What’s the difference between a study Bible and a standard Bible being used alongside a Bible commentary book?
Are you asking about the difference between a Bible study and a commentary? If you are, a study Bible can be very helpful for quick look up. A commentary has much more detail than the study Bible.
Study Bibles give you a quick note about the text you are reading. They are convenient because they are one volume, usually notes attached to the bottom of the Bible text. You can take a study Bible with you anywhere.
But a commentary is much more comprehensive. Some commentaries have multiple volumes even for a single book of the Bible. Taking your Bible and a commentary means two books instead of one. If you’re doing study in one place, it’s not so bad.
With both study Bibles and commentaries, you may only get one perspective of the biblical text. Most study Bibles are attached to a person or denomination. There’s not enough room in a study Bible to present all of the views and perspectives of one text.
With a commentary, at least a good one, you will get many perspectives at least glossed or listed and explained by the author. Study Bibles have their place as a quick way to look at the text, especially if you like the information and perspective given.
But for deeper study, a commentary and standard Bible would be a better fit. There is more information and more perspectives presented in a commentary. So a study Bible is good for quick use and getting an idea of the text from one perspective. But a commentary digs deep into the passage and helps you understand it better.
