While a Bible contains everything necessary for the Christian life, laypeople often find further study helpful.

A church with a healthy pastoral teaching practice will help its members understand the Bible. But even then, independent study may cover areas beyond pastoral exposition.

Today we’ll look at great ways to deepen understanding without breaking the bank.

I’m not going to be focusing on things like devotionals. These usually aren’t terribly expensive to begin with, and you can find great free devotionals in apps and newsletters. Christian living books aimed at a mass-market are also outside our scope today. Topical Bible studies can be helpful, but today’s focus is whole-Bible resources.

There’s no order to these things. While you could go down the list and get one of each (for $150 or less if you follow my personal recommendations), you might find that you only need one or two. This is also not a cheap Bible guide—I’m assuming you already have one or are fine using one of the Bible apps today. I’ll go over that later.

Study Bibles

Study Bibles are a great option for a Christian who wants to delve deeper with a one-time financial commitment.

A study Bible takes a full text of Scripture and combines it with notes and other helpful features. For today, let’s define a study Bible as any Bible with features beyond a simple cross-reference.

Study Bibles can target a certain demographic, such as Crossway’s ESV Women’s Study Bible and its equivalent Men’s Study Bible. They can also be topical, like Nelson’s Key Word Reference Bible, which has more than a thousand word studies beside the text.

However, a good bet for a study Bible for people on a budget is just to go with your translation’s flagship study Bible. These usually share the translation’s name and combine a good price-to-value with broad appeal.

The NIV Study Bible and ESV Study Bible stand out. The NIV Study Bible’s current edition has plentiful visual aids and has topical icons for some notes. The ESV Study Bible is full of notes, with generous book introductions and a mini-library. It has more explicitly Reformed notes, but coming from outside the Reformed tradition it rarely bothers me.

Also consider the NKJV Study Bible and CSB Study Bible. Both have word studies as recurring separate features and are well-made, but aren’t as comprehensive.

For the budget-minded, the CSB (or KJV) Everyday Study Bible might beat out the full CSB Study Bible. It has almost identical notes and almost always sells below its $35 retail price.

The Life Application Study Bible deserves a mention here as well. It’s probably the most popular study Bible. With oodles of content for laypeople and four translations on the market (KJV, NIV, NKJV, NLT), it is a consistently solid option. It can be hard to fit into a budget, though.

Study Bible Pros and Cons

The study Bible approach is an easy one-and-done option for light study. They make splendid gifts and cornerstones of a library. Like standard Bibles, you can get them in a variety of finishes, which means prices vary between budget-oriented and fancy options.

Pros:

• Can be cheap, especially in hardcover configurations
• Come with a Bible and further resources in a single volume
• Often tailored to market or application
• Many are actually very comprehensive
• Paperbacks and hardcovers are usually reasonable
• Probably the easiest option for most people, since everything’s on one page

Cons:

• Not all created equal
• Better value-to-money in some standalone resources
• Space constraints mean less material even in the more comprehensive study Bibles
• Paperbacks may fall apart quickly with heavy use
• Hardcovers may lack ribbons and other fancy Bible features
• Often unwieldy
• Preferred study options may not be available in preferred translations

Personal Recommendations

If you get one, my recommendations are the ESV Study Bible for its voluminous content or the Everyday Study Bible for its great price to value. The NIV is a close competitor, though it doesn’t have the ESV Study Bible’s library in the back, which might make the difference if you’re on a tight budget. The Life Application can fill this role too.

I would avoid paperback and hardcover offerings. Hardcovers are fine in a pinch, but much more unwieldy. The ESV hardcover doesn’t have ribbons, which is a small pain. I don’t have experience with the NIV Study Bible hardcover, so I’m not sure if it has ribbons. You can add ribbons later, but it’s an extra expense and you’ll get a more portable Bible by spending the difference for faux leather.

Personal size study Bibles generally have tiny font.

The CSB Everyday Study Bibles only come in faux leather, but their price is great. It’s also the most portable full study Bible I know of.

Tyndale offers the Filament Bible in KJV and NLT, which is a standard reference Bible with an optional app. Use the app, and you get study Bible-like notes. It’s easy to use and has a lot of stuff. Its cheaper options are the cheapest you can get the study Bible experience in “print” for. It’s similar to the Life Application Study Bible that Tyndale also publishes.

