ESV Personal Study Bible Review

The Personal Study Bible has quickly become my favorite Bible! It has all the extras that I need as I study and the perfect size for holding or setting on the table while I annotate away.

Crossway sent me the ESV Personal Size Study Bible to review. I’m not obligated to give it a favorable review. So when I say this is my favorite Bible of all time, it has nothing to do with it being sent to me. It is just a fantastic Bible. (Even the Pastor is jealous.)

I got the Black Genuine Leather version. But it comes in six other cover options. There is a really pretty turquoise version that is too cute. Or a TruTone brown that looks awesome, as well. The leather cover option comes in the box shown– other covers may be packaged differently.

My favorite aspect of this Bible is the size. It is the perfect size. Substantial without being massive. It is very thick, don’t get me wrong. But it isn’t flopping all over the place while I read with a baby in my lap. (And these Le Pens are perfect for Bible study. They are a great size and don’t bleed through the pages. Great for underlining, circling, and writing notes.) (Mug is from Anthropologie.)

I also love the single column layout. That is my personal preference. It also has cross references in the center margin, which I love. And it has study notes at the bottom of the page. These notes are so incredibly helpful in personal study. You might be anti-study notes, but I like them.

It also contains maps, charts, and images as you go. That was incredibly helpful when reading through Joshua. It gave me a concrete image of all those promises fulfilled.

Each book also has a pretty detailed introduction. It lets you know the context of the book. Who wrote this? Why did they write this? Where are the places? What is the outline of the book? I have found these introductions to be helpful when diving into a new book.

There are also so many resources in the back: God’s Plan of Salvation, Biblical Doctrine, Biblical Ethics, Interpreting the Bible, Reading the Bible, The Canon of Scripture, The Reliability of Bible Manuscripts, Archaeology and the Bible, The Original Languages of the Bible, The Septuagint, How the New Testament Quotes and Interprets the Old Testament, The Bible in Christianity, The Bible and World Religions, The Bible and Religious Cults, History of Salvation in the Old Testament, Charts and Diagrams Index, Map Index, Concordance, Weights and Measures, and Full Color Maps.

The only part about this Bible that could be improved is the lack of ribbon markers. This fantastic Bible only has 1. (You know my ideal is 4.) But have no fear, I’m already at work tricking this beauty out to make up for the lack of ribbons.

I’ve already added these lovely Bible tabs (Storm) from Find Wondrous Things. (I’ll be discussing Bible tabs sometime soon. I’ve been buying, applying, and will be reviewing them in the near future.) (This mug is from Ethan Nicolle’s store.)

Do I recommend the ESV Personal Study Bible?

Absolutely! This is an excellent Bible for new and old believers alike. The size is perfect for study. No tiny print. But not so tall and wide it gets awkward. I absolutely love it. As usual, the cheapest place to buy this Bible is Christian Book Distributors.

Other Notes from the Parsonage Posts You Might Enjoy

• Bible Tabs
• ESV Women’s Study Bible Review
• ESV Student Study Bible Review

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