It’s December, and someone on your Christmas List wants a Study Bible.  Or, you want to put a Study Bible on your wishlist.  How should you choose?

If you’re reading this post, I assume the following about you and your recipient:

• You’re part of a progressive Christian tradition.  You’re mainline Protestant – UCC or otherwise.

• You’re looking for something scholarly.  Your use cases include following along with the texts from Sunday’s church service, devotional study of the Bible, and an intellectual curiosity about historical context, authorship, and form.  

• You’re also looking for a study Bible with recent scholarship. 

• You’re looking for something easy to use.  You’re also looking for articles, maps, and footnotes.

• You want your Biblical interpretation to support being a good neighbor.

• You’re looking for a physical Bible, rather than an app or an online-only resource.

-The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version, 5th Edition. Also excellent: The Harper Collins Study Bible, NRSV. Why? The NRSV was released in 1989 and remains the standard for most mainline Protestant churches. It’s in the pews at Pilgrim Church, for example. My Oxford Annotated NRSV is still my go to Bible – and 30 years later it turns out the paperback binding was not the right choice. Splurge on the hardcover! If you’re really going for the very latest scholarly translation, you want the NRSVUE – The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. The NRSVUE was just released which means most Study Bibles do not include the NRSVUE. There is a Lutheran Study Bible, Second Edition (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition) from 2025. Looking for one for a teen? Generally, youth study Bibles from the past 10 years that rely on the NRSV and are published by SparkHouse or Cokesbury are worthwhile choices.

–The Jewish Annotated New Testament edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler.  Why? The scholarship in this edition helps us avoid antisemitism.

–The Inclusive Bible, The First Egalitarian Translation by Priests for Equality. Why?  The scholarship is good, the language is poetic. However, this is not a study Bible, so it’s a second volume for your shelf.

These are my recommendations!

+Pastor Reebee