The links below go to Christianbook and what I consider the “best value” options. I am not currently an affiliate with Christianbook, but plan to become one.

ESV Study Bible on Christianbook

NIV Study Bible on Christianbook

CSB Everyday Study Bible on Christianbook

KJV Everyday Study Bible on Christianbook

NLT Value Thinline Filament Bible on Christianbook

KJV Value Thinline Filament Bible on Christianbook

Bible Handbooks

A Bible handbook (sometimes called Bible guide) seeks to break down the Bible for laypeople. As opposed to a commentary, it tends to stick more to facts and basics, but they’re still valuable.

You can think of a Bible handbook like a study Bible without the Bible attached. This gives them more flexibility to include content that might be left out of a study Bible for space, so they can actually have more than the lighter study Bibles. A study Bible paired with a Bible handbook opens up two separate interpretations of Scripture, letting you gauge consensus and see differences between understandings of the text.

Many Bible handbooks feature illustrations. If you like visuals, illustrated Bible handbooks usually outperform study Bibles on that front.

Unlike study Bibles, there’s less of a rule about how these work, but they generally go book-by-book, chapter-by-chapter, or even passage-by-passage through the whole Bible.

A key distinction here between a Bible handbook and other sorts of Christian reference materials is that handbooks focus on walking you through the Bible. If you have a good Bible you like, a handbook can be a companion to that. They don’t function well without a Bible, though.

While a handbook will often draw connections to parallel passages or other concepts, you don’t get a topical breakdown like you would with a Bible dictionary. Commentaries, even those aimed at laypeople, usually go into more detail than most Bible handbooks.

Bible Handbook Pros and Cons

A Bible handbook is a great option to complement any Bible, whether it’s a study Bible or a print Bible.

Pros:

• Usually on the affordable end
• Most are marketed at laypeople
• Aimed at helping you understand the Bible
• Compatible with whatever translation you read
• Visuals are often an added bonus that you don’t get in study Bibles

Cons:

• Cost can add up quickly if you want to get multiple
• Not as in-depth as a commentary
• Usually don’t contain Bible text, so you’ll want to have two books open
• A lot of variation in the market

Personal Recommendations

I don’t have as much experience with the Bible handbook market as I do with study Bibles, but I have a Halley’s Study Bible which I really enjoy. I’ve seen the Halley’s Bible Handbook in person on several occasions, and it’s just more of the good stuff. If I had to get just one, it would probably be the Halley’s. I linked to the large print, but there are other formats below the product description, and the standard print isn’t terrible.

There are a couple other options. Wilmington’s Bible Handbook is one I don’t have familiarity with, but I’m planning to get one soon because I think it looks quite good. It’s published by Tyndale, a publisher that focuses on accessible content for laypeople.

The Holman Ultimate Bible Guide is a little more minimalist. It’s a small hardcover and is part of its Ultimate Guide series, which offer great value most of the time. It has small print size, but is chock-full of content. At $10 MSRP, it won’t bust your budget, but it can usually be found on sale. Particularly recommended for on the go, when space is tight, or for tight budgets.

Halley’s Bible Handbook (Large Print) on Christianbook.

Wilmington’s Bible Handbook on Christianbook.

Holman Ultimate Bible Guide on Christianbook.

Bible Dictionaries

Bible dictionaries take a different approach than Bible guides.

Where a Bible guide goes passage-by-passage at whatever scale the authors chose, a Bible dictionary goes topic-by-topic.

The advantage of this is that if you know the topic you’re looking for, you can probably find it in a Bible dictionary.

The downside of this is that they really are reference works. You probably won’t use one every day, but when you need one it’s good to have a high-end one.

Bible Dictionary Pros and Cons

A Bible dictionary is a great introductory-level study tool. When you have a topic you need to study really quickly, having it all in one place is nice. They can also cover topics (such as the apocrypha) that don’t appear in a standard study Bible, Bible guide, or even a commentary.

