Tips and Resources for Anyone Wishing to Further their Skill in Studying the Bible:
The Holy Bible, Literal Standard Version (LSV) by Covenant Press – This one is new, just out in 2020, and is a major improvement over its peers. It draws from older texts (Septuagint, from the 3rd century B.C., and Pentateuch, centuries older than Septuagint) in addition to the Masoretic Text (MT), circa 1,000 A.D. LSV is a vital reference for anyone wishing better accuracy of original Scriptures. I own and refer to this new version in Kindle.
[Serious students should be aware that the Masoretic Text (from which most modern versions of OT/Hebrew Bible stem), was written 1,000 years after Christ by Rabbis who openly stated they wanted to prevent Christianity from converting Jews. It contains many changes, omissions, and additions such as altered genealogies, for one. For more revealing information re the MT with examples and a video, see separate post: The Masoretic Text Contains a FATAL Flaw…]
The Pentateuch (Samaritan version of the Torah) – From several centuries BC, the Pentateuch may be the oldest translation of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the books of Moses, still in existence. Prior to the discovery of the scrolls at Qumran, this version had been minimized and set aside. After the Dead Sea Scrolls were compared, old reservations about The Samaritan Torah were debunked. This resource is amazing, for it includes the Masoretic (MT) text (1,000 A.D.) alongside the Pentateuch, enabling the reader to see the differences and omissions in the MT. I own and use this in Kindle.
The Septuagint – From the 3rd Century B.C., the Septuagint contains the entire Old Testament / Hebrew Bible translated into Greek by Jewish scholars living in Alexandria (Greece) who understood both Hebrew and Greek. The image below is of one copy in English which happens to also contain the Apocrypha. The Septuagint is the version of Scripture quoted by Jesus and the disciples! A must have for serious students. I own and refer to this in Kindle.
Complete Bible Reference Study Library by James Strong – I have a copy on Kindle. Contains the KJV Bible with Hebrew and Greek Bible dictionaries, concordances and more. Allows you to dig into word studies of the original languages on the fly — in the Kindle app, which is free, on phone and/or computer. Warning about this one: while I love and use this library regularly, the King James Old Testament is solely from the flawed, Masoretic Text. Again, most popular versions of the OT are taken from the MT. For this reason, though I use it, I always cross-check texts with the Septuagint and Pentateuch, or Samaritan Torah.
BibleGateway.com FREE tool for searching the Bible in many modern versions (again, most OT translations come from the Masoretic Text which have problematic areas – just always fact check against older texts). You can do a search of the English translation of one verse with one click. Also offer commentaries and libraries of info to study, along with devotionals, etc.
Biblestudytools.com Contains a free copy of the Septuagint. In addition to having my own copy of the Septuagint, I have this resource bookmarked on my laptop!
Stepbible.org contains a free copy of the Pentateuch for online use. In addition to having my own copy, I also have this valuable resource bookmarked.
Audio Bible! (many options in Amazon or iTunes)
Crosswalk.com FREE with many articles, resources, and devotionals and much more
Additional resources I have in hard copy, to name a few favorites:
The Interlinear Bible: contains Hebrew, Greek and English line by line on every page. It unfortunately, however, also uses only the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament. Before trusting it, compare it to the older versions, as recommended above.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (this is included within Strong’s Complete Reference Study Library mentioned above…)
KJV Illustrated Bible handbook: includes summaries, author and date info, audience info, principles, and more
Nelson’s Compact Bible Commentary by Radmacher, Allen and House (contains outlines, illustrations, and more)
Nelson’s Quick Reference Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Wiersbe.
FAITH AND FASTING 