Bible Study Tools I Swear By!

I can’t think of anything more important to your Christian walk than spending time in God’s word regularly. When we study the Bible we strengthen our faith, grow in intimacy with God, and receive wisdom and direction for our lives. It is critical that we know how to study the word!

What I’ve noticed over the years, however, is that many people don’t do Bible study as often as they should, if at all. From my experience most people say they avoid Bible study because the Bible is 1.) too hard to understand or 2.) too boring. Neither of which is true! The Bible doesn’t have to be dull and complicated. You just need to know how to get the most out of this powerful book.

Today I want to share five Bible study tools that I swear by. These tools will help you understand the Bible, keep you curious and engaged as you read it, and ultimately help you apply God’s word to your life so you can see God’s transformation and power working in and through you!

1 | A Bible That’s Easy to Understand

The Bible isn’t doing you any good if you can’t understand it. A good Bible in an easy-to-read translation is your first tool. If you’re starting out with the King James Version – which is written in an older version of English that isn’t spoken anymore – you are setting yourself up for failure. You want to find a translation that is accurate and easy to understand. My personal favorites are the New King James Version (NKJV), the Amplified Bible (AMP), the New Living Translation (NLT), and the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV).

If you want to go even further, you can also get a Bible that includes a verse-by-verse commentary that further breaks down the meaning of the scriptures. The Life Application Study Bible is a really good resource to choose if you want this type of study resource.

2 | The YouVersion Bible App

The Bible App is the Bible study tool I use the most (outside of my actual physical Bible). It is a FREE app that contains over 2,062 Bible versions in over 1,300 languages, making it easy to find a translation that is easy for you to understand. It also allows you to highlight and bookmark verses, take notes, and receive a daily Bible verse delivered right to your phone every day. The app even has an audio version for several of the translations and will read the scriotures to you! (Pro tip: the NLT has the best audio version in my opinion because the orator reads it like he’s reading a dramatic story. It keeps it interesting!)

Jeremiah 29:11-13, highlighted via the Bible App

One of the things I love most about the Bible App is that it offers hundreds of easy-to-read Bible plans (also called devotionals). The Bible plans cover a range of topics like marriage, parenting, depression, finances, business, prayer, fasting, and so much more! You can read these plans privately or invite someone else to go through the plan with you.

“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” – one of the many plans offered on the Bible App

The Bible App can be accessed on a desktop or laptop at www.Bible.com, but I have found that the mobile app provides a better experience. You can download the app to your iPhone, Android, or Kindle fire tablet here.

3 | Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

A Bible concordance is simply an alphabetical index of Bible words to help a person find specific verses in the Bible. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance contains every word that is found in the Bible as well as the original meaning of each word in the original Hebrew or Greek language.

A concordance is one of the most helpful Bible study tools when you want to do a topical study. For example, if you wanted to study faith, you would simply flip to the word faith in the concordance and be able to see everywhere in scripture the word faith is used. If you want to take it a step further, you could also see the original Hebrew or Greek word that was translated as “faith” in English and study the original definitions. This is useful when you really want to understand exactly what the Bible was originally saying because sometimes things do get lost in translation.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is an amazing book but, with over 1,600 pages and weighing about 5 lbs., it is also very hefty. If you want a more lightweight (and FREE) version, BlueLetterBible.org is an excellent resource! The site contains the entire Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance as well as a host of other features (like devotionals and commentaries) all at your fingertips.

4 | A Bible Dictionary

A Bible dictionary is another very useful resource to add to your Bible study tools especially if you’re new to Christianity or simply not well-versed in the Bible. A Bible dictionary contains definitions of keywords found in the scriptures. People, places, animals, nations, concepts, and even plants are all things you can find definitions for in a Bible dictionary.

This tool is useful in helping you understand:

Important people and events
Original Greek and Hebrew meanings of words
Historical and cultural context of a passage of scripture

My go-to Bible dictionaries are Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, Nelson’s Compact Bible Dictionary, and the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

5 | A Bible Commentary

A Bible commentary explains the meaning of passages of scripture. A commentary explains how the different passages of the Bible fit together and what they ultimately mean. No two commentaries are exactly alike but many will provide explanations on the language used in a passage as well as historical and cultural context. A commentary will also give you the author’s interpretation of the text as well.

I am currently loving the Moody Bible Commentary and the IVP Bible Background Commentary. (***Note: the IVP Commentary only covers the New Testament).

Bible Study Doesn’t Have to Be a Chore

I hope this list of Bible study tools has provided you with the resources you need to really dig into the Bible. The way we grow and form a closer relationship with God is by spending regular time deeply engaged in His word. If you’re new to spending time with God and have no idea where to start, you can check out my previous post “How to Have a Daily Quiet Time with God” for a thorough guide.

I pray this post has been helpful to you. These Bible study tools will transform your study time if you commit to using them consistently. I’m excited for you, friend! I see easier, more engaging, and more powerful times of refreshing in God’s word up ahead for you!