94 books like ESV Study Bible, Personal Size

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Here are 94 books that ESV Study Bible, Personal Size fans have personally recommended if you like ESV Study Bible, Personal Size. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible

Scott LaPierre Author Of Your Marriage God's Way: A Biblical Guide to a Christ-Centered Relationship

From my list on Bible commentaries for pastors and teachers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the teaching pastor of Woodland Christian Church. I have been in ministry since 2007, preaching God’s Word an average of 1 to 3 times weekly. Because my ministry focuses on teaching and preaching, I study God’s Word for 20 to 30 hours per week. I have used numerous commentaries over the years and settled on these as the best one-volume commentaries.

Scott's book list on Bible commentaries for pastors and teachers

Scott LaPierre Why did Scott love this book?

The MacArthur Study Bible presents some of the clearest exposition I have seen. It is the first commentary I use when developing Bible studies or sermons. The commentary was written by John MacArthur and his students at the seminary. I have been using it for 15 years of pastoral ministry and even if I have disagreed with an interpretation, I could see why it was reached and what hermeneutic they used. There are also very helpful charts and maps. The book introductions are helpful, especially if you preach or teach verse by verse and begin at the beginning of a book. There are helpful chronologies of the patriarchs, judges, kings, and profits.

By John MacArthur,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The MacArthur Study Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the moment you pick it up, you'll know it's a classic. The MacArthur Study Bible is perfect for serious study. Dr. John MacArthur has collected his pastoral and scholarly work of more than 35 years to create the most comprehensive study Bible available. No other study Bible does such a thorough job of explaining the historical context, unfolding the meaning of the text, and making it practical for your life.

Features include:

125-page concordance, including people and places More than 20,000 study notes, charts, maps, outlines, and articles from Dr. John MacArthur Concise Topical Index Type size: 12 point…


Book cover of NKJV Study Bible

Scott LaPierre Author Of Your Marriage God's Way: A Biblical Guide to a Christ-Centered Relationship

From my list on Bible commentaries for pastors and teachers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the teaching pastor of Woodland Christian Church. I have been in ministry since 2007, preaching God’s Word an average of 1 to 3 times weekly. Because my ministry focuses on teaching and preaching, I study God’s Word for 20 to 30 hours per week. I have used numerous commentaries over the years and settled on these as the best one-volume commentaries.

Scott's book list on Bible commentaries for pastors and teachers

Scott LaPierre Why did Scott love this book?

The Thomas Nelson Study Bible is my second favorite commentary to use. It shares many similarities with The MacArthur Study Bible. There are helpful charts and maps. The commentary is clear and understandable. The cross-references are helpful as are the other study tools. The images and charts are done wonderfully. There are over 1,000 articles and notes spread through the commentary, which provide a greater understanding of certain passages and topics. Again there are also book introductions and the outlines can be very helpful. The word studies, the Strong’s numbers in case you want to do further study. The indexes and concordances at the back are helpful and easy to use. One point to consider is while John MacArthur’s commentary is Calvinistic, The Thomas Nelson Study Bible doesn’t seem to lean toward Calvinism or Arminianism, probably to reach multiple denominations.

By Thomas Nelson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked NKJV Study Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The full text of the trustworthy New King James Version with robust study notes, vibrant full-color images, and dozens of study resources to help you grow deeper in your faith.

With more than 2 million copies sold, it's no secret that The King James Study Bible, Full Color Edition is a reliable guide for your journey into God's Word. This beautiful full-color Bible provides a complete resource for study, including over 1 million words of custom content contributed by top evangelical scholars. Over 1,000 articles, notes, word studies, photos, illustrations, maps, and other tools, combined with the accuracy and clarity…


Book cover of The Moody Bible Commentary

Scott LaPierre Author Of Your Marriage God's Way: A Biblical Guide to a Christ-Centered Relationship

From my list on Bible commentaries for pastors and teachers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the teaching pastor of Woodland Christian Church. I have been in ministry since 2007, preaching God’s Word an average of 1 to 3 times weekly. Because my ministry focuses on teaching and preaching, I study God’s Word for 20 to 30 hours per week. I have used numerous commentaries over the years and settled on these as the best one-volume commentaries.

