Which Study Bible is Best? (2023 Reviews of Newer Popular Study Bibles) 

As a woman, I TOTALLY agree with your assertion that women's Bibles, and many of the women's Bible Studies, are watered down and geared toward an "emotional woman"! Like a woman doesn't have the capability to grasp a deep, theology study of His Word! Although I realize that many women desire this type of Bible, I personally find it very patronizing. Awesome video!! Thank you for your hard work!!

0:00 Introduction 1:42 What do you want in a Study Bible? 4:52 Gospel Transformation Study Bible 8:00 Grace + Truth Study Bible 10:18 Enduring Voice Study Bible 12:27 Search the Scriptures Study Bible 14:32 Literary Study Bible 15:55 NLT Illustrated Study Bible 17:06 The Jesus Bible 20:10 ESV Student Study Bible 22:39 ESV Concise Study Bible 25:52 She Reads Truth Study Bible 30:35 He Reads Truth Study Bible 34:34 NKJV The Women's Study Bible 38:28 ESV Women's Study Bible 41:25 The Study Bible for Women 43:07 Ancient Faith Study Bible 48:41 Final Thought

Thank you for your comment about the She Reads Truth Bible as well as other materials produced for women!! As an intelligent 45 year old female I struggle to attend women’s only Bible classes and I refuse to look at devotionals. Women are just as capable as men of learning the Bible as deeply. I understand many women do prefer the lighter items so I get the market. But personally I find them all lacking.

As a woman, you are completely right about the patronizing women's bibles. Part of why I love your podcast is because it is actually studying the stuff I always wanted to growing up in Sunday school, the same stuff the boys in my church learned, but I wasn't allowed to.

You got me drooling over the ancient faith Bible... Now to convince my wife I need yet another Bible 🤣

I can't believe the difference in the women's & men's Bible! I did a Bible review on She Reads Truth, but now wish I had the He Reads Truth! Thank you for speaking up for ladies and desire to study the Bible. Ancient Faith Bible looks amazing!

I’ve never read the Bible before and have been curious. The NLT Illustrated Study Bible appeals to me & I believe I’ll start there so thank you for putting this out to the world

I totally resonate with your assessment of the She Read Truth/He Reads Truth Bible. It is indeed patronizing that the SRT Bible is completely lacking in any serious theological content and it is indicative of how so much content is written for women. It’s frustrating. Thank you for bringing that up and being honest in your comments! As an aside - the notes in other women’s study Bibles are almost always geared toward married women with children, as though women’s only value is found in those roles. As a single childless middle aged woman, I find this concept limiting to the depth of what it means to be a woman, and in particular a woman seeking God. That’s my “rant” on this subject… 😉 Blessings to you. Your ministry blesses me greatly.

This is a genuinely incredible run down. Thank you and keep up the good work man. Your thoughtfulness is appreciated by many =)

This was wonderful! Thanks so much for doing this.

Thanks Matt! Love these videos. Very insightful and helpful.

Thank you!!! This was really helpful!

Thank you so much for all these reviews!!!! 👍👍👍🏆⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful work, brother. I always finish your videos just a little wiser.

Yay! Been waiting for this one!

That is what I love about my wife. She is brilliant and our bible study is crazy awesome because of her deep understanding. l I love your videos Matt.

Thanks for the video Matt! Super helpful, as always. Please consider doing a video on some kids or family geared study bibles in the future. I would love to hear your thoughts on the popular options for kids currently available out there. Hope you have a good Christmas season!

Thank you. I enjoyed and appreciated your review. Well done!!

The quality of this video and the information is so high. Thank you!

I'm within my first year of learning and this has helped me, thank you !

Excellent work and review my brother. Good stuff thank you

Thanks for this great resource!

Thank you for this video. This and the previous video was very helpful and informative. 👍👍

What an absolutely brilliant video, answering urgent questions we had in such a detailed and systematic and both faith and practicality driven way. Absolutely brilliant thank you so much.

God bless you for your work! This is very helpful and insightful.

Not sure how I found your video but I’ve been shopping for a study Bible for years! This was so helpful!!! Thank you! Amazing that you accumulated so many and I love the comparison so I could focus on what’s important for me. Big props to the work you put into this.

