Bible Study Resources

 Here is where I am going to consistently update what resources I use in my studies, and some background information on them. Feel free to look through these as you study the Word of God with me. 

-Baker Commentary on the Bible: Based on the NIV: This is a Bible commentary that I do not usually use. I grew up with it, but I have not been overly impressed with it as a commentary, and there are some things in this commentary that I do not agree with. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this as a primary commentary, but it is a fair commentary to use alongside other commentaries if you are wanting the opinions of multiple scholars.

-Bible Gateway: Bible Gateway is an online resource for different translations of Scripture, which can be very helpful for Studying Scripture. It also has some commentaries and other resources, most of which can only be accessed if you subscribe and pay for a membership. I generally just use it for the various translations, as I don't have a big enough library to have all the Bible translations out there.

-Blue Letter Bible:  Blue Letter Bible is an online resource that not only has a wide array of Scripture translations, but it also has tons of free study resources, like commentaries, dictionaries, charts, maps, timelines, etc. that are excellent for believers to use who prefer a more tech approach, or who simply don't have enough money to have physical resources. You can access the website here: Blue Letter Bible

-The MacArthur Bible Commentary: This is one of my favorite Bible commentaries, and I actually use an ESV Study Bible with notes in it from this commentary. John MacArthur's notes are often extremely insightful, and if you're at the beginning of studying your Bible for the first time, I highly recommend this commentary. He is a well known Bible scholar, and an excellent pastor, and his life-long studies have given him a wonderful depth of insight into Scripture. However, that being said, keep in mind that his opinions on Scripture do not have the same weight and authority as Scripture, and there may be some points at which his theology does not line up with Scripture. If this ever occurs, the Bible's authority always outweighs any human wisdom. 

-Nave's Topical Bible: A Topical Bible takes all the passages about a certain topic and puts them together into one section which you can read through. The topics are arranged alphabetically, so you can search through the Bible on any major topic to see what the whole counsel of  Scripture says on that topic. 

-The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Strong's concordance is an excellent resource if you are wanting to see all the uses of a word, and to look up the original Hebrew or Greek meanings of an individual word, or the compound words that the original word is made up of. It is a very commonly used resource by Bible scholars. A few notes on using this: 

• This resource is based on the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible , so if you are using another translation, you might not find the exact word you're looking for in the English side. If you get stuck looking for a word, you can always look up/use a KJV Bible to find the correct word to pinpoint the word in the concordance. 
  
  
• The back of the concordance is divided between Hebrew and Greek. Each section starts off at 1 and continues from there. IF you look up a reference in the wrong section (looking for a Hebrew word in the Greek side, and vice-versa) you will not find what you are looking for, and you will likely become very confused. The trick is to remember that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, while the New Testament is written in Greek and Aramaic.

-Study Bibles: A study Bible is a Bible that often has notes at the bottom or side of the page from Bible scholars, often like a running commentary, on what more experienced scholars believe a passage to mean. They can often have maps, timelines, cross references to other passages that can give more context, and even Bible reading plans. For new believers who are overwhelmed with all the resources available to them, a good study Bible is an excellent place to start. I personally use an ESV study Bible called The MacArthur Study Bible. I generally agree with John MacArthur on most things, but again, remember that no one is perfect except God. While the notes from other scholars are very useful at interpreting Scripture, keep in mind that their opinions on Scripture do not have the same weight and authority as Scripture. 

-Unger's Bible Dictionary: This is my usual Bible dictionary, and it's very useful for looking up names, words, or concepts in English that are in the Bible. A lot of the terms in the Bible are English words that are not usually used in everyday language, and are not clearly or accurately defined in a regular dictionary. A Bible dictionary can be an excellent resource if you're needing a quick definition. That being said, a few of the definitions I found in here several years ago were a bit off, so not everything in it is something I agree with doctrinally. So take the definitions of theological concepts with a grain of salt, and if anything seems off to you, refer to other trusted resources to get another perspective on the topic. 

-Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words: This is another Bible dictionary I obtained, and I saw it was recommended by other scholars, but I'm not very comfortable using it yet. As such, I can only say that it's a Bible dictionary and can be a good resource if you're at a study roadblock. 

Wycliffe Bible Commentary: Commentaries are excellent for getting older believers' perspectives on a passage you don't quite understand. I highly recommend them for anyone who is newer to studying Scripture. The general setup is the commentator will go through the passage, section by section, and give their perspective on what they understand the passage to mean. The Wycliffe Commentary is one that I really appreciate.  However, keep in mind that their opinions on Scripture do not have the same weight and authority as Scripture.