Pros:

• Will cross-reference whole Bible
• Can cover topics not explicitly addressed at length in the Bible
• Direct overview of key topics
• More advanced level content

Cons:

• Some are not really made for laypeople
• Relies on you to figure out what you want to look up
• Many budget options not comprehensive
• Most helpful to bridge general searches and specific building

Personal Recommendations

I recommend the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. It has more content than you’d find in a guide, and I don’t know of any other single-volume dictionary with more for a layperson. The Ultimate Bible Dictionary from Holman is much smaller, and I don’t recommend it. The point of a Bible dictionary is to help where a handbook wouldn’t. Spend a little more and get a more comprehensive volume. It’s got a $40 MSRP. As with most things Holman, you can find it on discount pretty easily and it punches well above its cost. Mine lives about eight inches from my mouse on my desk.

The Unger’s comes highly recommended, though I have less experience with it. The Harper Collins Dictionary takes a more ecumenical approach in gathering its sources, which will appeal to broader non-Protestant traditions. It’s just pushing the upper boundaries of what I consider budget-friendly, but you can find it below its $48 MSRP. The recommendations I’ve made below all include illustrations and are relatively comprehensive.

The problem with recommending most others is that you are now in the realm of reference material that aims at experts.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary on Christianbook

Unger’s Bible Dictionary on Christianbook

Harper Collins Bible Dictionary on Christianbook

Commentaries

Commentaries are the big-time study tool. They provide expert analysis of passages. For a layperson, they’re a great tool because they bring the language knowledge, academic history and theology, and expository capabilities of their authors into your home.

A standard caution with commentaries is that they involve more personal input from their authors than most other tools available. The authors of any study Bible, Bible handbook, or Bible dictionary explain things from their perspective. However, this is usually a committee-led effort. While commentaries often involve a committee as well, they are often much more focused on bringing their editor or author’s approach to the text. I don’t use any commentary that explicitly comes from my own theological background, and it doesn’t bother me, but I want to be upfront about this.

Commentaries are also notoriously expensive, though the good news is that they are usually available below retail prices. That means that prices which disqualified Bible dictionaries are fair game on commentaries.

There’s a bit of snobbery in the commentary game; multi-volume commentaries are generally considered better than single-volume commentaries. However, as a layperson you don’t usually need to worry too much. Bigger commentaries often get into weeds that laypeople don’t need to worry about too often. Their market is academics or pastors, who might get more from the in-depth discussion of Greek grammatical nuances or an elaborate historical overview of a passage’s interpretation.

Personal Recommendations (Multi-Volume)

My go-to multivolume commentary is Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible Commentary. It is available in paperback if you have one or two sections of the Bible you want to study, but I suggest ripping off the band-aid and just grabbing the whole set, since it can be had cheaply online. While it’s nominally $249, I’ve almost always seen it available for $80-100.

Because of the expense, I don’t own sets of any other multi-volume commentary (yet), but you might also check out the Bible Knowledge Commentary and Wiersbe Commentary, which are available in NT and OT as separate books or together for $100 MSRP and less in practice. I’ve had people recommend them, and I’m hoping to pick them up soon.

The Bible Expository Commentary the Wiersbe Bible Commentary has a $250 price-tag, but I’ve seen it on sale for $80, placing it about comparable to the Thru The Bible multivolume set. I suggest a single volume updated Matthew Henry commentary, but a Hendrickson printing is relatively affordable at $60 right now if you like old-school commentaries with great layperson appeal.

Thru The Bible Commentary (5 Volumes) on Christianbook

The Bible Knowledge Commentary (NT & OT) on Christianbook

Wiersbe Bible Commentary (NT & OT) on Christianbook

The Bible Expository Commentary (6 Volumes) on Christianbook

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (6 Volumes) on Christianbook

Personal Recommendations (Single-Volume)

Single-volume commentaries are going to be less comprehensive, but you can still find some good ones out there.

I own and have used the Believer’s Bible Commentary, the New Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary, and the Moody Bible Commentary.

The New Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary is an update of the original Matthew Henry six-volume commentary to modern language. It’s unabridged as far as basic content goes, though I’ve seen complaints about print size and whether the update removed stuff that should have been kept. Nonetheless, for a really comprehensive single-volume commentary this is a safe bet. With 2288 pages, you’ll believe this contains multiple volumes.

