The ESV Literary Study Bible
The UPS man just dropped off my brand spankin’ new copy of the ESV Literary Study Bible. I’ve been keeping my eye on this one for several months and looking forward to October rolling around when this Bible would be out in print. So… I thought I would post my early impressions on this fine translation…
For those of you not familiar with the ESV (English Standard Version), it sits right there with the NAS (New American Standard) translation. What this means to the reader is that it is a literal translation that will allow you to study God’s Word as close to the Hebrew and Greek texts as possible. Unlike looser translations, like the NIV, the ESV and NAS are much better study Bibles and free from a translater’s theological leanings. (Those of you who know me know I am not a fan of the “Message” by Peterson. The Message is not a translation but a paraphrase and should never be used for Bible study.) So, if you’re looking for a rock solid translation look no further than the ESV! (My pastor at church likes the ESV so much he’s got a little theme song!)
Straight from their web site here is a brief overview of this Bible:
Combining thousands of insightful notes with the complete ESV text, the new Literary Study Bible will help you understand God’s Word more fully, in all its richness and beauty. You’ll explore in detail the Bible’s story lines, complex characters, historical settings, literary genres, motifs, theological themes, imagery, and important terms, making the Bible come alive with greater clarity and impact.
What impresses me about this Bible is that it gives just enough background information on each book along with a theological overview. Unlike most study Bibles, this one doesn’t contain study notes on a verse by verse setup. (This is good as it will challenge the reader to actually read the Word of God and not the notes at the bottom of the page!) If and when you need a commentary you’ll need to refer to one. This added bit of work on our part I believe causes us to meditate more on difficult passages.
Thrown throughout the pages are callout boxes that explain certain elements of the theme of the section. There aren’t too many of these and the editors have done a fine job of placing them in sections where a literary background would be very helpful when reading certain parts of Scripture.
I really don’t have any bad things to say about this study Bible. In fact, the only little issues I have is that the pages are a yellow hue which for me makes the text a little hard to read. However, the yellow color does make it easier on the eyes and less reflective in heavily lit situations. The pages could be a little thicker - they won’t fair well with a hilighter!
One other thing I like is the layout of the text. It’s in a standard one column book layout and really is a joy to read given there aren’t a ton of footnote references or those commentary notes that many other study Bibles have crammed at the bottom of every page.
So… get yourself over to Amazon.com and order your copy today! It’s an excellent Bible!
Soli Deo Gloria!
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Had not heard about this coming out in print… Interesting. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the review!
How helpful do you find the commentary? I feel a bit conflicted using modern literary terminology to describe the Bible. And how is the font size? Thanks for the review!
Hi Joseph, this Bible does not include a commentary like what most would expect from the typical study Bible. (verse by verse explanations, etc.) Instead, this one focuses on a good overview at the beginning of each book that gives the literary focus and literary context of each book. Thrown throughout the Scripture are side notes that touch on literary aspects. Hope that helps! Also - if you visit http://www.esvliterarystudybible.org/ (their official site) you can download sample pages to check out the layout.
Superior post.Keep up the cool work,You must definitely have to keep updating your site