It’s not that I ever felt like I needed something else to study the Bible. I just got curious.
When I first got into the Bible, I started reading the book of John, and I wanted some insight into what I was reading. So I did what everybody does and Googled things. I found some commentaries, but now that I know what I know about scholarly reading, I’m not sure they were entirely accurate.
Then I found versebyversecommentary.com, and I was like, “Oh, I need more of this in my life.” That website is what really sent me down the rabbit hole, and it eventually led me to the ESV Study Bible.
These are the books that actually changed how I study the Bible. They’re resources I trust, because I can trace back their sources, and they’ve made the whole process so much more interesting.
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Read Your Bible First
Before I give you a single book, I need you to hear this: you don’t need a bunch of outside sources to read Scripture. The Bible is enough as it is.
The reason to read commentaries and books like these is to get a deeper understanding of what’s already there. They give you things like historical context that you just wouldn’t have otherwise, but none of them are necessary.
If you lean too hard on commentaries, you end up leaning on other people’s opinions instead of letting God’s Word be enough in your life. That’s why I really think you need to get into regular Bible study on your own first. Spend time reading it, praying about it, and getting to know the Word for yourself before you add anything else. If you’re not sure where to start, my free Bible study is a great place.
Study Bible vs. Commentary vs. Dictionary vs. Lexicon
If you’re new to all of this, here’s the quick version of what each one is:
- Study Bible: a Bible with a commentary built right in. The ESV Study Bible has commentary on the bottom third of each page covering the verses on that page.
- Commentary: someone’s educated opinion on how to understand specific passages of the Bible.
- Bible dictionary: a dictionary that defines specific biblical words, phrases, and topics.
- Lexicon: a dictionary for the original languages, like Greek.
The Books That Changed How I Study the Bible
The ESV Study Bible
This one really changed my life. My copy is heavily highlighted and covered in stickers, and I love that thing.
It opened up Scripture to me in a way nothing had before. I don’t have one specific moment, but I remember reading the book of John and going, “Wait a minute, hold on.” There was so much I didn’t understand and so much context I’d never had.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary
The Bible Knowledge Commentary (edited by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck) is a really great introductory commentary for anyone who wants to start going deeper. It’s scholarly, but it’s still approachable.
I used it in most of my bachelor’s papers, and I still use it all the time, including all through my Galatians Bible study.
Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
Experiencing God is such an incredible book because it makes you think about your relationship with God differently. And as you reconsider your relationship with God, you end up reconsidering your relationship with the Bible too.
You start reading it differently, because your relationship with Him is different, and it’s really, really cool.
On Guard by William Lane Craig
On Guard is a great introduction to apologetics. Some parts still go really deep, but it’s a solid overview of the philosophical questions so many of us (and the people around us) struggle with.
It answers a lot of those questions, and it also teaches you to think critically and differently about the Bible so you can actually defend it.
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi
This book is fantastic. It made me think about the Bible so differently, from how to process information to how to defend my faith. It also showed me why it matters and why people matter.
Qureshi also has a set of audio lectures and another book, No God but One: Allah or Jesus?, that goes explicitly into Islam versus Christianity. Both give you so much insight into how to have these conversations and how to think about the Bible differently.
Lee Strobel’s “Case” Books
All of Lee Strobel’s books are such a great place to start, especially these:
- The Case for Christ
- The Case for Faith
- The Case for a Creator
- The Case for Heaven
- Seeing the Supernatural
They give you introductory information on some really deep topics. You can learn professors’ names, dig into the source lists, and keep learning from there. You’ll learn more about the Bible, and about the evidence for God out in the world and how it reflects the Bible.
These books changed how I read the Bible, because I realized it’s a living, breathing book. It’s not just some storybook. It’s a document of history, and it’s really, really fascinating.
Logos Bible Software
Logos isn’t a book, but I use it way too often not to include it. I absolutely recommend it to regular readers, not just people studying seriously, and there’s a free tier.
It makes it really easy to access a lot of resources you couldn’t otherwise. Even when you ask it a question, it gives you sources so you can go find the actual information yourself instead of just handing you an answer and calling it good.
If You Only Get One or Two
The ESV Study Bible is a really great place to start, because it puts so many things in one place. Then check out the Logos app so you can ask questions and dig into sources as you go.
And remember, none of these replace time in the Word itself. They just help you go deeper into what’s already there. If you want help telling whether what you’re reading is actually biblically accurate, grab my free Discernment Guide.
