Crossway’s website for the new ESV Study Bible just went up and it looks awesome! Let me clarify – the website looks great, but the Study Bible is what I am really impressed with! I think this will become the Study Bible that I recommend to the people at my church as well as my friends and family. Here’s why . . . .
First, this new Study Bible features the ESV translation. This has become my favorite bible translation by far. When people ask me why, I tell them it combines the readability of translations like the NIV with the reliability of translations like the KJV and NASB. I began using this version in seminary as soon as it first came out. And as I was preaching through Mark, one commentary in particular (written in the late 70’s, I believe) would say things like, “this phrase should be best translated as . . . ” and repeatedly, that’s what the ESV said. For the last several years, I have found places to quibble with the translation, but my overwhelming experience has been that of finding the ESV the best modern translation available today.
Second, this new Study Bible has a copious amount of features. Just about everything a person could want for studying the Bible is available in this new Study Bible:
- The ESV Bible text is set in highly readable 9-point type, in a single-column, book-text format.
- Section summaries are highlighted for easy location throughout the notes. Summaries provide an overview of each main section and correspond to the outline shown in the introduction for each book.
- Over 200 full-color maps printed throughout make events and places in the Bible come to life.
- Over 25,000 notes focus especially on understanding the Bible text and providing answers to frequently raised issues. Words from the Bible text are printed in bold for easy reference.
- Over 80,000 cross-references provide easy access to key words, passages, and themes throughout the Bible.
- Numerous diagrams bring fresh understanding to key places and events in the Bible, based on the best, most recent historical and archaeological research.
- Over 200 charts provide concise, “at a glance” summaries of important themes and teaching.
With over 93 evangelical scholars (including Tom Schreiner, Iain Duguid, Simon Gathercole, Paul House, John Piper, J. I. Packer, Wayne Grudem, Peter Gentry, and Walter Kaiser!) contributing to the notes and articles, these features contribute to making the Study Bible an excellent resource for personal Bible study, with the very best of Christian scholarship available at your fingertips.
Third, you get all of this on the go! The ESV Study Bible is also online and purchase of a print copy enables you to access the online version for FREE!
Finally, Crossway continues it’s trend towards increasingly “cool/contemporary” cover designs. While that’s not an essential component of a good study bible, it does help to get people excited about carrying and using their study bible. Currently eight editions are available for pre-order. And the best part is, these will also be durable editions. Each one is printed on high quality paper and has a Smyth sewn binding, “which is considered the finest Bible binding method and is designed to last a lifetime.”
Can you tell that I’m VERY excited about this new Study Bible? I believe this will set the standard for Study Bibles in the next few decades. Many of us have waited a long time to hold this book in our hands, and it is clear the wait was well worth it!
MAGNIFY CHRIST 
There’s only one thing I want for Christmas. And this year Christmas falls on October 15.
you said it, brother! thanks for stopping by; how have you been?
Doing good. Awfully busy, though. Been bivocational since last July, and I’ve got a long commute into Pittsburgh. Hope all is well with you!
things have had their ups and down since i came to bbc five year ago, but seem to be moving in all the directions right now. although that doesn’t mean there isn’t struggles and difficulties. right now i am trying to decide if i have the money to do my phd. long term i would like to teach (either here or overseas) and i have been told you really have to have a phd to do that these days. there is a non-residential phd through tbs in toronto & the university of wales i have been looking at, but it’s over twice as much as the dmin at sbts. my desire is only held back by my pocketbook right now!
John,
I have linked to your ESV post on our church website: http://www.beaverbaptist.org.
Speaking of which, I hope you wouldn’t mind too much if I “ripped off” your church’s webpage. I like your statements on the SBC and on Family-Driven Faith. I’d modify them a little to fit our situation, but it would save me time and brain power–that latter of which is in short supply at times.
I know what you mean about ups and downs. Right now we are small, but going in the right direction. I am currently preaching through the pastoral epistles with a view toward introducing plural eldership at BBC (our BBC, not yours).
I was aware that TBS had a non-residential ThM program, how does the PhD program work. Have you considered Stellenbosch? And, what area to you plan to study in? Curious minds want to know.
If overseas, are you thinking of teaching in the mission field? If so, there would probably be teaching opportunities that don’t require a PhD. Lot’s of need for training pastors, and a ThM or even MDiv would be sufficient.
les, what’s mine is yours! seriously, help yourself to whatever i have come up with. while the fdf piece if mainly mine, i based the sbc one on some material stuff from capital hill. i have adapted though, so it’s not a direct rip-off. anyway – help yourself to whatever you’d like.
we are in the final stages of moving to elders. if you want any of that material i can email that to you as well. right now we are training new deacons/elders and i hope to have an installation service at the beginning of december. pray for us!
i heard about the phd through wellum who introduced me to michael haykin who provisionally approved by dissertation – looking at the ministry of robert murray m’cheyne life and ministry as a model for contemporary pastoral ministry. now that i have put that out into the abyss of cyberspace i hope no one steals it! i don’t know about stellenboch – what’s the lowdown?
yes, training pastors is it. i never ant to leave the local church and preaching – i think that is my primary calling. however, i also feel a calling to combine my knowledge of the bible and experience as a pastor to train other pastors. i also feel a pull towards training pastors of new churches overseas, but could also see myself doing it here as well, either on a seminary or college level. so, it seems the phd would open up the widest range of possibilities. do you agree, or have some other advice? i’m open to both! :-)
Thanks for your permission to use your materials.
But how does TBS do PhDs? Their website only list programs up to the ThM. Unless you meant that they do it in conjunction with Univ. of Wales?
The M’Cheyne idea looks good. And I like the idea of your modernized M’Cheyne book. Kind of like Alistair Begg’s editing of Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening.
Yes, I’d like to look at your materials on elders! I’ll need to be training them. I know of Strauch’s manual, and Matthias Media has Pass the Baton.
You are right that the PhD opens up the most doors, but if you were in the third world, I think their would be opportunities to teach, if not as many. And even outside the third world you might find opportunities in church-based training. But I’m hardly an expert. I have one friend with a Bible college degree who is helping train pastors in Uganda.
yeah it is with UW. tsb just overlooks your progress on this side of the atlantic (which means they also get a little $). i will try to put together in some kind of coherent form (!) what i did and am doing right now. do you still have the same email as you did about 5 yrs ago?
Use les AT eutychus DOT net or pastor AT beaverbaptist DOT org.
Oh, about Stellenbosch. I don’t know much, but I believe that they have a respected non-residential PhD program. I believe Don Whitney is doing his PhD there (I think Stellenboach and Univ. of South Africa are the same thing). You’ll note there are a couple of contributors to the ESV Study Bible that did their PhD at Stellenbosch.
Have to check this one out.
please i am writig to you becaues i want u to mail me your rsv to;
justice akakpo
jaf school
p.o.box642
ashaiman
ghana
west africa
00233
please i would you to send me the ESV STUDY BIBLE .TP THIS ADDRESS
P.O BOX 3319 KAMPALA UGANDA 256