The Believer’s Bible Commentary was edited by the guy who oversaw the New King James Version translation project and written by one of his students. It’s a very conservative commentary from a modern context, so it has things the Matthew Henry doesn’t. It’s also just under 2600 pages. Less content than the Matthew Henry, but much easier on the eyes with good print size and helpful diagrams.

The Moody Bible Commentary is another modern conservative commentary. It’s a smidge more academic in focus than the Believer’s Bible Commentary, but I’ve found it to be a good option as well.

New Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary on Christianbook

Believer’s Bible Commentary on Christianbook

Moody Bible Commentary on Christianbook

Advanced Bible Software

Most people are familiar with basic Bible apps that allow you to access the full text of the Bible. Many of these apps also have features like devotionals, reading plans, and audio Bibles.

But there are also more academically oriented apps and software specifically for advanced Bible study.

I don’t use a ton of these myself, but I’ll break down the ones I’m most familiar with.

Logos

Logos is my Bible software of choice, and the only one here I’ve used extensively. It has interlinear functionality and a free plan that allows you to access limited but still quite useful content. The free plan includes classic English translations, the Christian Standard Bible, and the Lexham English Bible. While you have to pay for most translations on Logos, they come with interlinear functionality built-in. A basic lexicon and Bible dictionary is included, as are Lexham’s Faithlife Study Bible notes.

Logos also has an Explore subscription, but I haven’t had time to check it out yet. It offers a much more expansive library. Since I like the CSB and mostly use Logos when I want to study a single word, it fits my needs pretty well.

Pros:

• Easy reference tools accessed by highlighting words in a passage
• Includes the Faithlife Study Bible notes, basic lexicon, interlinear functions
• Web and desktop access for maximum convenience
• Mobile/tablet app for on-the-go reading
• Not just for Bibles—a whole library of books is available

Cons:

• Gets pricey quick
• Really aimed more at professionals than laypeople until recent updates
• Might be difficult to find layperson-oriented content

Check out Logos online at logos.com

E-Sword

To me, E-Sword looks like a free alternative to Logos and I’ve had a few people recommend it to me. However, I’ve never been able to get it to work and it doesn’t seem to be actively maintained.

Check out E-Sword at e-sword.net

Olive Tree Bible

Another one I’ve had recommended to me frequently. Looks like a less academic-focused version of Logos, with more of an emphasis on plain Bible reading and more free content. I think it also looks like it has less of a technical hurdle.

Check it out at olivetree.com

AndBible

Apparently this is very similar to E-Sword, but Android-focused. Reminds me of Logos on my Android phone, with a large variety of free content if you want to avoid having to pay for Logos. Just be aware that your functionality will be limited by the documents you have downloaded, so you’ll need to use a specifically interlinear translation if you want interlinear functionality. It’s also free and open source.

Check it out at andbible.github.io

Blueletter Bible

Blueletter Bible has apps for mobile and tablet, but I’m primarily familiar with it through its website. It has a lot of classic material available free on the net, including historic creeds, commentaries, and the like. I know people who went to seminary and really leaned heavily on Blueletter Bible, and it’s a great place for devotions and other support resources.

My only complaint is that the web version is limited by feeling very much like a standard website. The apps are apparently better, but I’ve never used them.

Check Blueletter Bible out at blueletterbible.org

Budget Pit-Falls

There are some things I would avoid if you’re on a budget and getting a lot of stuff at once. This isn’t because they’re bad in and of itself, but you should begin by acquiring other stuff from this guide and then getting these if you still feel a strong need.

Often these purposes are served by other things. For instance, a good Bible dictionary will point to Scripture related to each entry. A topical Bible will do this more thoroughly, but might not prioritize the most salient verses.

Cheap Bibles

If you don’t have a Bible in print and want to get one, don’t pair a handbook with a gift and award Bible.

If you want a cheap Bible, most translations offer a “value thinline” option. It’s no- or low-frills, but will usually feature a higher-quality binding (i.e. good for more use) and more generous print size. Either way, you likely are going to miss out on features like concordances and references.

