The ESV Student Study Bible is ideally suited for students who are serious about God's Word--who want to learn more about what the Bible teaches and how the Bible applies to all of life.With 12,000 clear, concise study notes, the ESV Student Study Bible provides numerous new features--including nearly 900 "Did You Know?" facts, 120 new Bible character profiles, and 15 new topical articles. It also features a new glossary of key terms, more than 80 full-color maps and illustrations, an extensive concordance, and 80,000 cross-references. These and many other features make it the most comprehensive, colorful, and content-rich student Bible available today. Suited to high school and college students, the ESV Student Study Bible is also a versatile resource for anyone engaged in serious study of God's Word.Created by an outstanding team of more than 100 evangelical Christian scholars, teachers, and pastors, the ESV Student Study Bible is adapted from the highly acclaimed and best-selling ESV Study Bible. With numerous new features, the ESV Student Study Bible is an invaluable resource. For high school and college students, but equally for all students of the Bible--for everyone who loves to read and learn more about God's Word.
Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name * They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author * They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
I really enjoy this study bible. Though I have only read a few books of it, I hope to read the entire thing by this time next year. Very informative and I love all of the study notes, did you knows, and character profiles; really helps in understanding God's word. I myself am a self proclaimed baby Christian, trying to soak up the word. My husband is well versed and loves this version as much as I do. There is always more to learn and this one is a great base.
First time reading the ESV, prior readings have been in the NKJV. Definitely enjoyed the ESV and look forward to further reads in this version and with the study footnotes.
Love this bible! Best one I've ever had. I've learned many important things from reading this esv students study bible. It has surely helped in increasing my faith and love for God and also giving me interesting facts to know about.
First, I want to encourage anyone, believer or non-believer to read through and capture the foundation of Christianity (and Judaism). I was blown away as I read through the full bible this year by the consistency and drive of God's love and desire for mankind throughout every book.
Second, I really enjoyed the ESV translation. It has become the translation I go to due to it's accuracy and ease of reading. Also nice to not be stuck in the same wording I became used to after years in the Church.
This was a great version with a lot of helpful notes. This was my first time reading through the entire bible, cover-to-cover, and I feel this version was easy to understand while keeping the integrity of the text.
I do my reviews in the form of a letter, which is why they are written like this.
Dear translators and theologians, Thank you for making this version of the Bible. I really like it, and I like how accurate of a translation it is. I can read it knowing that this is probably the most accurate translation that we have today, and I can trust it. I also like the notes that were added, the diagrams and the pictures, and the little "did you know" boxes. The little details made it easier and more fun to read. Thank you so much for making this Bible! Sincerely, Lena Marie
Interesting use of different perspectives to tell the story, though pacing can drag in "begats" chapters, and the cast can be unwieldy. Terrific use of foreshadowing. Looking forward to seeing more from this author.
I fell in love with the beautiful cover of this edition. The olive-colour referring to the mount of olives where Christ prayed with his disciples. It is a very relatable translation. The study-notes are concise and very helpful.
It might seem strange -- perhaps even blasphemous to some -- for a practicing Christian to criticize any translation of the Bible. On the other hand, there are so many translations, that to simply hand out five stars to any given translation is to blindly accept, not the inspired word of God, but, rather, the human translators and editors who inevitably bring to scripture their own agendas. And while it is hard to fault the accuracy and readability of this translation, I do have a number of criticisms. But it is also necessary to distinguish between the text and its commentary: this is, after all, a study Bible, and as such, it is meant to instruct by means of an explicit meta-text which carries with it an agenda of its own, apart from the inherent meaning of the Bible, per se.
For example, as a study Bible, this edition of the ESV suffers from a clear complementarian bias. This is only to be expected, given that its general editor is Wayne Grudem, one of the founders of the complementarian movement. One example of an obvious manifestation of complementarian theology is in the translation of the Greek word "adelphoi." When it suits the editors' purpose, this word is given a footnote which endorses its translation as "brothers and sisters." But when this would conflict with complementarian theology (e.g., James 3:1), it is simply translated as "brothers" without any qualifying footnote. This type of selectivity calls into question the ingenuousness of the translation as a whole, and clearly reveals an underlying agenda.
This agenda, which borders on an espousal of fundamentalist doctrine, is conspicuously emphasized in the "Articles and Resources" which follow the main text. Among these, in particular, are a number of assertions which would not survive a high school-level debate, such as the circular "justification" given for the inerrancy of scripture: scripture is inspired by God, which makes it inerrant, and its inerrancy is derived by its inclusion in scripture. Even more disturbing are the dogmatic assertions found in the final section on "Ethics" which, in essence, presume to speak for God in various absolutes.
In addition, these materials are rife with the sort of simplistic explanations which underestimate the audience, and are insulting to any thoughtful reader: "We need to apply the Bible in daily life because it alone is a sure and certain guide." Such assertions are thrown around without any attempt to justify or support them, and while they may be satisfactory to the least critical believers, anyone with a shred of intellectual curiosity -- let alone non-believers -- will be left with nothing to stand on. The Bible also instructs us to have a "ready answer" when asked about our faith, and this study Bible fails to provide any useful ones. It is not the text, but the commentary which mars this translation.
This was my first time reading through the entire Bible and IT IS THE BEST BOOK EVER!!! Seriously. The Word is living and active! Reading the Bible for the first time is like watching your favorite movie for the first time... but 10000000000x better!! It is riveting. Astounding. Perfect in every way. It is a historically accurate account of human history and all points to the main character of Jesus Christ and the way he lived his life, his death, and his resurrection that all may be saved who believe in Him! Jesus is the best. You are never going to read about another character who is more humble, wise, kind, loving, powerful... He is perfect. If I could give the Bible one million stars out of 5 I would.
Also, as for this specific ESV Study Bible, the format is lovely and ~ so helpful ~ for studying the Word on a pretty in-depth level without the use of other resources. I loved how an overview of each book was given that highlighted context and major themes, and the commentary and cross-references provided for almost every verse also helped with inductively breaking down verses.
So, would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes! Would a recommend it to a stranger! Of Course. I recommend reading the Bible to the whole wide world. After all... the B.I.B.L.E. is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
This translation was new to me and I liked it. I found some of the spiritual content that I find important, to be somewhat missing or overlooked in this translation and within the study notes and interpretations there is clear assumption of dominance of men over women. There were also some interpretations in the new testament notes which I could not find reason to connect given similar occurrences with interpretations elaborated upon clearly by Christ about events which occurred in the old testament. This dissonance is loud. Overall though, I found it a good study in which I learned a few new things and saw through another lens.
This study bible contains so many interesting facts and additional notes. It is really well written and easy to follow.
The first book I read was James (mid July 2020). At first glance, this book seems quite short, covering just a few pages, but talk about dynamite coming in small packages! As soon as I got started on it, it became clear just how important every little verse is. This book holds so much truth and life lessons. I remember wanting to summarise it for myself and my summary ended up being just as long as the book. It is really difficult to summarise a book when I feel the book is already an important summary! Reading James though, has genuinely encouraged me to dig deeper into my bible. I would encourage everyone to read the book of James!
I then went on to the Song of Solomon (26 July 2020)... and whoa... where was this engrossing book hidden all along?! This book is filled with intense passion and yearning.
Being utterly astounded by what I have been overlooking all these years, I decided to start at the beginning...with the book of Genesis (27 July 2020 to 6 August 2020). Hoping to get a fresh start on the Bible and gaining a deeper understanding as I go along.