ESV Study Bible | English Standard Version

Overview of Content and Features

The ESV Study Bible includes 20,000 notes, written specifically for the ESV Study Bible. These notes focus especially on understanding the meaning of the text, giving answers to frequently raised questions, and providing theological, historical, and archaeological background—all for the purpose of helping readers to understand the Bible in a deeper way.

The ESV Study Bible also provides a wealth of additional resources. The introductions to each book include essential information about the author, date, and place of writing; an extensive chart of key themes; a summary of how the book fits in with the rest of the biblical storyline; a description of literary features; an outline of the book; and a large full-color map showing the setting of the book.

Another unique feature is the inclusion of over 50 helpful articles on topics such as the authority and truthfulness of the Bible, reading the Bible for application, the Bible in worship and prayer, the reliability of the biblical manuscripts, the relationship between archaeology and the Bible, an overview of biblical theology, and many more.

Other key resources include a system of over 80,000 cross references and a concordance (which together facilitate easy location of important words and biblical themes). In addition, over 200 color charts, located throughout the Bible, provide clear, concise presentations of essential information.

Sample Pages

Sample pages from chapters 1 and 18 of the Gospel of John, showing page layout and a composite of the ESV Study Bible’s main features.

• The ESV Bible text is set in highly readable 9-point type, in a single-column, book-text format.
• Section summaries are highlighted for easy location throughout the notes. Summaries provide an overview of each main section and correspond to the outline shown in the introduction for each book.
• Over 200 full-color maps printed throughout make events and places in the Bible come to life.
• 20,000 notes focus especially on understanding the Bible text and providing answers to frequently raised issues. Words from the Bible text are printed in bold for easy reference.
• Over 80,000 cross-references provide easy access to key words, passages, and themes throughout the Bible.
• Numerous diagrams bring fresh understanding to key places and events in the Bible, based on the best, most recent historical and archaeological research.
• Over 200 charts provide concise, “at a glance” summaries of important themes and teaching.

Click to Enlarge

Illustration of Solomon’s Temple

• Over 40 all-new illustrations were developed exclusively for the ESV Study Bible. Created by the world’s leading biblical archaeologists in partnership with a renowned architectural illustration firm, these drawings set a new standard for accuracy and beauty.
• Concise captions describe each aspect of the illustration, including biblical references, measurements, and function.
• A precisely rendered top-down view is included for most illustrations, showing exact measurements and the direction that the structure faced.
• A summary caption provides an overview of the illustration, along with a concise description of where the places and events shown in the illustration are located in the Bible.

Click to Enlarge

More PDF Sample Pages

Full-Color Illustrations and Maps

All new full-color illustrations were created specifically for the ESV Study Bible and are printed at key locations throughout the Bible. These include more than 40 important biblical structures, cities, and objects, rendered in precise, accurate detail. The unique dimensional drawings were researched by leading archaeologists and have been beautifully rendered in full color by architectural illustrators. The result is a series of exceptional illustrations—including the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s temple and Herod’s temple, and the city of Jerusalem throughout the history of Israel and during the time of Jesus—illustrations that bring fresh insight and in-depth understanding regarding the significance of these biblical sites and structures for ancient Israel, first-century Christians, and for believers today.

Likewise, more than 200 all new full-color maps were created specifically for the ESV Study Bible. Using the latest satellite imagery, digital technology, and cartography techniques, the maps are based on extensive research and the most recent biblical archaeology scholarship. With the study Bible maps printed in full color and placed throughout the Bible, the events, people, and places of the Bible come to life in a fresh and compelling way.

Free ESV Online Study Bible

The ESV Study Bible is the first study Bible ever to be published simultaneously in print form and online—and the online edition will be available free to all who purchase a copy of the print edition. The ESV Online Study Bible will provide additional unique features, including the ability to create personal online notes; to search and follow interactive links between notes, maps, articles, charts, timelines, illustrations, and cross-references; to listen to audio recordings of the ESV; and to access additional resources not available in the print edition—all available for free.

The ESV Bible and the ESV Study Bible

The ESV Study Bible uses the highly respected ESV (English Standard Version®) translation as the foundational text for creating the study Bible notes and other features. Emphasizing word-for-word accuracy, literary excellence, and depth of meaning, the ESV Bible is ideally suited as the basic text for a study Bible. First published in 2001, the ESV Bible translation work involved more than 100 Bible scholars worldwide, including: (1) the twelve-member Translation Oversight Committee, led by Dr. J. I. Packer as the General Editor; (2) sixty leading Bible Scholars; and (3) a sixty-member Advisory Council—all of whom are committed to historic Christian orthodoxy. Many of the 100-member ESV translation team also participated in the creation of the ESV Study Bible.

Since its publication in 2001, the ESV has gained wide acceptance among numerous denominations, churches, and ministries and is consistently among the most widely distributed Bibles in North America and worldwide.

The ESV Bible is available from Crossway Bibles in more than 120 editions and is distributed worldwide. In addition to the many Crossway editions, the ESV Bible is also published in partnership with Oxford Bibles, Cambridge Bibles, HarperCollins UK, and through the network of 130 Bible Societies around the world.

Crossway is a not-for-profit publishing ministry, and all receipts from the publication of the ESV Bible go directly toward the support of the Crossway ministry worldwide.

For more information about the ESV Bible, visit the ESV web site at www.esv.org.