. I use all kinds of colors on my Bible, the colors don’t matter, but the brighter the better! I can make a new post on what kinds I use if y’all would like. I also use sticky notes when I run out of room or glue/tape any notes into my Bible I deem as important.
Job 12:16 in pink, then I annotated on the side of my Bible the Matthew Henry Commentary note that jumped out at me.
I love the way Dwight L. Moody put it,
“Merely reading the Bible is no use at all without we study it thoroughly, and hunt it through, as it were, for some great truth.”
