I have found that it is important, and necessary, to read from several different translations when studying the Bible. A different way of stating a phrase may be the one thing needed to help the light bulb of understanding go off in a passage, chapter, or even with regards to key concepts. It is no secret that I hold no one Bible translation as the gold standard, but I do find it necessary to have a standard jumping off point, or in my case that one Bible wherein I can keep the bulk of my notes, highlights, and thoughts as I read, study, and apply His word throughout my life.

The Bible that I find myself carrying throughout the house, placing in the passenger seat as I drive about, and packing in my carry on when traveling longer distances is what I refer to as my “old faithful”. This is the one that I hope grandkids will someday leaf through and see my heart, my questions, and the answers the questions the Father has generously given me.

My Old Faithful is “the one” for me for a variety of reasons, and each of them rank high in importance to me. I thought I’d take the time to explain some of my favorite features of my main Bible and share a link in case you think this particular model might be of good use to you as well. 

A factory photo of the Bible, which shows some of the original wrap around leather strap used for closure.

I want to begin by letting you know that I made a modification to this Bible as soon as I purchased it: It came with a lovely wrap-around leather strap to close it with and I cut the strap off because I prefer the convenience of fold over elastic, There was a tabbed opening which the leather strap attached to which was perfectly suited to thread a band of elastic through for my purposes.

Now, on to my list of what I love about this Bible!  (Available on Amazon by clicking here)

It has large print

I need a Bible with a large print. As a matter of fact, regardless of age or vision, this is one of my best recommendations to anyone seeking to read the whole word – get a larger print! Bible print is notoriously small compared to the type point we are used to seeing in books and even the strongest eyes will find themselves straining with many standard print sizes.

It has thicker paper

I interact with my Bible a LOT (write in it), therefore a thicker paper is a must for durability and lesser chances of ghosting or bleed through.

The paper color is easy on the eyes

I love the ivory color of the paper in this Bible. This not only reduces glare but also makes it easier on the eyes to read.

Single column format 

To me, it is simply easier to focus and immerse myself in the story if there is only one column on the page. Before this Bible, I mostly had Bibles with two columns of text on each page and I didn’t realize how distracting that was until I went with a single column. 

Plenty of room to write notes

Having space to take notes is a necessity for me, but in most Bibles there is very little space to do so. This Bible makes plenty of room with a two inch lined margin. In addition to this, there is ample spacing in between the sentences as well, so I find the entire page is conducive to note taking. I’ve used this particular Bible through four reading cycles now and still have plenty of room for additional notes.

No Commentary

We must always remember that His word is truth and all else is commentary (this includes my notes!). In some cases (one notorious example is the Scofield study Bible) commentary introduces entirely new concepts or doctrine which, at best, exist only outside of Scripture, and at worst stands in contradiction to Scripture. I do have Bibles with commentary that can be useful but it is vital that the reader know how to test these comments to scripture or there is risk of following commentary over the Father. This Bible has no commentary, making it ideal for the new Bible reader.

Full leather wrap around cover

This is one of my favorite features and what initially drew me to this Bible to begin with. I often take my Bible with me and don’t care for bulky Bible covers (I have only found one Bible cover that didn’t get in my way and, though it is a Bible cover, it functions as well as the one that is made onto this Bible – click here to see that). The wrap around cover made onto this Bible protects my Bible when it is closed and doesn’t get in my way when it is open. I can toss it in my tote bag or larger handbags and not worry about the Bible getting damaged while I’m out and about. 

Note: I did treat the outside leather on my Bible with a nice leather shoe polish and buffed it to a shine when I first purchased it four years ago. However, since then I’ve not repeated this and from looking at these photos I now feel I am long overdue.

So is this the perfect Bible?

Well, everyone has their idea of what makes the perfect Bible. To me, all that is lacking in this one is having the words of the Father and our Messiah in red (it grieves me that most Bibles slight the Father this way), a Hebrew and Greek concordance in the back, and cross references for verses in the Newer Testament that are quoted from the Older (a whopping 66% of the Newer Testament is quoting the Older Testament). However, other than the red lettering, all of these other features would make for one massive Bible, hardly practical for toting about. So while this Bible may not be perfect, for me it is as perfect a Bible as is currently available. It is a joy to read with lots of space to track my faith journey for years to come.

At the time of publishing, this Bible is currently for sale at a price $10 less than what I paid for it four years ago. Click here to view it on Amazon.

ESV Single Column Journaling Bible, Large Print

2″ ruled margins allow you to capture notes, prayers, and thoughts right inside your Bible.

“This edition includes just about everything I want in a Bible, and excludes everything I don’t.” ―Bible Design Blog

The ESV Single Column Journaling Bible features an easy-to-follow, single-column format with two-inch ruled margins, enabling you to easily align your notes, thoughts, and prayers alongside specific verses.

With high-quality Bible paper and cover materials, the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible is a durable edition for anyone who wants to capture sermon notes, prayers, artwork, discussion notes, or personal reflections in their Bible.
Features:
* Single-column format
* 2″ ruled margins for writing
* Cream-colored Bible paper
* Ribbon marker
* Smyth-sewn binding
* Size: 6.25″ x 8″
* 7.5 pt Lexicon type
* 1,360 pages
* Black letter text

It easily lays flat, with no bulky Bible cover to get in the way.

Check out all of our reviews by clicking here.

This post contains affiliate links. The cost of the product is the same to you but by clicking links in this post to purchase the item, a small portion of your purchase will go to help with the costs of Seeking Scripture. Thank you! 

About the Seeking Scripture Team: We are a group of believers from all walks of the faith, saved by grace alone through faith in our Messiah. While we are of one accord in many things, we are all works in progress and lifelong learners. Therefore the opinions of one may not always represent the opinions of all.

Christy Jordan
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