A few thoughts on Bible study tools...........

As most good guides on Bible study (Living by the Book, How to Study the Bible for Yourself etc. etc.) will tell you:  It is always best to consult the Scriptures first before using various study aids and tools.  I think this is very true when it comes to commentaries!

As I don't know the Hebrew or Greek languages, I do find it imperative to use a good Bible Dictionary (both language and expository) early in the process.  In fact the esword concordance (search function) and the Word Study Dictionary are my two most consulted and valuable study tools! (After the Bible itself, of course)

What follows is  a briefly annotated list of the study aids I find the most valuable and why:

1)  Esword Bible Software:
---This software enables the user to get right to work.  The free download comes with the KJV Bible, the search feature (which acts as your concordance), and strong's dictionary.  A person could do just fine with just those modules!!  Other FREE modules include the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge reference tool, Matthew Henry's Commentary and others.   One can add other modules at cost as well if he or she so desires.  A great piece of software that allows the user to be more efficient with his or her Bible study time.   I cannot stress how useful that this software is!  Concordance searches are of the UTMOST importance in Bible study but they can be VERY time consuming when using books.  The Esword software cuts that time in half!  Searching the concordance is the largest and most frutiful part of my Bible study.  It is the basis for everything that follows.  And it is SO much easier when using the search function in ESword.

2)  ESV, REB, NASB, and the NLT:
---As I stated in an earlier post I do not plan on entertaining any debates over which Bible translation is good, better or worse.  Pick a few that speak to you and use them!  I like the four listed above.  They all read fairly differently and have proven very fruitful when comparing passages.  My favorite reading Bibles are the REB and the NKJV.  If you ARE torn by all the various opinions floating around regarding Bible translations I HIGHLY recommend the following book, "The Complete Guide To Bible Translations" by Dr. Rhodes.
Dr. Rhodes has a written a VERY unbiased description of all the major translations.  Really wonderful book that helped me to get past the "what translation should I use" obsession and get right down to studying!

3)  Complete Word Study Dictionary:
---You can buy the actual books OR purchase them as a complete module for esword (which is what I did!)
Much more detailed than Strong's and can also serve as an expository dictionary.  The esword module is tied into the strong's module so finding a word is as easy as clicking on it in the Bible verse.   I also consult Vine's expository dictionary and Mounce's expository dictionary but I could, and often do, get by with just using the Complete Word Study Dictionary.

4)  ESV Literary Study Bible or Ryken's Bible Handbook:
---These two sources are very similar.  Knowing the form of the literature can be huge and I think this an important resource and can bring a fresh perspective when reading and studying.   Ryken's handbook is great!  It does a great job of giving some introductory information to to get the student started, while still giving plenty of room for that student's self-discovery through his or her own study time and methods.  Highly recommended!

5)  Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:
---As stated above this a free add-on module for Esword.  It is a great help when looking for additional Scriptural cross-references one may have missed during his or her own concordance searches.  I have found this to VERY valuable!


5)  Mathew Henry's Commentary--ESV Study Bible:
---After I have searched, checked out term definitions and let the Scriptural cross-references do most of the work I write a summary of the section I am studying.  I "check" this summary with Matthew Henry's Commentary and the ESV Study Bible commentary and a few others but these are the two best that I have found up to this point!  Notice I listed the commentaries LAST!  They ARE important and they should be checked but the tools that allow us to compare Scripture to Scripture are the most important.

Of course there are other study tools and software!  These are just the ones that I use find myself consulting the most.

Next post:  Finally, we begin to look at John 16:22-28.