Scott's book list on Bible commentaries for pastors and teachers

Scott LaPierre Why did Scott love this book?

This commentary was developed by the faculty at the Moody Bible Institute. It is also easy to understand and provides comprehensive exposition of all passages and most verses. It should be noted that frequently there is commentary on a passage, or collection of verses, versus commentary on individual verses. This is helpful to understand the flow and context of a passage, but it can leave you recognizing you need to look elsewhere when you don’t feel like there is enough explanation of individual verses. There are also helpful maps and charts and bibliographies for further reading and study.

By Michael Rydelnik (editor), Michael Vanlaningham (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Moody Bible Commentary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

OVER 100,000 COPIES SOLD!

Now you can study the Bible with the faculty of the Moody Bible Institute!

Imagine having a team of 30 Moody Bible Institute professors helping you study the Bible. Now you can with this in-depth, user-friendly, one-volume commentary. 

General editors Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham have led a team of contributors whose academic training, practical church experience, and teaching competency make this commentary excellent for anyone who needs help understanding the Scriptures.

This comprehensive and reliable reference work should be the first place Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, missionaries, and pastors turn to for biblical…


Book cover of Life Application Study Bible

Scott LaPierre Author Of Your Marriage God's Way: A Biblical Guide to a Christ-Centered Relationship

From my list on Bible commentaries for pastors and teachers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the teaching pastor of Woodland Christian Church. I have been in ministry since 2007, preaching God’s Word an average of 1 to 3 times weekly. Because my ministry focuses on teaching and preaching, I study God’s Word for 20 to 30 hours per week. I have used numerous commentaries over the years and settled on these as the best one-volume commentaries.

Scott's book list on Bible commentaries for pastors and teachers

Scott LaPierre Why did Scott love this book?

This was one of the first Bibles I was given after becoming a Christian and for years I used it more than anything else. Unlike the other commentaries that stick to the exposition of the verses, like the title would cause you to expect, this study Bible focuses on application from the verses. Of course this is very helpful for people who want to read the Bible and find application for their lives. For Bible teachers who are looking to better understand the verses they will recognize that unlike the other Bibles and amount of the commentary is simply people's thoughts. If you want to find application for your sermons and teachings, this Bible should be very helpful for you.

By Zondervan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life Application Study Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Discover How You Can Apply the Bible to Your Life Today

Study the stories and teachings of the Bible with verse-by-verse commentary. Gain wisdom from people in the Bible by exploring their accomplishments and learning from their mistakes. Survey the big picture of each book through overviews, vital statistics, outlines, and timelines, and grasp difficult concepts using in-text maps, charts, and diagrams.

Impacting more than 20 million lives over 30 years, the Life Application® Study Bible is the #1–selling study Bible of our generation. Now, it has been thoroughly updated and expanded to be even more helpful and relevant for…


Book cover of ESV Thinline Bible

Brooks Hansen Author Of The Unknown Woman of the Seine

From my list on history, myth, and fantasy, as imagination sees fit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I like history. I also like myth. And I revere the imagination, the liberal use of which can lead to what many call “fantasy.” Though the portions change, almost all the fiction I’ve written—from The Chess Garden to John the Baptizer to my latest, The Unknown Woman of the Seine—is the product of this recipe. Some moment from the past captures my attention, digs its hooks in, invites research, which begets questions, which beget answers that only the imagination can provide, informed both by experience and by the oldest illustrations of why we are the way we are. Dice these up, let simmer until you’re not sure which is which, and serve.

Brooks' book list on history, myth, and fantasy, as imagination sees fit

Brooks Hansen Why did Brooks love this book?

