A number of recently released study Bibles have a decidedly Jewish flavor, one comes from female scholars, two hail from popular pastors, and another promises a unique reading experience.
“The Bible is a Jewish book from Genesis to Revelation,” says Rabbi Barry Rubin, general editor of The Complete Jewish Study Bible (Hendrickson). “It was written by Jews to Jews and dealt with Jewish issues like resurrection, salvation, and being born again. If you don’t understand the Jewish background, I don’t see how you can really understand the Bible.” Rick Brown, publisher at Hendrickson, says the new edition “has been years in the making and it’s selling well.” The Bible features more than 30 contributors, numerous topical articles, suggested daily readings, and comprehensive study notes.
Also revering the Jewish roots of the Christian faith is the Tree of Life Thinline Bible (TLV) from the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society (Baker). According to Baker, this edition marks the first time the complete TLV Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, has been published by a traditional house (it previously was published by the MJF Bible Society). The translation speaks with a Jewish-friendly voice, including Hebrew transliterated terms, such as shalom, shofar, and Shabbat.
A new Bible from Zondervan likewise emphasizes the early Jewish perspective. The New International Version (NIV) Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible by Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton is for readers who want to know more about what the stories and teachings of the Bible meant to its original authors and audience. This edition highlights nuances, undertones, and references to ancient events, literature, and customs.
Thomas Nelson has released, in the New King James translation, both the NKJV Word Study Bible and the NKJV Know the Word Study Bible. The first shows readers how to study word meanings; the second offers three different ways (book by book, verse by verse, or topic by topic) to study the Bible. The NKJV Word Study Bible helps readers delve deeper into the original languages of the Bible while the NKJV Know the Word Study Bible guides readers through the Bible’s main themes.
A unique edition from Abingdon, the CEB Women’s Bible in the Common English translation, celebrates the communal nature of biblical study. It seeks to create “a thought community,” says Ginger Gaines-Cirelli, senior pastor of Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., and a member of the CEB Women’s Bible editorial board. She encourages readers to “come and be part of this community of voices, of reflection, of real deep study that takes the scriptures seriously and that also invites you to push back.” Included are Bible-book introductions, scholarly insights, personal reflections, character sketches, and an index of every woman in the Bible, named and unnamed. Although the CEB translators include both women and men, all 80 editors and commentators for this Bible are women.
In January 2017, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Passion Conference for college-aged youth, The Jesus Bible, NIV Edition is being published by Zondervan in partnership with Passion Publishing and Louie Giglio, pastor of Atlanta’s Passion City Church and founder of the Passion Conferences. This edition includes contributions from bestselling pastor-authors John Piper, Ravi Zacharias, Randy Alcorn, and Max Lucado.
Also from a pastor is The Jeremiah Study Bible, NIV: What It Says. What It Means. What It Means for You (Worthy). The author, David Jeremiah, is senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., and founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries. Included in the 2016 edition are study notes; sidebars with historical information; and full-color maps, charts, and tables.
For readers distracted by the minutia of numbers, sidebars, and scholarly comments, Crossway offers the English Standard Version (ESV) Reader’s Bible for a visually clean reading experience. This six-volume set features single-column text that is free of all verse and chapter numbers, footnotes, and most section headings. Striving for elegance in the look and feel, Crossway uses heavier European paper and a smyth-sewn binding—all, according to the publisher, to inspire readers not only to study the Bible, but also to delight in the beauty of Scripture.
