There are so many ways to study your Bible. Topical studies, book studies, character studies, verse studies, etc. But no matter what type of study you’re doing, without the right Bible study tools you might find yourself frustrated with trying to keep track of and organize the information you find during your study.
But there are a lot of great Bible study resources out there to help. Here are just a few of my favorite must have Bible study tools that will help your study to be more enjoyable and effective.
So you can dive in and dive deep into God’s Word no matter what type of study you’re doing, even if it’s a simple step-by-step kind of Bible study (like the SOAP method or others).
Wide Margin Bible
Of course, you don’t need to have a wide margin Bible to study God’s Word, but it sure does make things easier! If you don’t have one, then a regular Bible with sticky notes can work too. But the great thing about a wide margin Bible is that you don’t end up covering up words on the page and you can keep your notes better organized.
Interlinear Bible
In case you haven’t heard of this, an Interlinear Bible is a Bible which has both the Hebrew or Greek right next to, right above, or right below the English translation. So you can do a side by side comparison. Typically they will also include the Strong’s number so that you can do more research on various words.
This might not be something everyone considers a one of their must-have Bible study resources, but it’s definitely on my list because it’s helped me to dive so much deeper and learn so much more in my studies!
My favorite Interlinear Bible is a phone app called CWP-iStudent. It’s great because you can search for the scripture, look up the Hebrew/Greek and then click right into seeing what the Strong’s number means. So helpful and (in my opinion) essential for understanding context and meaning!
Concordance
A concordance is basically a book which contains scripture references attached to various words or concepts. So say you want to look up all verses which talk about pride. You’d look “pride” up in a concordance and you could more easily find all the scripture that talks about pride.
I wouldn’t say this is an all-inclusive list though because sometimes there are concepts that are prideful (for example) that aren’t included because the word itself isn’t used. So keep that in mind. It’s still very helpful to have one for your studies though.
Another great concordance-type source is Google or OpenBible.info. For Google just search “verses about [TOPIC]” or whatever the topic is. And then you can find lots of information.
Bible Safe Highlighters
Bible safe highlighters are one of my favorite Bible study tools. They really help to organize and color code your studies and allow you to interact with your Bible in a different way.
I recently invested in a set of these Bible safe highlighters and really like them! They do feel a bit different than normal highlighters because they are kind of like a gel-like substance. But, they don’t bleed through or show on the backside of a page so I love them. The one thing I’m not a fan of is that they aren’t as bright as regular highlighters.
You can, of course, use regular highlighters. I personally don’t really mind it showing or bleeding through a little. If you don’t mind then those work good too. But the Bible safe highlighters are meant for the thin pages of a Bible and won’t bleed or show through.
Sticky Notes and Tabs
As I mentioned in the wide margin Bible section above, having sticky notes and tabs is a great alternative to having a wide margin Bible. But even whether you have one or not, having sticky notes and tabs to mark important topics you’re studying, verses that have a lot of meaning to you, etc. is a great resource.
You could even use them to color-code various things. For example pink tabs would be commandments of God and green tabs could be promises of God, etc. Something to that extent. There are endless ways that you could use these to bookmark things that are important to you in your Bible.
Color Coordinating Pens or Pencils
If you go with the color coordinating method, then getting a set of pens in various colors (or colored pencils) can really go a long way to keep your information organized. Especially if you’re writing things directly into the margins of your Bible. The idea here is that you would highlight a scripture and then take notes in the same color in the margins. This way the color of your notes is assisting in connecting the scripture to your notes. Very helpful!
There are TONS of options for colored pens and pencils. I personally prefer the kind that erase because you just never know. I tend to mess up a lot when I write and it can be really helpful to have that option.
Bible Study Journal
While taking notes in your Bible works for small amount of notes, if you’re doing a really big study you are probably going to have a lot of notes. Having something to keep your various Bible studies organized will go a long way to keep track of your studies. And a Bible Study Journal is just the thing you’ll want.
You can put one together on your own or find pre-made Bible study journals (like the one in my shop here). A traveler’s notebook is one option, with each insert being a different study. Or you could get a simple 3-ring binder with tabs and label each one according to the study you’re doing. I’m sure there are other ways to do this, but basically keeping all your studies in one place, but divided and organized is the key.
Yearly Bible Reading Plan
Another handy Bible study tool is to have a yearly Bible Reading Plan that you can go through to make sure you read your Bible at least once a year. Reading through the Bible regularly is important, just as important as studying and diving deeper into different passages. So having a Bible Reading Plan is an essential Bible study tool.
I have one option available within my Bible Study Journal Binder (find it here) or you can also find other printable Bible study plans, or even entire Bibles dedicated to reading the Bible in a year (in various formats). However you decide to do it, find (or make) a plan to read through the Bible once a year.
Bible Study Books and Devotionals
Studying your Bible independently by leading of the Holy Spirit is honestly the most important Bible study tool. But He’s more than just a tool so that’s why I didn’t include Him in this list. 🙂 But…having Bible study books and devotionals (like my Proverbs 31 Woman Bible Study or another great women’s Bible study) can help you so much with having a direction.
However, even if you opt to use an external Bible study book or devotional, be sure to still allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. People aren’t perfect and they don’t always get things right. So make sure you’re comparing everything you study against God’s Word to make sure it’s true.
And by the way, I have a great big list of Bible studies for women here that you can check out for more ideas.
Bible study tools can make Bible study more effective and enjoyable!
When you are organized with your Bible study it can make your studies so much more effective. You aren’t hunting down or trying to remember what you already found on a given topic, because you have it right there. And this can in turn make your studies so much more enjoyable.
So if you haven’t already taken into consideration getting organized with your Bible studies then pick up a few of the Bible study resources mentioned in this post and give them a shot so you can focus more on God’s leading and less on repeatedly trying to piece together information you already gathered.
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