The Bible, by committee. Well, sure. Provided we can leave to othersor maybe just to each individual readerthe problem of deciding which parts are the history, which the myth, and which seem to be, let’s just say, imaginatively conceived (and which of these can claim the firmest purchase on the Truth we should probably also leave to the reader), the Good Book remains the deconstructed prototype for the kind of literary braid we’re talking about, the all-time album of mirrors, fashioned from pretty much all the same genres we still write inpoetry, philosophy, allegory, parable, vignette, epistolary, horror, and IKEA instruction manual.

Regarding the blend of the natural and supernatural, the moment I’ve been looking at with students recentlythis for a class I’ve offered on the subject of mental health and literatureis the meeting of Jesus and the Gerasene Demoniac,…

By ESV Bibles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked ESV Thinline Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The top-selling ESV Thinline Bible is ideal for use at home and on-the-go. At one inch thick and available in multiple designs, there is a perfect ESV Thinline Bible for everyone.


Book cover of The Born Again Skeptic's Guide To The Bible

Chris Wind Author Of Thus Saith Eve

From my list on critical of religion's view of women.

Why am I passionate about this?

This collection started when I had to take a course on Milton as part of my Literature degree program. It didn't make any sense to me blame Eve for the downfall of Man. (I hadn't yet developed much of a feminist consciousness and so didn't realize that women are always blamed... perhaps especially by men, perhaps especially for their own—i.e., men's—behaviour...) "I am Eve" (the first piece in the collection) is actually based on my term paper. After I graduated, I decided to go through the Bible to see who else needed to protest... 

Chris' book list on critical of religion's view of women

Chris Wind Why did Chris love this book?

Although the scope of this book is broader than the title of my book list, Green does have a chapter dedicated to "Treatment of Women in the Sweetest Story Ever Told." I believe, like she did, that an almost sure way to atheism is to actually read The Bible – which she did while convalescing from cancer in the 1970s). Two years later, she wrote this book in her 60s.  

By Ruth Hurmence Green,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Born Again Skeptic's Guide To The Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Bible examined from a freethought perspective. Combined with autobiographical "The Book of Ruth."


Book cover of Holy Bible

Jonathan R.P. Taylor Author Of Meat: Memoirs Of A Psychopath

From my list on most disturbing stories that you can not put down.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an award-winning British singer/songwriter who you have probably never heard of. Since completing my first novel I’ve also titled many other multi-genre works. My passion is based on anything and everything that has never been done before. I say this; “If you wish to feel happy, take a pill - if you seek a cure, then face the truth.” I’ve written songs about 9/11, The Holocaust, Execution by hanging in Iran – all themes that many would say are ‘unapproachable’. I am a Neurodiverse writer who won the Principal’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Education – let me share that success with you. My disability is a gift, not a curse.

Jonathan's book list on most disturbing stories that you can not put down

Jonathan R.P. Taylor Why did Jonathan love this book?

I appreciate that this may be quite random but I had to read it to obtain multiple references as the wider plot grew into that of the Gabriel Sect – when the original killer develops a ‘fan club’.

I am now an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church – but I am not Christian. I believe in both freedom of and freedom from religion.

I certainly do not set out to offend anyone and welcome all faiths and alternate beliefs, but this I would say. If the Holy Bible were to be published today, given the huge doses of incest, sodomy, and extreme violence it contains, it would be considered - unsuitable for children.

I wanted to understand how specific biblical and ancient texts could be exploited by cults, I naturally chose the worst. I appreciate that this is counteracted by equal doses of kindness and goodness within the…

By Unknown,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Holy Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With an attractive new slipcase and binding, this compact Bible is an ideal gift and spiritual companion.

The full text of the ever-popular Authorized King James Version Bible, with all its literary beauty and poetic grandeur, in an attractive size and with beautiful binding and slipcase
making it an ideal gift.

Includes silver gilt edged pages and white marker ribbon.


