Ask Bible Buying Guide: Archaeology Study Bible Comparison

[@calebsmith4539]

I bought them all lol. I second that recommendation, they all have a lot of depth and all the information is different enough to get all of them. I use the cultural backgrounds bible as my reading anchor then go over the notes and articles from the other three. The cultural backgrounds bible notes seems to offer the best information for really getting a good grasp of what’s going on, then the others just add a ton of good information. Plus I went to the same university as one of the main contributors. On top of that it’s nice to have an ESV in the mix so you have a literal translation available to you since all the others are the phrase for phrase NIV. And I’m personally not a King James person. Reading these bibles, all four of them, feels like I’m reading scripture for the first time after being a Christian for over 30 years. I can’t put them down. The cultural backgrounds bible I purchased in the personal size and it almost always goes where I go. But your review was critical to my search for the right bibles for me and led me down that path so thank you!

[@adorp]

Wish the Cultural one had an ESV or RSV edition. NRSV is too much. The Crossway book is in ESV, and looks cool. But it has the least amount of notes on the text itself. It just fills you with random unrelated information.

[@briane.johnson4235]

Thanks Randy for the review of these. I certainly like to see what they look like inside the books before deciding on one. Most websites that sell them, only show you the cover, back and spine, or worse, just the box it comes in. Its refreshing to see and hear what you you like in them. Like you I like the color. I have seen some study bibles that are still just black and white with notes crammed in and it really isn't pleasant on the eyes. The notes and other stuff in a different color is the way to go for me.

[@elroyswarts513]

Excellent review sir.I really appreciate the effort you put into reviewing these Bibles.In a few days I plan to buy an ESV Archaeological Study Bible, so the information provided here is crucial.Thanks.

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

Thanks Elroy!

[@MsOliveLeaf]

Thank you, sir. You did a great job demonstrating these Bibles.!

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

Thank you!

[@BibleHacking]

As a Bible nerd, who was trying to choose one of these Bibles, your review helped a lot. I too ended up buying several of them lol

[@JerseyGurl4Life]

Oh goodness, You sound like me. 😊

[@DavidNutter1963]

The exact comparison I was looking for. Thanks!! God Bless. ✝️

[@swvincent]

Thanks Randy, I've enjoyed your Bible reviews, especially this one which was very thorough! I recently received an NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Bible and love it.

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

Thanks! I"m glad you like it!

[@rroberiolima]

I'm from Brazil and here we have the archeological niv study bible (they stopped publishing it - and now we just can buy a used copy unfortunely) and next month (december 2024) will be published the first century study bible - i will buy one, anxious to read it

[@inTruthbyGrace]

