I picked up a copy of the ESV Literary Study Bible (Crossway) a few weeks ago now, and I have enjoyed it so much, I thought I would write about it. Here are some things I love about this Bible:
Single Column Format: Instead of the traditional 2-columns per page, this Bible has one column, making the read much more like a regular book.
Large Margins: For those of you notetakers, you shouldn’t be disappointed with the margins in this Bible.
No Sub-headers or Section Breaks: All of the sub-headers and section breaks are removed, allowing the reader to read the text without interruption. This is a huge plus for me, as I had the tendency to flip through the Bible looking for a sub-header that looked interesting to me. Also, sub-headers and section breaks gave me more reasons to stop reading. When you come to a section break with a new sub-header, it feels like an easy stopping point. More importantly, without the headers and breaks, it allows you to read the Bible better in context.
Small Verse Numbers: Yet another feature to create less divides and make it more fluid to read. Even verse numbers can at times make you mentally break up the Bible into chunks. The verse numbers are small enough to ignore, yet when you are intentionally looking for them, they are not difficult to see.
No Cross-Referencing or Verse-by-Verse Commentary: I’m sure this would get mixed reviews. However, I really like this. But, how can a “Study Bible” not have these!? Simple. Just redefine your definition of a study Bible. Cross-referencing and commentary can sometimes leave you relying on other sources for answers. Without those, it give you a greater ability to chew on the text on your own for a while, in its right context, and meditate over it, without being distracted.
Tasteful Book Introductions: I really appreciate the introductions. They stay very relevant to the book without adding a bunch of other stuff that doesn’t directly apply.
Literary Focus: I am not much of a literary guy, but I would like to be more so. From my understanding, the authors realize that the type of writing is important to better understanding it. You can read more about it if you wish.
Overall, it is a refreshing change from the typical format of the Bible. It is by far the best layout of a Bible that I have seen. The ONLY thing that I have found that I do not like about this Bible is the author’s names on the front cover. It just slightly rubs me the wrong way. That is a very minor detail though. I highly recommend the ESV Literary Study Bible to anyone.
Bible