Book cover of Someone I Love Died

Kaitlyn Odom Fiedler Author Of What Now? Finding Renewed Life in Christ After Loss

From my list on a biblical view of death and grief.

Why am I passionate about this?

Navigating life with grief has been a lifelong journey for me ever since I was a young child. At 8 years old, I was in a car accident which took the lives of my parents and four of my siblings. Since then, I’ve faced a huge mountain in front of me – How do you move forward in life when you have lost everything? This journey led me to now share my story of childhood loss and healing in hopes of helping others. As a counselor, I’m a huge mental health advocate and love books which tackle hard emotions that help readers of all ages feel more understood and equipped for their journey ahead.

Kaitlyn's book list on a biblical view of death and grief

Kaitlyn Odom Fiedler Why did Kaitlyn love this book?

This is a children’s book for primarily ages 4-8. It describes what it’s like for a child to be experiencing grief through a biblical lens.

I can’t recommend this book enough because as someone who experienced loss as a child, I needed this book then. It has beautiful words and imagery to guide the child and hold their emotions. It would be a fantastic book to read through in a counseling session with a child experiencing loss. 

By Christine Harder Tangvald,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Someone I Love Died as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Minimus Pupil's Book: Starting out in Latin

Caroline Lawrence Author Of The Thieves of Ostia

From my list on ancient Rome for kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

Caroline Lawrence is the author of over 30 historical novels for children and young adults, most of which are set in ancient Rome. She studied Latin, Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew at Berkeley and Cambridge and has been investigating the ancient world ever since. In 2009, she won the Classical Association Prize for 'a significant contribution to the public understanding of Classics’. Her aim is to make that world accessible for kids.

Caroline's book list on ancient Rome for kids

Caroline Lawrence Why did Caroline love this book?

There are many books for kids who would like to learn Latin but this charmingly illustrated book, also set in Roman Britain, is one of the most accessible, especially for children in primary school.

By Helen Forte, Barbara Bell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Minimus Pupil's Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A lively introduction to Latin for children aged 7 and over. Join in the fun with Minimus - a mix of myths, stories, grammar support and historical background! This pupil's book is a lively, colourful introduction to the Latin language and the culture of Roman Britain. A fun way to teach English grammar, it is ideal for cross-curricular activities.


Book cover of Nelson's Bible Encyclopedia for the Family: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of the Bible

Jeanne Lyet Gassman Author Of Blood of a Stone

From my list on the life and times in Roman Palestine.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been an avid reader of historical fiction since I was very young, and I love learning about the life and times of different periods of history. One might describe me as a "research junkie." My desire to know more about the everyday lives of my historical characters has taken me on many wonderful adventures, and my personal library is full of books I use for research. I write fiction, creative nonfiction, and novels. I am currently completing a new novel about a family of downwinders, people who contracted cancer from government-sanctioned radioactive fallout from the atomic bomb tests in Nevada during the 1950s and 1960s.

Jeanne's book list on the life and times in Roman Palestine

Jeanne Lyet Gassman Why did Jeanne love this book?

As its title implies, this book is accessible to the entire family and would be a great resource for Sunday school teachers who want to provide their students with a larger understanding of the life and times of peoples in ancient Palestine and Rome. The book is broken down into easy-to-find categories such as "The Home," "Warfare," and "Travel and Communication," to name a few. There are stunning photographs on every page with detailed and clear explanations. The back of the book has timelines of the Bible and a map of Palestine in New Testament times with highlights of key events in the New Testament. There is also an alphabetical index that makes it easy to find information on specific topics.

By Arthur Cundall, Rosemary Mellor, Arthur Rowe , Frederick Fyvie Bruce

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Nelson's Bible Encyclopedia for the Family as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Discusses historical and cultural topics relevant to an understanding of the Bible, under such topics as archaeology, geography, government, business, education, and health.


5 book lists we think you will like!

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