Life Application Study Bible

Product Information

First, let me say that both interpretive and application study Bibles are wonderful resources, and calling one type the “best study Bible” probably isn’t the most helpful way to think about the subject. Now let’s bring it all together. Given all the information above, what study Bible should you choose?

Before you decide on a good study Bible for you, it’s really important to determine the best translation of the Bible to use. This beautiful full-color Bible provides a complete resource for study, including thousands of notes, articles, extensive cross-references, and features contributed by top evangelical scholars. These multilayered study tools, combined with the accuracy and clarity of the New King James Version, make this Bible a perfect choice to help you understand and deeply engage with Scripture. New features include: a refreshed interior design with a second color for visual clarity; meaningfully updated study notes and features; and the Christian Worker's Resource- a special supplement to enhance the reader's ministry effectiveness. Trusted & Treasured by Millions of Readers over 30 years, the Life Application Study Bible Is Today’s #1–Selling Study BibleDynamic equivalence study Bible translations attempt to translate the Bible in a “thought-for-thought” manner. In other words, instead of translating each word individually, they attempt to translate the original thoughts behind each word and phrase. Adherents of “dynamic equivalence” (and the more recent label “functional equivalence”) do not necessarily feel obliged to translate the actual words of the original. Instead, these translators often engage in commentary on the biblical text instead of translation of it. This is done by bypassing the words of the original and offering an interpretation of its “content meaning” as distinct from its “lexical meaning.” Because you want the translation to be as close to the original as possible, while still being readable. God chose specific words to include and exclude in scripture, and our job as readers is not to change those words, but wrestle with their meaning.

Because it has the potential to introduce the biases of the translators. This, in turn, can lead to words and phrases being used that weren’t originally in the text. Bottom line: If you want the best study Bible, I recommend getting an essentially literal translation. Now it has been thoroughly updated and expanded, offering even more relevant insights for understanding and applying God’s Word to everyday life in today’s world.

Personally, I believe the best study Bible will have study notes written by a variety of scholars. This allows you to get a variety of perspectives on a variety of texts. If all the notes are written by a single person, you’re only getting their interpretation of all the passages. This can get especially dicey if you’re getting into more difficult texts, like in the Book of Revelation. There are Bibles for men, women, college students, high-school students, kids, military members, and on and on. It’s a flabbergasting, overwhelming blessing. Because I believe that the Holy Spirit is primarilyresponsible for helping us apply God’s word to our lives. He is the one who makes convicts us of sin and righteousness. He is the one who reveals Christ to us. He is the one who comforts us in our afflictions and encourages when we’re downtrodden. The Life Application Study Bible has been one of the best selling Bibles in the world for over thirty years, and in 2019 it was completely overhauled with edits, updates, and new material. This new “Third Edition” initially appeared in Tyndale’s flagship NLT edition of the Life Application Study Bible, but now they’ve released an updated NIV edition, and later this year the update will arrive in a KJV option. In other words, instead of simply translating the words as they were originally written, an attempt is made to interpret the meaning of the original words and then let that interpretation guide the translation.

Personally, I believe this is an inferior and unhelpful method of translation because it has the potential to introduce interpretationinto the translation. In my video review of the Life Application Bible, I show you how the study notes work in this Bible. They include traditional notes like most study Bibles that give readers details about the historical and literary context of the biblical text, but they also have notes about how the text applies to our lives (you can see examples of both of these types of notes in the photo below from the Gospel of Matthew). This feature is what makes the Life Application Study Bible unique, because it is designed specifically for application. Where other study Bibles offer insight about the text, the Life Application Study Bible goes one step further and asks readers to consider how it applies to the rhythm of their daily lives. There are rare occasions when a literal translation will make zero sense to a modern English reader, and in that case, the translation attempts to be as close to the original as possible while still making sense to the reader. Generally speaking, study Bibles fall into one of two categories: Interpretation Centered Study BiblesToday's #1-Selling Study Bible has been thoroughly updated and expanded in The Life Application Study Bible - 3rd Edition, offering fresh and relevant insights. What follows is an in-depth guide to choosing a study Bible. First, I’ll lay out some general guidelines when it comes to choosing one, then make some specific recommendations about various study Bibles.