As you may have guessed by now, I truly love reading and studying the Bible. So often when I revisit the timeless truth that God has shared with us in Scripture, I’m overwhelmed by its beauty, power and richness. God orchestrated this message over thousands of years in order to display the depth, width, height and breadth of His love for us. He had been weaving this stunning tapestry together for generations in order to declare His desire to always be with us and the path by which we can spend eternity with Him. Because of the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, and when we declare Him as Lord of our lives, we are redeemed. Over the course of the 66 books that make up the Bible, God calls us to join in His story and to share the good news with others so they can too.
For all of these reasons and many more, I love Bible study. With modern technology ever at our fingertips, we are incredibly blessed to have full access to the Bible at any time and any place. We have apps and websites to help us dig deeper and grow in our understanding about God from experts around the world. Being able to study in this way has helped to cultivate my faith immeasurably, so I’m thrilled to share some of my favorite online Bible study resources in hope that it can help you as well. Without further ado…
#5 – BibleProject.com
If you like video content, then you’ll love The Bible Project. One of its best features is the videos that trace key themes throughout Scripture using fantastic animation and explanation with the goal of illustrating how the entire Bible points to Jesus. I especially love the book overviews, which couple illustrations and narration to outline a book’s core concepts. These book overviews are available for all 66 books across both the Old and New Testament. I often come to this site for a general synopsis of Old Testament books that I don’t know much about, and it has proven to be a big help in this department. The Bible Project also has great articles that illuminate common threads in Scripture passages and many other helpful resources, like study guides, reading plans, free online self-paced classes and a podcast.
#4 – Enduringword.com
Of all the Bible commentaries found online, Enduring Word is my top pick. On this site, you will find commentary for every single book of the Bible taught chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Whenever I run across a verse and I’m uncertain about its meaning or context, I know I can turn to Enduring Word to get David Guzik’s take on it. I would like to say while I think that commentaries are extremely beneficial in that they make the expertise of Biblical scholars available to a lay person like me, I also frequently remind myself that commentaries stem from human assessment and point of view, and they do not hold the same weight as Scripture itself. Even still, commentaries can provide clarity and understanding when studying the Bible, and I’m grateful for their explanation and interpretation.
On Enduring Word, I really appreciate the way David Guzik makes connections between the Old and New Testament and how he often teases out the original language used in verses and its application in the passage. Much like the Bible Project, I often find myself coming to this commentary for Old Testament books and chapters I’m not very familiar with. Also available on the site are videos for every chapter of the Bible where David Guzik walks through its major points, much like a sermon. Additionally, Enduring Word has Q&A and topical videos, blog posts by a compilation of authors and a podcast.
#3 – Gotquestions.org
When you’re studying the Bible, does a question pop into your head and you Google it looking for an answer? This often happens to me, and I almost always find what I’m looking for at Got Questions. For instance, when studying Hebrews and I ran across a name I didn’t know much about, after a quick search, one of the top choices was the article, “Who was Melchizedek?” on Gotquestions.org. Even if there are other options resulting from the search, I will likely go to the Got Questions article first. The site addresses a myriad of questions and provides answers that include Biblical context, cross-references, clarification, and sometimes even videos. They also often outline if there are different interpretations about the topic and reasons for the differing viewpoints, handling what could be deemed controversial with both openness and grace. And like commentaries, they are sharing a human perspective, but I appreciate that Gotquestions.org always points to Scripture for the truth, which is where we all should go for our answers to life’s questions.
#2 – Biblehub.com
Anytime I’m going to be doing a deep dive during inductive Bible study, I start by reading the passage in my physical Bible so I can underline or circle words that the Holy Spirit causes to jump out at me in the moment or so I can take notes for future reference. After I have a better understanding of the context and the main theme of the passage, I reflect on what the verses are revealing about God and His character. Then it’s time to open up my two favorite websites for Bible study, #1 (which we will get to shortly) and #2, Biblehub.com.
On Bible Hub, you will find a treasure trove of study tools and over 20 different Bible translations. One of my favorite features of the site is the ability to compare different translations for every verse in the Bible just by typing its reference into the search bar. I also love the plethora of cross-references it provides for each verse, allowing you to see what other verses have similar wording and themes in both the Old and New Testament. When in the full chapter mode, it gives footnotes providing clarification, and for New Testament books, the Scripture reference is also provided if an Old Testament passage is being quoted. Since I love seeing the connection between the Old and New Testaments, this is a feature I’m very thankful for while I’m studying. As I continue to dig into a passage, once I’ve looked at the different translations and cross-references, I toggle from Biblehub.com over to my favorite Bible study website…
#1 – Blueletterbible.org
When I was first introduced to Blue Letter Bible, my inner Bible nerd was beyond thrilled. The reason this site is my #1 is because it allows you to search every verse in the Bible and look up its original language (Hebrew in the Old Testament and Greek in the New Testament) through its interlinear function. It provides the transliteration, pronunciation, root word etymology, and how many times the word can be found in the Bible and the different ways it’s translated based on the context of the passage. It also provides each word’s outline of Biblical usage to help you better understand their definitions. Last but certainly not least, it lists every single verse where that word is found in the Old or New Testament, and I just love seeing how each word is used throughout Scripture and how it all connects together in God’s amazing Word.
The connections God has shown me through studying the original language of Scripture with Blue Letter Bible have deepened my understanding of His Word exponentially. I can still remember when my dad first told me about this website, and it felt like my spirit leapt for joy, as if internally I was realizing, “Yes it’s time to really get started!” I was so excited to have the ability to research the Bible’s original languages on my own, and since then, how I study the Bible has never been the same.
I’d also like to add that Blue Letter Bible has other helpful tools, including many different translations for comparison, cross references, commentaries, and even timelines and maps. Overall, the site is a great comprehensive storehouse of Biblical information and can be a tremendous help as you study God’s Word.
Thanks so much for checking out my favorite Bible study websites. I sincerely hope these online resources will prove helpful as you dig deeper into Scripture, and in the process, I pray that you grow closer to God and strengthen your walk with Him.
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Heather L. Myers 