Thanks Randy. This is a great review and though I have the Archaeology Bible and the information in there seems accurate, I'd like to air my grievance against these kinds of study bibles for anyone who cares to know my perspective having studied these things to some length now. I have found these histories to be biased in the way the information is applied as accumulated by an unbelieving academic bias that is very hard for the typical Christian to detect, especially today when most people have no idea that the first "Hebrew" bible was not even in print for common circulation until the 11th century AD. The consequence is that earnest believers are misled into holding the unbelieving academic world's assumptions simply for lack of knowledge about what God actually did to sign His name upon the events of history in His salvation of all nations... a signature that unbelievers are NOT even going to look for like we do. Most believing Christians have no idea that when it comes to the bible, one is only considered a "scholar" until his belief guides his conclusions and _if_ belief in the bible "clouds" the scholar's conclusions, he is academically dismissed and demoted to "theologian". This bias to adhere to the secular historian's account of any matter is essential for the compilation of these histories and unfortunately they are stuck right in the bible as study guides. (2Cor 6:14) The very basic assumption that God meant to do something because He actually did it, is a paradigm generally not embraced by nor permitted for scholars so for the last 900y "enlightened" academics have tried to patch the holes in the assumption that God could not have _possibly_ meant to use Greek to transmit the Hebrew faith... despite the notable fact that that is *_exactly_* what God did. It is only through a believer's eyes that the logistics of the diaspora and the paving of the linguistic superhighway of Koine Greek come to view as the divinely directed, work of God's hands that they were, for the fulfillment of prophecy specifically for the spread of the gospel according to John 5:39. In other words, God's signature across the events of history is best viewed when those who are accumulating the evidence to tell you about history actually believe God was _involved in writing that history_ and that God _meant to do what He actually did_ because those historians will be the MOST likely to point out: (for example) 1. That by affixing His word in writing in 280BC, in the Koine Greek language, and distributing His word world-wide at a moment in time when *_all nations_* would be speaking the most technically precise & literally acute language ever spoken in the history of the world... God made sure His word would be ready and waiting for all nations by the day Jesus got here. 2. That by intentionally scattering His people into those soon-to-be Greek-speaking countries, God eliminated the Hebrew language barrier and made sure there would be a copy of those Greek Scriptures in all part of the world for _all_ men to read (Acts 15:21) 3. That _because_ His word was so precisely and rigidly affixed to writing, and in such wide-spread distribution for 300y prior to the arrival of The Christ, when His enemies (The Pharisees) would persecute His church and regret this common-distribution of His word and seek to retrieve or edit the content of those Scriptures, it would be FAR too late for any Jewish edition of the Greek to go undetected bc there was a copy of the LXX in every city and every nation of the world wherein the Jews had been scattered by GOD HIMSELF. 4. That because there was a copy of the Greek Old Testament waiting for Paul and the apostles, in every city of every state in the Roman Empire where ALL men(both Jew and the rest) had been speaking Greek for 400y before Jesus got here, Paul and those Apostles could convert those nations without having to teach pagans to read a dead vowel-less language (Hebrew) ; all men could could understand the Scriptures that Jesus said "testify of me " (John 5:39) 5. That considering the journeys and shipwrecks and persecutions of the early church it was a great miracle that there were Greek-speaking synagogues everywhere in the world, like Mc Donalds on a road-trip! All those apostles had to do was show up, shipwrecked, battered and torn, anywhere in the Roman Empire because there would be a synagogue of the Jews waiting with a copy of these scriptures that were available to even an Ethiopian eunuch who wanted to learn about the prophets!! 6. That despite how desperately the Pharisees tried to ban the LXX scriptures immediately after Christianity began to spread, that LXX had been the ONLY one in circulation among both the Jews and Christians outside of Jerusalem for 300y. By the first century, Hebrew had been nothing more than a dead imprecise, subjective consonantal language of letters (John 7:15) for several centuries before Jesus got here. It would take those Pharisees (Masorettes) several centuries to finally add vowel points for affixing meaning to their consonantal letter dialect that they dragged out of 6th century BC captivity, and they would not even agree on a text to put into common circulation until the *11th century AD* .. 7. That all 1st century Jewish authors wrote to their Jewish audience in GREEK and NOT Hebrew.. and that prior to the 20th century, the world did not have a single page of "ancient Hebrew" anything and to this date we still do not have a page of Scripture, or of Philo or Josephus or any New Testament or early church fathers EVER writing in Hebrew...or even mentioning the name yhwh or yeshua!! 8. but we DO have copious warning about the priests of the Jews, the Scribes and Pharisees and the synagogue of Satan spoken by Jesus Christ Himself. 9. we have Jesus Himself asserting in John 17 that, by the day He said the Lord's Prayer, He had _already_ manifested God's word and NAME unto all men All these, and many more details are neglected by a heavy unbelieving academic bias in scholarship that is still looking, at this very moment in time, to superimpose a non-existent Hebrew primacy of Hebrew-roots upon the events of history! My complaint about these study bibles is that they do not accurately reflect what God actually did... but they reflect what academic scholars imagine God should have done. Consequently, it is lost, the glory due to God in filling the Daniel 7:6 prophecy in the Greek OT where God tells Daniel He is going to give "language" (not authority) to the 3rd beast (the Greek Empire) for the purposes of having all men under one pure language to worship Him in one consent (Zeph 3:9) which is EXACTLY what happened! Rather, these unbelieving scholars leave gaping holes in the account of the transmission of the text in their ever ongoing attempt to stick to their assumption that the Jewish religion of "christianty" would naturally require Hebrew-primacy, despite the fact that God obviously very intentionally and BRILLIANTLY used Greek to establish the Christian faith... and to a believer who is aware of history, this is an egregious distortion of the glory due to God.

