Reviewing my Favorite Bibles
I shared a reel a while back with my Bible in it, and someone asked what Bible it was. So I thought - why not just share my favorites? We’re blessed with SOOO many choices of Bibles these days and it can be kind of overwhelming if you’re trying to buy one!
I also did this in reel format over on Instagram so head over there (@marliscarborough) if you want to actually see the Bibles.
1.Thompson Chain Reference, NKJV
This is the Bible I’ve had since I was fifteen, and definitely my favorite. The “chain reference” means it has a huge topical index and each reference for a certain topic gives you the next reference where it comes up (e.g. Philippians 1:5 is a reference for “saint’s fellowship,” and you can either go directly to the next reference in the chain, v. 2:17, or you can flip to number 1325 in the back and look up all the verses about it.)
I also like that because of the references in the margins, there’s room to write there. And I always memorize in NKJV because that’s what I started memorizing in as a kid and it would be confusing to switch.
2. ESV Journaling Bible.
I got this one and read through it last year. I love the journaling space for notes, and I did a lot of marking and note-taking. It’s still going to take a long time to be as familiar and comfortable as my first Bible though.
(Link will take you to one that’s close to what I have, but there are so many different options for this one!)
3. ESV Thinline Bible.
This is the one I usually take to church because it’s so easy to just throw in my bag. I did read through it once with highlighters just to give the pages some definition so it’s easier to find things, but I rarely do much studying with it. It’s just for convenience.
While I love these physical Bibles, it’s also priceless to be able to have it on my phone anywhere and anytime with apps like YouVersion or Dwell. I also love being able to switch between versions and try out different ones.
And of course no matter how you choose to read the Bible, don’t forget that the words are what matter, not the pages that hold them :)