Thank you for this video!

Very informative - Thank you

Great breakdowns. Thank you. This has helped and steered me towards purchasing a couple from this list. 🙏🏽

Looking forward to more of these in the future. I see a couple in the stack to your right that I either have or have considered.

You did well in this review, I learned a thing or two (or three) that are helpful to my decision-making as I expand my study Bibles. Thank you.

Aaaand that final one has just made it to my Christmas list!

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for the great reviews and the way you done it. God bless

I’ve watched this video probably a dozen times to help me buy a study Bible I can really dig into. Tonight I ordered the NLT Illustrated in leather and some book tabs to match it. I’m very excited.

Great video! I did not know about some of these!

Sadly the NLT illustrated bible has teeny 7 point font. Large font in scripture but teeny notes. Seniors can’t read it.

Excellent video, thanks.

Thanks, Matt! Fantastic video that helps to drill down on the overwhelming number of Bibles available. I love the Ancient Faith Study Bible!

I was hoping to see a review of one or two study Bibles that put the notes into a smartphone app. You covered one of these in the previous video, but with not as much depths as I was looking for. Thanks for making this video. I still benefited from it greatly!

Thank You SO MUCH! 🙏🏻👍🥁

Thank you for going through the different study bibles....I will certainly try to purchase a couple ...thank you and HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE 🎄✨️🎁

This video and the video you referenced in this one just earned you a new viewer out of me. I love how you broke down each of the Bibles that you reviewed and I really appreciated your rant during the She Reads/He Reads Truth section. I’ve owned an SRT bible for a while now, but didn’t know how much it lacked in comparison to the HRT bible.

Thanks so much! I found great Bibles for my daughters-in-law for Christmas! I know it would be a lot more work, but I would love it if you included an ISBN for the Bibles. It was surprisingly hard to find the ones you were talking about! 🙂

Splendid overview of a rich and diverse array of books, each offering unique perspectives and insights. I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your dedicated efforts; they are truly valued and appreciated.

Awesome video! So enjoyed this!

Thank you Matt for doing this review. I was unaware of the Ancient Faith Bible by Holman. I have it ordered now. It will be a welcome addition to my collection of Bibles.

Your candor, humor and wisdom are valued… there are so many Bible reviewers that don’t get into what’s really important beyond the aesthetic issues (for a variety of reasons) thus bringing value to what you’re doing. We bought the NLT illustrated study Bible and our whole family loves it from age 11 to 40+, it’s a great family Bible to keep in our living room! The ESV student bible may be our next purchase for 2023!

I greatly appreciate your hard work and honesty. I might look into the concise bible

Thank you for this post, this is exactly what I havr been looking for. I just learned last year that there are study Bibles (as a Finnish and evangelical lutheran, we really do not have these, so I got english catholic Bible wich has been really helpful and now I am looking for more.

I still come back here and watch your unboxing of The Jesus Bible for kicks and giggles. I’ve also showed it to some of my kids. My four-year-old said, “I want that!” So…there’s your target audience for the cover. :P Thanks so much for speaking up about patronizing materials for women in your comparison of the (S)He Reads Truth Study Bibles! Very grateful for that!

Thanks Matt, God bless

Thanks for this, Matt. Great stuff! Just placed an order for the Ancient Faith Bible on your recommendation.

Have watched 3 of your Study Bible videos tonight. Am leaning toward the last one presented here and the Church History Study Bible in another video.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your knowledge. I left the church about 10 years ago. But a few years back ended up getting into No Dumb Questions just looking for a good Two Dudes Talking podcast. NDQ quickly became one of my favorites. Your words, among other things, have contributed in what has been a reconstruction of my walk with God. I've recently found a loving church to worship in and I have purchased the Ancient Faith Study Bible on your glowing recommendation. Two years ago I was at my lowest point, with no hope for the future, things couldn't be more different now. Some percentage of that is because of the work you've done. I am grateful for it. Thank you.