[@brotherarn]

you are awesome awesome awesome awesome

[@paulm590]

So which study Bible from the above 4 (or any other not listed here) do you personally recommend? I'm trying to learn. Thanks!

[@inTruthbyGrace]

@@paulm590 honestly... I would recommend reading ANY secular history of western civilization detailing the Greco-Roman empires, the book of Acts & Paul's letters, and the history of the second temple Jews & diapsora.. focus on how they assimilated into the myriad of nations and see how important the Greek language was for the flourishing of literacy all with the understanding that God was the One choreographing all these details for the spread of the gospel. These secular histories are fine-tuned and pretty accurate and if you are reading them while you are studying the Bible, and you are looking for the hand of God across the events of history, you are naturally going to see far more of God's handiwork than anything any study bible has assembled. It is kind of like making your own hot fudge sunday from real chocolate that you melt yourself and pure ice cream... lol. I avoid study bibles... I think you will learn far more about the hand of God signing His name to history by doing the research for yourself!

[@sydney.g.sloangammagee8181]

Please forgive me, it's been 5 years since you originally wrote this comment on these 4 Bible reviews,but then I saw a reply 1 year ago so I decided to respond to you. I loved every word you wrote . . . crucial points about non believers impartial opinions verses the dynamic of believers perspective - incredible - & you are so right, most of us would not even realize or notice, but it is indeed crucial information . . . God is incomparably amazing, "not one jot or tiddle" . . . THANK YOU for being that to my attention. Unfortunately, your valuable mini essay is lost to the world if it is only here in this video . . . in comments . . . are you an author? is this something you may have in print somewhere? No matter what, I've learned a new depth of perspective just from reading what you commented on . . . just goes to show God is in even the tiniest details that humans so casually overlook! God bless you, & your diligent attention to detail!

[@cherokeegypsy2617]

I really enjoyed this episode! Might I point you to: The Baker Illustrated Bible Background Commentary? (Baker 2020; editors: Duvall/Hays) That would be a nice pairing with all the great Archaeology info! And thank you!

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

Thanks! I'll take a look!

[@angelamc2923]

Thanks so much! Exactly what I needed to see to make up my own mind. You might have mentioned the Cultural Bible comes in NKJV and NRSV since that can sometimes be a deciding factor. I snapped up one in NKJV and am sorry the old Archaological Bible doesn't come in any of my preferred translations. I like the look of it better than the new ESV one. I also highly recommend the NKJV Chronological study bible which pops with historical/cultural/archaeology info. Lovely full color with a definite Indiana Jones look. Not as many notes or articles as most study Bibles but an awesome chronological layout.

[@Fruit17-ip4vl]

Thank you so much for your great review! I have The Archaeological Study Bible and I got it from eBay. I paid around $77. Other copies of this bible were hundreds of dollars! I was shocked. I also bought the Cultural Background Bible as well. The price of bibles have really skyrocketed in price. The Baker’s Illustrated Study Bible is a good one as well. They are no longer printing it. Be blessed! 😎🙏🏼✝️😇

[@brotherarn]

I seem to like the NIV archaeological Study Bible. It's single-column layout I really prefer. Beautiful coloring I like it

[@entity5678]

Great comparisons and info mentioned between the Archaeological Study Bibles..Well done sir

[@Silvercrypto-xk4zy]

absolutely love my archealogical study bible. was sadddend when i heard its out of print. they need to update and bring it back

[@paulajohnson6409]

I got a Cultural Background Study Bible in goatskin leather custom made from Adrian Alonzo at AE Bibles. Love this Bible!!

[@kstevenson3504]

I have the NIV Archaeological Study Bible. This is the only video I've seen so far that compares these Bibles! Thanks VERY MUCH! HOWEVER, (brakes!!!) :D, one OBJECTIVE WAY to give commentary on the CONTENT is to look at the TOP 10 archaeological finds for given years RANDOMLY, and see if they are discussed in these Bibles. This is especially helpful since the NIV Archaeological study Bible is 12 years younger. So does the ESV Archaeological Study Bible have the latest info? So you could have looked over the list of the top 10 that you found most interesting and then check to see if they were covered. Of course, that might be harder for a book 12 years old. But it would have given us a 3rd party way to seeing how thorough the ESV is.

