Best Comprehensive Bible Study Tools Guide

Have you ever found yourself studying a passage in the bible and came across a phrase that didn’t make sense to you?  Or maybe you were reading a passage about Paul’s missionary journeys and you want to see how the places he visited translates to modern times.  This article will point out some of these tools that you can use.

What are bible study tools

Bible study tools are additional resources that you use to gain a better understanding of the bible.  There are a variety of them which will be listed and explained below.

Why are bible study tools important

The bible is rich with history and oftentimes we with our modern sensibilities cannot relate to some of the things mentioned in the bible because it isn’t our culture. The bible study tools help to deepen our understanding of the bible, the culture it was written in, and the audience it was written for.

List of bible study tools

Bible

It goes without saying that in order to have a bible study tool, you need to have a bible.  The bible is where you begin to study and get your questions from.  From those questions you go deeper by using the other resources to gain a better understanding of what you just read.  

There are a variety of bibles to choose from.  This is not an exhaustive list.

• Study Bibles- gives the reader footnotes and other features to help the reader better understand certain passages
• Chronological Bibles – arranges the biblical texts in chronological order in which the events actually happened to help you connect the history and cultural events of the bible
• Word for Word Bibles – these most accurately follow the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts 
• Journaling Bibles – these give you space in the margins to mark up your bible with notes, drawings, prayers, etc

Concordance

You can use a concordance to look up the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic words.  Today’s language does not always have the same connotation as in biblical times so getting the meaning straight from the original text is always helpful.  

A concordance can also show you where the word is also used elsewhere in the bible. When you cross reference words with the same meaning it gives you a broader understanding of the word.  This is especially helpful if you are doing a word study.

Bible Dictionary

Bible dictionaries help to broaden your understanding of words, concepts, and phrases that need more definition and context.  You can also use a regular dictionary such as Webster’s Dictionary.

Bible Atlas

A bible atlas gives more meaning to people, places, and things of the bible.  It helps you locate places in the bible via maps and has lots of illustrations to help give an overview of the item you’re looking up.

Bible Encyclopedia

A bible encyclopedia (Zondervan Encyclopedia of the bible) has information on bible lands and people.  It also has illustrations, charts, graphs, and maps the will enrich your study.

Bible Studies

Bible study are guides that you use when you are studying a particular book of the bible.  They help guide you by pointing out key points in the passage you are studying and generally gives you space to write what the Holy Spirit is revealing to you based on the thought provoking questions it asks.

Free Online Bible Study Tools 

If you are an online person and would rather do all your study online instead of books all over your desk then this list might be for you.

Bible Gateway www.biblegateway.com – you can use this tool to look up any verse in the bible in any translation of the bible.  This is great if you are studying a certain passage or topic.

Bible Hub www.biblehub.com – you can look up bible verses using this tool like you can in Bible Gateway but what I love about this tool is that you can cross reference that bible verse across the different translations of the bible to get a better understanding.  There are other tools and resources on this site as well.

The Blue Letter Bible www.blueletterbible.org – has devotionals, study tools and more 

Christian Classics Ethereal Library www.ccel.org – you can look up biographies from some of the greatest Christian theologians; you can also look up apologetics, hymns, different bibles and translations, and various other things

Net Bible www.netbible.org – gives you study notes side by side and also includes maps, Greek words, definitions, and other helpful resources

Bible Study Apps

• YouVersion Bible App by Life Church
• Olive Tree Bible App
• Logos 
• Bible Gateway
• Blue Letter Bible
• And many others

Bonus Bible Study Items

The following are things that would be nice to have on hand when you are studying the bible.

• A comfortable area to spread your materials
• Notebook or journal
• pen/pencil
• Highlighter

Conclusion

That was a lot but I hope you found this guide helpful!  The resources and tools are useful for in depth bible study.  When I do an in depth study I can easily spend an hour or more…time flies when you’re having fun!  However, you don’t have to spend an hour having an in depth study of your own.  I hope with these tools and resources your understanding of God and his message will increase as you study.

What other resources do you use for bible studying? Please comment below.