This summer I’m diving deep into Hebrews through Jen Wilkin’s study Better: A Study of Hebrews (available FREE!) with some other ladies in our church who also don’t want the more laid back rhythm of summer to equal our spiritual growth becoming stagnant. If you’re not familiar with Jen’s studies, you may be surprised to find out that she recommends that you do NOT use a study Bible, as her goal is to challenge you to consider the scriptures with your own mind, not through the lens of another commentator.
I appreciate her perspective and for the study, I’ve honored her suggestion. However, I’d be remiss not to share with you this new beautiful study Bible I received recently for review. There are times when a study Bible provides much-needed perspective and insight into the original meaning of the scripture and I encourage everyone to purchase one!
This version is The Study Bible for Women and is the Christian Standard Bible version. My copy has a removable dust cover and a hardback teal and tan bound cover. And ya’ll…it has TWO ribbon bookmarks – also teal and tan. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in church and needed to mark more than one place. It’s simple, but the two bookmarks are a winner!
As you consider adding this Bible as a study Bible for yourself or to give to a friend as a gift, there are some features that truly stand out.
INTRODUCTION
Before you ever get to the text, there are some features I really love at the beginning of the Bible:
- Wife’s Family Tree
- Husband’s Family Tree
- The Ketubah (wedding information section)
- Family Milestones
- My Spiritual Mothers
These are wonderful places to note important information and milestones in your family’s history.
For those who aren’t familiar with studying the Bible, the How to Study the Bible section is also very helpful!
For those who aren’t familiar with the Christian Standard Bible translation of the Bible and are curious about how it was developed, there are 5 pages dedicated to explaining the method and perspective used to complete the translation. You can also learn more by watching this YouTube video.
These are also included before the text:
- Transliteration Charts for Greek and Hebrew
- Table of Weights and Measures
- Abbreviations Used in the CSB Study Bible for Women
IN-TEXT FEATURES
There’s a whole section at the back of the Bible dedicated to highlighting the different features of the study Bible.
I really love the Introduction sections to each book. It’s so helpful to understand who wrote the text, who the intended recipients were, what the main themes are, a suggestion of how to read the book, and even the answer to the question “why should women read” the particular book.
There’s also an outline and the typical study notes at the bottom of each page that are referenced in the text.
Another helpful feature is the charts included that summarize topics highlighted in each book. The one below synthesizes the teachings on suffering in the book of 1 Peter, so if you’re wanting to study that topic, it gives you a jump start on your study.
Word studies are another helpful feature. These are included as one of several types of “threads” of specialized study that help you dive deeper into the text.
Other types of specialized study helps include:
- Profiles of biblical women
- Answers to hard questions
- Doctrines
- Biblical womanhood descriptions
Other things that I personally consider when deciding to purchase a Bible are how easy the text is to read and how the pages feel when I turn them. The CSB Women’s Study Bible knocks these out of the park!
The text is large enough for my aging eyes to see clearly and the print is a font that’s easy on the eyes as well. The paper is a thickness that allows for writing notes, underlining, etc. without concern for the pages tearing.
There’s not much room in the margins for writing your own notes, but I’ve always used the top of the page as well, so you can get creative.
AFTER THE TEXT
After the text, the features continue! You can find:
- Index of Features (topics)
- Character Profiles
- Charts Index
- Hard Questions Index
- Maps and Reconstuctions Index
- Concordance (featuring ALL the women of the Bible)
- Full Color Maps
I won’t hesitate to recommend this Bible to friends or to purchase one for someone who is wanting to take their next step in understanding the scriptures. Thank you to Front Gate Media for providing this copy for me to review!
You can WIN your own copy by entering the giveaway here.
Purchase your own copy on Amazon or anywhere books are sold.