[@TheBurntOrange1]

I have three out of the four, just missing the First Century (which I’m hoping to find at the Nashville Mckays next trip since it is no longer available for purchase on Amazon 😞)

[@clannard1]

Thank you Randy, I loved the flip through and comparison of all these bibles! I bought the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible in NJKV today and love it. I like the look of the Archeological Study Bible and think that and the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible would complement each other nicely. I'll buy a copy of that too if I can find one🙂

[@e.m.8094]

I have and love the archaeological study Bible. I had to pay $50 for a used copy, but it was worth every penny. I hope to find a large print version someday. 🙏

[@e.m.8094]

Now I'm on the hunt for the NIV First Century Bible, since that one is out of print also.

[@liviannarrate3351]

I love your all books reviews. Thank you👍👏🏻🙏. Pretty good work😄

[@JerseyGurl4Life]

I recently received the NIV Archaeological Study Bible and the ESV Archaeological Study Bible from Crossway. I had all intentions of looking over both of them and sending one back. I don’t think that’s going to happen.😬

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

Awesome!!

[@JeansiByxan]

Thanks for the overviews, it was helpful. However, I dislike that John Walton is the co-author of the Cultural Backgrounds Bible as he has some very unorthodox and frankly quite misleading views on Genesis, so I will steer clear of that one simply for that reason.

[@kstevenson3504]

I'd agree on John Walton!

[@alexh6131]

Love this video! Merry Christmas 🎄

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

Thanks! Merry Christmas!

[@DarkPaladin1130]

I have all but the NIV first century bible. They are all must haves imo. Treasure trove of knowledge.

[@MsOctober92]

How can I get reference with no book in front... Job 16:20 [12:5]? Would it come from that Book?

[@ankithdanielrajkumar2341]

😂👌 I am sure I didn't help you, as usual...but in my opinion....buy 'em all ! Superb review Sir !

[@marystout1606]

I would also recommend The Jesus Bible, The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, The NLT Illustrating Bible, The Complete Jewish Study Bible, The Holy Land Illustrating Bible, a good Bible Dictionary, a solid basic study Bible like the ESV, a devotional version like She Reads Truth Bible, a basic journaling version like the CSB Notetaking Bible, and the Archaeological Study Bible along with a good Bible Atlas. A good basic commentary set is the Bible Knowledge Commentary Old and New Testament set. Last would be Thompson Chain Reference Bible.

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

Awesome list! Thank you!

[@violettasauveterre5100]

This helped so much. Thanks and God bless you.

[@yvonnegonzales2973]

Hello sir, why first century is lacking information? & why ESV archeology is lacking commentary?

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

I don't know that answer about the First Century Bible. For the ESV, it's meant to be a companion to the ESV Study Bible, so it provides different information with an archaeological focus.

[@eightmiles3401]

Is it just me or not? Why I can smell the book while he turn those pages.😳

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

:-D

[@sheridanhenson2886]

I'm comparing the Cultural Backgrounds vs Archaeological Study Bible for EASY TO READ NOTES/COMMENTARY study Bible to help me understand the verses in better in the context of the original reader. Which of those two is a better fit?

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

The Cultural Backgrounds was written from the point of view of the original reader. It would be a better fit.

[@Kens1966]

How do you feel for the accuracy of the cultural background bible on pagan and Christianity kinda being mixed in I think

[@Kens1966]

I'm watching your video now on my TV using phone to comment take care and God bless

[@terencealbertmcbain8041]

Good afternoon Randy I just would like to ask a question regarding the Thompson chain Reference Bible and the Common Mans Reference bible which would you pick as your every day permanent Bible?

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

Hi Terence. I'd recommend the Thompson over the Common Man's Reference Bible. The TCR's topical chains and indexes are great for study and it's hard to recommend the CMRB's notes.

[@michaelmyers7064]

Well, the whole reason I’m watching this video so you could help us choose which one not everybody can afford all of these and not all of us get them for free

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

I hope it was helpful.

[@Kens1966]

How much do you trust the cultural background study bible? I have the NIV translation

[@SaneNoMore]

I have 3 of them but the first century one seems to no longer be in print.

