The Best Study Bibles of All Time

When it comes to searching for the best study Bibles to buy, we are easily overwhelmed with hundreds to choose from. It seems that a new study Bible is printed every month- all of them different in their own way. Not to mention all the study Bible apps that are available for free and a fee. There are study Bibles with commentary adherent to certain theologies, archeological study Bibles, Hebrew word study Bibles, Apologetics study Bibles, you name it. They come in every size, color, and language you can think of.

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So is it fair to say that one Bible is better than the others? Is there a Study Bible that can be deemed as THE BEST?

After all, they all come with distinct features, different commentaries, diverse themes, and aimed at specific audiences (students, laymen, laity, etc).

No, I don’t believe that one study Bible alone is better than all, but I do believe a few are better than the rest. I admit that I am biased. Just like all Bible readers, I have my preferences, however, while searching for the right study Bible, I have noticed some recurring problems with most modern study Bibles.

The great majority of them cater to a certain theology and set of doctrines the publisher agrees with. The contributors to these Bibles are typically those who share/teach the same doctrines.

I mean, I know they won’t publish something they don’t agree with and adhere to, but I was looking for a study Bible that may supply me with tools and resources that could help me study the Word more in-depth WITHOUT the opinions of men or the distracting doctrines on the bottom of the pages that I don’t agree with.

After doing my research, making purchases, and spending a while perusing the Bible aisles in bookstores, I found 2 excellent study Bibles I have crowned as the best. These Bibles do not include commentaries, they both have very helpful features that don’t add to the Word of God.

In essence, these study Bibles are perfect for anyone, no matter your denomination nor your Christian beliefs because they simply seek to make your study time in the Word more edifying.

Thompson Chain-Reference Bible

I know that this Bible has been around for over 100 years and was very popular. I say was because it’s not used much anymore and I had never heard about it until a few years ago. As a millennial who grew up in the Hispanic church, I had never seen or heard about the Thompson. I was used to seeing the Reina-Valera 1960 being lounged around, so only recently have I been made aware of this amazing study Bible. 

The Thompson needs a comeback, let me show you why! (Lots of pictures ahead)

Features

Let me start off by saying that this Bible is HUGE, it rivals the ESV Study Bible but instead of commentary, it’s jam-packed with helpful tools. The most well-known feature that has made it popular for over 100 years and from where its name is derived, is its chain reference system. It looks complicated but it’s actually very simple and easy to use. 

Dr. Frank Charles Thompson spent over 31 years developing the chain reference system, with its first publishing in 1908. The system is one of a kind, no other Bible that I know of has anything similar (except maybe, the second Bible I will review further down).

Each “chain” is a selected theme, person, place, symbol, book, etc. On the margins of the text, these words have numbers and below them, a reference that takes you to the next verse which speaks about this word and it goes on until you get to the last verse in the “chain.” Simply said, these words are chains that are linked in a string of verses pertaining to that topic. This follows through page after page from beginning to the end.

Here’s a better explanation from the introduction of the Bible.

 

 

The numbers make it super easy to study a subject or topic as there are an index and cyclopedia at the back of the Bible with all the topics listed in alphabetical and numerical order respectively. With over 100,000 topical references in over 8,000 topics, you can find complete references to any topic you can think of. 

Besides the chain references, this giant Bible also contains lots of charts, maps, illustrations, character and book profiles, condensed summaries of each book, an archaeological supplement, study helps, historical outlines, harmonies, concordance, and much more. There are over 500 pages of pure study helps including the cyclopedia itself! It contains about 20 black and white illustrated maps and 14 color maps. 

Here are just some of the contents in the Bible helps. As I said, this Bible is massive, you’d have to pick one up yourself to have a more thorough look at all the good stuff in it.

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Price, Translation, Cover & Size Options

The Thompson is available in the KJV, ESV, NKJV, NASB, and the NIV. You can also find it in the Spanish Reina-Valera 1960 edition, and even in French. 

The sizes available are:

Large Print: 9 point- 7.5″x 10.5″

Regular Print: 8 point- 7″x 9.5″

Handy Size: 8 point- 6″x 8.25″

 

Cover Prices (vary depending on bookstore. I have found Christianbook.com to have the cheapest prices):

Genuine Leather: $60-$120

Bonded Leather: $40-$95

Hardcover: $30-$50

Softcover: $20-$40

KJV

• Genuine and bonded leather, hardcover, softcover
• All sizes available
• Black, Burgundy, Brown, Blue (except for hard and softcover)
• Thumb Index option
• 1 Ribbon (except for hard and softcover)
• Gold edges (except hard and softcover)

ESV

• Genuine and bonded leather, hardcover, softcover
• Handy Size only
• Black, Burgundy, Brown (except for hard and softcover)
•  1 Ribbon (except hard and softcover)
• Thumb Index option
• Gold Edges(except hard and softcover)

NKJV

• Genuine and bonded leather, hardcover
• Handy Size Only
• Black, Brown, Burgundy (except hard and softcover)
• 1 Ribbon (Except hard and softcover)
• Thumb Index Option
• Gold Edges

NASB

• Genuine and Bonded leather
• Handy Size Only
• Black, Brown, Burgundy (except hard and softcover)
• 1 Ribbon (Except hard and softcover)
• Thumb Index Option
• Gold Edges

NIV

It is hard to find this version and the options are very limited. 

