I often get asked what resources I recommend for Bible study. I always tell people the most important tool they can have is a good study Bible. I recommend either the ESV Study Bible or the CSB Study Bible. I have and use both almost every day.
While I typically study using the ESV or CSB, I always encourage the women in my Bible study classes to read what we are studying in multiple translations. The simplest (and most economical) way to do this is using a website such as BibleGateway.com. I generally read the text in at least these four translations — New American Standard Bible (NASB), English Standard Version (ESV), Christian Standard Bible (CSB) and New Living Translation (NLT). I also like to use The Message (MSG), a paraphrase by Eugene Peterson.
Many additional resources are available on Bible study websites such as Bible Gateway, Bible Study Tools, Blue Letter Bible, and Crosswalk. Using these websites you can access commentaries, study guides, dictionaries, and lexical aids to enhance your study.
If you are interested in purchasing some study materials, I recommend the following:
- Women’s Evangelical Commentary both Old Testament and New Testament
- Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible
- Illustrated Study Bible NLT
- Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
But please, know this—you do not have to know Hebrew or Greek to be a student of Scripture! The Holy Spirit is ultimately our Teacher and we can trust Him to guide us to the knowledge and understanding we seek. One of the best explanations of how this works and why we can be confident in our study is Jen Wilkin’s book, Women of the Word.
{Links in this post may be affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you purchase through them.}