[@SaneNoMore]

I got the First Century Study Bible for kindle and I find it often presents liberal viewpoints that question Scripture or should I say the modern critical scholar view that calls into question traditional teachings. I haven’t gotten through a lot of it yet but I found that a bit disappointing.

[@JenniferoftheSea]

It's too bad that the NIV archaeological study bible is out of print. It's a gem.

[@JerseyGurl4Life]

AMAZON!

[@Bunfire123]

So helpful thank you

[@vividsunn8459]

Nonny Moose? I wonder who that could POSSIBLY be?

[@tjtampa214]

Thx. Appreciate the look.

[@s7jworthington]

May I know what size is your Cultural Study Bible?

[@aaugust6696]

Thanks for the review. I love them all. However I am hesitating purchasing NIV because I know it has many different verses missing. That is my biggest concern. God bless.

[@caroldonaldson4565]

Thanks for the reminder - I'd plumb forgotten about that!👍😉

[@carol7773]

You can get NKJV

[@Andrew-vr9hr]

21:21 Amen

[@shanemcguire6428]

can you find any of those in KJV

[@whatsnextnora]

I believe so, he mentioned it somewhere in the video.

[@michaelreed649]

Great review as always. I know you dont want to choose and I respect that but I have a scenario for you. IF you can only buy 3 of the 4 and want to use them in conjunction with each other, What 3 would you get?

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

I would skip the Archaeological Study Bible simply because it's out of print. The used editions are a good price, but they might not be in good condition. Also, that's the only one that I've heard negative comments about its content.

[@hargisP2]

@@BibleBuyingGuide You can still get the Archaeological Study Bible in e-Book. I have it on iBook $6.99

[@hargisP2]

@@BibleBuyingGuide Apple Books must have watched your video, and saw my comment. They raised the price on the eBook for the Archaeological Study Bible to $7.99. I am not sure what problem people may have with the genealogy in Matthew. Matthew shows the genealogy through Jospeh who was not the Father of Jesus, but if you notice the line goes through Solomon and on to Jeconiah. If Joseph had been the biological father of Jesus, this would have disqualified Jesus from sitting on the throne of David, for Jeremiah had said, “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days; for none of his descendants shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling anymore in Judah. Luke shows the genealogy of Mary through David's son Nathan. Both come through the line of Judah. But it was never God's plan to have a human father for His Son, for it had to be sinless blood for the sacrifice.

[@edwardgraham9443]

@@hargisP2 respectfully in Luke, Luke nowhere mentions Mary in Jesus' genealogy. Both Matthew and Luke presents Jesus' lineage through Joseph, the difference between the two being Joseph's father. Matthew giving Joseph's father as Jacob and Luke giving his father as Heli. Look closely again and you will see that neither writers uses Mary in Jesus' genealogy except that Matthew has him as the husband of Mary.

[@viswizard]

Just get a book on Biblical archaeology.

[@jesusaddict7698]

I'll be picking up some of these bad boys soon.✝️👑😎😹

[@farlowalexify]

I like history and geography

[@SirMillz]

If only there was a NASB Archeology/ Cultural Background Bible..

[@JerseyGurl4Life]

I can’t believe I’m here agin.🤦🏾‍♀️

[@Silvercrypto-xk4zy]

you must choose! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

lol Now that's one skill I do not have. 🙂

[@Silvercrypto-xk4zy]

@@BibleBuyingGuide me either that’s why I ended up getting all of them except the archaeology study Bible (crossway)

[@bigal8074]

Sorry pocket messaging but I love your reviews

[@loveisall5520]

I bought the NIV Bible when it came out a number of years. I'd rather have my toenails pulled out with pliers rather than have to read the creepy NIV, though, and gave it away after reading the supplements. I enjoy the ESV Bible and also the CSB Holy Land Bible.

[@ernestogonsalez746]

Quick index bible

[@ernestogonsalez746]

KJV quick index bible

[@PreachermanPiper]

One has the Bible in it, the other three don’t.

[@brotherarn]

Indiana Randy angry and dangerous

[@BibleBuyingGuide]

lol You're awesome!!