Spanish

The Spanish Thompson Bible is available in the RVR 1960 and the NVI. The options for these are endless, you can find it in more colors than the English versions. 

French

This one is even harder to find but you can check the publisher’s website to see if they have in stock. I couldn’t find a French Bible other in Kirkbride’s website.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The chain reference system- it makes studying Bible topics soooo much easier and it’s very easy to use.
• Excellent index
• The extensive study helps!
• Beautiful, vintage hand drawn pictures
• Doesn’t add to the Bible, no opinions of man- perfect if you want a study Bible without commentary
• No distracting notes on the margins or bottom of the pages
• Low price 
• Double column
• Many cover options
• Wide margins
• Great paper quality

Cons

• Too big and heavy (this is not a Bible you’d want to carry around)
• Hard to find sometimes (frequently out of stock)
• The print is small. I have a regular print size copy but an 8 point just doesn’t cut it. Large is only 1 point bigger. Plus the print is even smaller on some of the maps and charts and sometimes illegible.
• The text is very squeezed in. In order to accommodate the references on the margins, the columns are too close to each other with only a thin line separating them. You can easily confuse the columns.  
• The paperback is not Smyth sewn like the others, but instead is just glued in (this will not hold for long)

All in all, I give the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible a 10/10

KJV Sword Study Bible

The KJV Sword Study Bible published by Whitaker House is the second best study Bible (in my opinion) without commentary. It uses the 1611 King James Version. This one is not so well-known, I could hardly find any reviews online before I purchased it. It is similar to the Thompson in that it also has a unique reference system and topical study guide. It’s sometimes referred to as “mini Thompson.” 

Features

The references are based upon three major sections: God, God’s Plan, and Man. These sections then branch out into themes and topics. Whenever a particular topic is touched upon in the text, the margin will contain a line marking the place with a unique code. You simply follow the next page number referenced right beside the code. There is an index of all the margin codes and topics which makes it easier to find the references to any topic you want to study. This system is super easy to follow and you can quickly find Scripture references to many important topics. 

Another unique feature in this Bible is that has red letters in both the OT and NT.

What?!

Yes, this is the ONLY Bible that I know of that has the words of God in the OT and the words of Christ in the NT in red. I’m a big fan of red words so you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that this Bible has it in both testaments (it sold me). 

Yet another unique feature is that it has the names of God and old (no longer used) terms underlined. Then in small print letters, the equivalent modern word is supplied on the side and/or the Hebrew names of God. 

A nice and helpful feature is that quotations of God’s words as referenced by Biblical speakers and angels are boxed in red throughout both testaments. This is very cool because most Bibles only mark them lightly or are italicized making them easy to miss.  

Besides all these, it has a ton of articles in the back, charts, harmonies, names and titles of Jesus, chronological timelines, a large concordance (almost 300 pages long) and 8 maps.

But wait, the goodness doesn’t stop there. There’s also another option for those who love the KJV but aren’t fans of the archaic words. Whitaker House also publishes the KJV-ER (easy read) which is exactly like this one and contains all that this one has but replaces the archaic words for more modern words. So no “thee”s nor “thou”s but instead, “you.” Many people opt for this option, but I prefer good old English and the “thee”s and “thou”s don’t bother me. 

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Price, Size, and Cover Options

This specific Bible is only published in the KJV version. 

There are only two Bible sizes, both fall into the personal size category. 

Giant Print

•  15 point 
• 9.19″ x 7.38″
• Thinline Option
• 1 Ribbon marker
• Gold edges option
• Thumb Index option

Large Print

• 12 point 
• 8″ x 6″
• Thinline Option
• 1 Ribbon Marker
• Gold edges option
• Thumb Index Option

Covers

You can find them in many colors including but not limited to: black, burgundy, brown, grey, purple, blue, tan, alligator print T-Rex print, and duo-tones. 

Genuine Leather: $40-$53

Bonded Leather: $30

Ultra Soft (imitation leather): $20-$38

Softcover: $10-$15 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Awesome and unique reference and margin study system
• No distracting commentary on the margins or bottom of pages
• Red Words in both testaments
• Underlined Hebrew Names of God 
• Old English word definitions
• Extensive Concordance
• Interesting articles
• Super Helpful charts
• Large Print is actually LARGE
• Easy to follow text and references
• Many cover options
• Very affordable price
• Not too bulky that cannot be carried around

Cons

• Only available in personal size
• Way more articles than study tools 
• Too many articles by the same author (a little more variety would be nice)
• No color maps and the paper on these is the same as the entire Bible (no thick glossy cardstock)

I give this Bible a 10/10 as well. 

You can purchase this Bible from Amazon, Whitaker House or Christianbook.com ( I recommend the latter). 

I hope this post is helpful in your search for a study Bible. If you know of another great study Bible please comment down below, I’m always on the lookout for new Bibles. 

 

 

 

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