Excellent stuff, Matt. The passion in your voice talking about the patronizing biblical resources for women was palpable. So glad to hear it. Side note: after finishing ANDOR last week, I was struck by how much it has in common thematically with the story of The Gospels in the sense that it's about a group of previously disengaged people being radicalized by something to the point where they're willing to give up their lives for it. It made me think a lot about the change that had to happen in The Disciples to make them go from normal people to committed martyrs. Probably helps that Cassian Andor looks quite a bit like Simon Peter in The Chosen! I'd love to see your video about Andor.

I really love your channel: your honest winsomeness, your curiosity, your passion for God and love for His Word and His people. If I had chosen a different career path and had done seminary (which I may yet do, though I'm 49 now), and if I then decided to take it to RU-vid ... (a lot of if's)... This is the kind of content I'd want to create. And I just may have to get that Ancient Faith Study Bible. It looks awesome.

This is so insightful and helpful. Thank you, Brother. Subscribing!

recently purchased a copy of the NLT illustrated study Bible & thrilled to hear it's one of your faves. I've been finding it incredibly fruitful - the notes are an excellent blend of devotionally-oriented insight & historical/cultural/philosophical reflections that help you understand the text better. thank you for another great video! keep doing what you doing, Matt x

Informative and thought provoking. I like it. I also dig the Skyrim icons over the sliders in the early “spectrum” discussion.

Hey Matt. Tom from at Shiloh. I bought both the NLT and Ancient Faith Bibles for my wife Linda’s and my 2023 daily read thru the Bible in a year times. Lots of your time and efforts went into the content for this video. Thank you! I’m one of you regular watchers and Listener. Tom Kushman

Wow, this was wonderful information. I have found my next Bible after watching this presentation, and am very happy that I did not buy 2 of the bibles you reviewed. I have put the Ancient Faith Study Bible in my Amazon cart for a future purchase. I had absolutely no knowledge of this Bible prior to today. I am so happy to have come across this video. Thank you so much!

I'm only familiar with the ESV Study Bible as it is my daily reader. I love it and it has great commentary.

I just discovered The Ancient Faith Bible a couple months ago. I completely agree with you about it. It is my "go to" Bible as I study for each Sunday. It has deeply challenged me and I could not appreciate it more. I had been kind of using the Orthodox Study Bible because it does some of the same things, but this one just does it better. (p.s. Totally agree with you about she reads truth, my wife rolls her eyes every time some mentions it. lol)

I love your graphics!!!!

Wonderful, helpful video

Hey Matt thanks so much for doing this! I’m really wanting to “get back into reading the Bible” and this is very helpful. A slider bar I’d like to see/add is “readability.” All translations and bibles are good, but thought for thought are much easier than word for word to read as a story. Easy readability for me is the most important slider, so that I actually pick it up and read, but that’s just me. I think a slider for it would be good to help everyone understand what that Bible is going to give them

Excellent! Your presentation of the Ancient Faith Study Bible made me want to purchase one. Wonderful job!!!!

Great video. So helpful. As a woman, I absolutely agree with your thoughts on most women's bibles being patronizing and rather substance-less. I appreciate your bringing that up. Also, you didn't cover the Bible (I assume it is a study Bible) that you use in most of your videos. Is that because you talked about it in a different one? Anyway, thanks for the great video and for making one of my favorite channels on RU-vid. 😊

Great set of reviews. Really helpful happy new year I subscribed

Thank you for this video. I appreciate the effort and hard work you out into this. It was very helpful. I laughed at, "Oh my goodness, I own that now," Haha!

Hey Matt! Great video as always. Since it seems you’ve looked into this, maybe just a wee bit. I was wanting to get your opinion on my favorite study Bibles, the New Oxford Annotated Bible and New Interpreter’s Study Bible.

Brilliantly and thoroughly done--Especially on the Ancients Study Bible!

Great video! I'm so pleased with your reviews on the ESV Concise Study Bible because I just bought this last week. I'm getting ready to add some tabs on the side and then I will begin using this Bible as my daily study Bible & reference/guide book. It's been an adjustment going from a lifetime of KJV Bibles to a different translation. I tried both NIV and NLT, but I kept tripping up on my KJV memory and verses I've been comforted with most of my life. Thanks so much for your reviews.

First time here and this was very helpful please stay honest I like that, it helps me see why you don’t like and why! I subscribed - I love the guide you set it will help me! Must listen again I need a study bible

Thank you! I've gotten the Ancient Faith Study Bible based on your recommendation. It didn't disappoint at all. And I got a lot of new insight from it that changed the way I saw some parts of the Bible!

Thank you for the bible presentation...

Well... looks like I have a few bibles to look into getting. The NLT Illustrated Study Bible and the CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible look really interesting, and I'm sure would compliment the ESV Study Bible that I already have. I'd be curious to know what your thoughts are on the LSB (Legacy Standard Bible) translation. Great video as always!

So happy that i watch this video, i decided to govwith the ESV student study bible and I am loving it.

Thanks for this - I mostly use German bibles, but it's very interesting how many great (study) bibles there are on the English market. Chapters would be helpful. Keep up the great work and God bless you! 🙏

When I was looking for a new study bible at the start of the year, I decided on the CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible, and I love it. It is a gorgeous Bible.

Great reviews! The Ancient Faith Study Bible is a true treasure ... im not big into the CSB but they got this right. Beautiful Bible and the notations do challenge but all are worthy to read through. Thanks for putting this together ) ++

This was a great video comparison of study bibles. You're obviously a very smart and charismatic guy. If you're not already a preacher, you could be an excellent one!

Dude because of you i got me a ESV study bible but your right its BIG but its awsome!!!!!

Thank you for sharing I like the way you speak it's clear and straight to the point without feelings sorry honest with what u think but still charming... Thank you... Sorry my broke English.

The CSB Ancient Faith SB has a nice Kindle version for less than $10. It’s a screen friendly layout where the footnotes and study notes are hyperlinked within the Bible text and then arranged at the end of each chapter for easy reading without having to jump around between links. The Kindle Sample however did completely useless and does not contain any of the Bible text or footnotes or study notes because it ends before the table of contents ends!

I literally ordered the Ancient Faith Study Bible yesterday! So pleasantly surprised to see how enthusiastic you recommend it, brother.

Patronizing is the perfect description! I flipped through the She Reads Truth Bible a couple months ago at a book store after seeing it all over Instagram and RU-vid. I find it offensive, self-centered and theologically pretty empty. The notes in it are a waste of space. I'd prefer blank pages. I feel the same about most womens' devotional books. Scripture is so much deeper than flowery feel-good nonsense. It seems there is an attempt to "dumb down" scripture and just hand us women enough info to try to appease us. That's not cool. I want the cultural background and the true meaning behind the Hebrew and Greek. I don't see myself buying any womens' study Bibles ever. The entire Bible is written for all of us. Even the passages that refer to the roles of the opposite sex hold valuable scripture for each of us. I mean- even Proverbs 31 is from a mother to her son. With that being said, I'm waiting for an NLT interleaved Bible to come out. I prefer my study notes to be what I find across commentaries. Great video! I put a couple of these on my Amazon wish list.

Gosh, I REALLY enjoyed this video, which was very helpful. Yesterday afternoon I bought a study bible and in the evening I watched your first video and wished I'd seen first before investing (a large investment for me) in a study bible. I was afraid that you would either not even mention the bible I'd bought, or, worse, thought it very poor. You didn't mention the exact bible I bought, but did mention one very similar (an NLT) which is very similar and which you recommended (whoo). I subscribed to your channel yesterday and I really hope you do more of this sort of thing. Thank you for all the hard work you put into this. (Diane, England).

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 📚 The goal of the video is to review various study Bibles, offering honest opinions and recommendations. 03:43 📚 Study Bibles differ in their focus, such as academic vs. devotional, nudge factor, targeting questions, portability, topicality, and bias. 08:48 📚 The "Gospel Transformation Study Bible" emphasizes getting back to the basics of the Bible's message for personal transformation. 09:58 📚 The "NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible" balances truth and grace for a deeper understanding of the Bible's teachings. 11:30 📚 The "Enduring Voices Study Bible" offers notes from various Christian thinkers across different traditions for a comparative perspective. 14:18 📚 The "Search the Scriptures Bible" provides light nudges and questions, but may lack depth and clarity compared to other study Bibles. 14:45 📚 The "Literary Study Bible" focuses on the literary aspects of the Bible, helping readers appreciate the beauty and structure of the text. 15:55 📚 The "NLT Illustrated Study Bible" is a comprehensive general-purpose study Bible with beautiful presentation and insightful notes. 17:03 📚 The "Jesus Bible NIV" emphasizes the convergence of the entire Bible on the life and teachings of Jesus, but may overly prioritize this theme. 20:12 📚 The "ESV Student Study Bible Artist Series" stands out for its artistic and beautiful presentation, combining art and biblical insights for young readers. 22:13 🤔 Some study Bibles can be patronizing towards certain audiences, but there are exceptions. 23:10 📘 The ESV Study Bible is a comprehensive and highly recommended study Bible. 25:09 📚 The Gospel Transformation Study Bible takes a different approach, focusing on big picture themes and application. 26:16 📖 The "She Reads Truth Bible" has a more devotional feel with fewer traditional study Bible features. 30:39 📖 The "He Reads Truth Bible" offers more in-depth study features compared to the "She Reads Truth Bible." 34:41 📖 The "New King James Version Women's Study Bible" has specific notes and articles targeted towards women. 38:48 📖 The "Crossway ESV Women's Study Bible" is a study Bible that effectively treats women as capable readers without being patronizing. 43:10 🏛️ The "Ancient Faith Study Bible" gathers commentary from the church fathers, making it a valuable resource for various Christian traditions. 45:37 📖 The "Ancient Faith Study Bible" offers insights from Christian thinkers throughout history, providing valuable context and perspectives on biblical passages. 46:17 🏛️ This Bible includes writings from early Christian leaders, even before the Bible was fully agreed upon, giving readers a glimpse of how scripture was interpreted in different historical contexts. 47:26 📜 The church fathers' writings reveal that they were in transition and did not think the exact same way at every moment, creating an opportunity for fresh reflection and challenges in interpreting their texts. 48:38 🌟 The "Ancient Faith Study Bible" is highly recommended and meaningful for Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, or anyone interested in rich historical insights into the Bible. Made with HARPA AI

I appreciate your honest view of women's study bibles and am subbing because of it! As a woman, I want to dig into the meat and potatoes of the word, not just lick the frosting. I have never had a women's study bible and have been watching reviews on them lately. One of them I've been looking at is the CSB women's study bible you mentioned after the she reads truth one and I'm glad you said it was a more in depth bible. I may get that one. Thanks for the video!

Hey Matt, I think a good study bible that hits on some of the same things as the last one is the new release from crossway. It's called the Church History Study Bible. Don't know how good it is since it just came out but I think it would be in the same vein as the Ancient Faith Study Bible but just ESV translation.

Word on Fire Bible would be fascinating for you to review. Great Adventure Bible too.

Thank you for your comments on women-focused material being watered down and emotionally leaning to a pandering extent. It’s a chronic issue in books and studies as well. Your comment section will be flooded with others just like mine, your work is appreciated! :)

Lol this video is awesome! I grew up on KJV bibles and stumbled across the ESV student study Bible (I’m nearly a 30 year old woman) and that Bible changed my life. It is very intelligently put, very accurate I feel to the true text yet the notes are so incredibly informative and easy to understand. I love how informative you are on each version. Super cool!

Legit laughed at 45:33 "Show 'em the letter!" Excellent review. Thank you!

Hi ya Matt ! Funny quick story. I Been having the pull sort to say and so recently purchased a study bible. So happends it is the Ancient Faith Study Bible. Received it the other day. Enjoy the different perspectives of early Christian writers and thoughts from different time periods while reading the Word. Just cool to see it reviewed by you. Awesome work by the way.

I like your comments on the Ancient Study Bible.... Provoking....I will buy it...

The Lutheran Study Bible is where it's at ;) The Word on Fire Bibles are REALLY gorgeous and interesting too.

My husband and I used a "Journaling" Bible as one of our guestbook options. We asked those who were willing to highlight a verse and note why they felt it was significant. I will say the Journaling Bible is gorgeous and if you're looking for a Bible with a lot of room to take notes, it's amazing!