Look for “sewn binding” in the product description. This means it’ll hold up longer, which means less money spent in the long run. The Filament Value Thinline Bible and the Everyday Study Bible both have sewn bindings, so they’ll last a long time.

I’ll have an extended guide to buying cheap Bibles later.

Specialty Study Bibles

Specialty study Bibles are an easy pitfall.

If you’re on a budget, you want to stay general. The big study Bibles get a lot of time and effort invested. Smaller study Bibles don’t. This goes for topical study Bibles, study Bibles named after an author, and so forth. They’re often good, and if you’re just looking for a Bible with the study Bible element being an added bonus, go for it.

But if you’re scraping the most out of every dollar, they’re not where the value-per-dollar is. Get the most general Bible you can find. The exception might be something like a new believer’s Bible if you’re a new believer, but I’d generally recommend the Life Application Study Bible or Filament Bible first because the new believer’s Bibles are going to be very top-level.

Concordances and Topical Bibles

A concordance links the words in a translation in a Bible to the original language. Concordances are good, but they’re more difficult to use than Bible software for anyone without an aversion to technology. Most Bibles outside the value section feature a short concordance. Study Bibles often feature a more comprehensive concordance, but reference Bibles often have concordances.

Topical Bibles are similar to concordances, but focus on topics rather than words. The most common is Nave’s. You can get Nave’s relatively cheaply, but you’ll also see a topical index in many Bibles (especially those that don’t include a concordance).

Most importantly, unless you’re planning to be away from electronics, themes and topics in the Bible are very easy to search for, and even less trustworthy online sources tend to point to the right passages.

Parallel and Interlinear

Parallel and interlinear Bibles can be a great way to study the Bible, but they don’t run cheap.

Unless you know you want multiple translations in print, a parallel Bible will cost more and get you fewer features than a standard Bible. This means no cross-references, smaller print, maps at the back, and so forth. It’s almost always cheaper to get two Bibles in the translations in a two-way parallel Bible. Four-way parallel Bibles offer a better cost to value, but you’re still losing out on print size and other features you could get in a standard Bible.

The same rules apply to an interlinear. Unless you know you need one, you don’t. You won’t get a lot of the textual apparatus that makes modern Bibles easier to use, and you’ll be paying for another language.

My $150 Budget Libraries

I’m going to suggest two different ways to spend $150. In both, I want to maximize the amount of content I can get for my dollar while sticking primarily to print resources I can hold in my hands.

I’m orienting both these packages around different use cases. The desk reference option is an addition to your library you’d leave at home. The on-the-go option has portable elements, so you could take most or all of the collection with you in a backpack.

I’m also not getting into Bible software here, since most have free offerings that you should experiment with until you find the one you like.

If you want links, scroll up. I use sale prices rather than retail price.

Desk Reference

This package is about building the most I can for a collection that stays in my room. This would be perfect if you have a Bible to carry with you already, or if you’re looking to expand to cover a broader range of topics.

Bible: ESV Study Bible (approx. $55 on sale regularly) or NIV Study Bible ($60 on sale regularly)

Handbook: None

Dictionary: Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (probably available $32 or less at all times)

Commentaries: Believer’s Bible Commentary ($50)

The downside of this setup is that you will be relying very heavily on two large volumes–your study Bible and your commentary. You can switch the commentary out for any of the single-volume commentaries I recommend and stay under the cost threshold. If the Matthew Henry six-volume from Hendrickson stays on sale for $60, you could get it and have a very pretty bookshelf as well as a great commentary, but I don’t think it will.

By going with a massive Bible, however, you don’t need a handbook.

On the Go

If you really like traveling or need to be able to pack all your resources in a backpack, consider the following options:

Bible: Everyday Study Bible (CSB or KJV) ($28 or less regularly) or NLT Filament ($18 or so regularly)

Handbook: Halley’s Bible Handbook (Classic) ($25 or less regularly)

Dictionary: Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary ($32 or less regularly)

Commentary: Thru the Bible 5 Volumes ($80 on sale regularly)

This one may come out to $150 on a bad day, but it’s a good option if you want portability. The Thru the Bible multi-volume set may be large, but any single volume is relatively portable so you can focus on a particular section of the Bible (or even NT and OT). It’ll be a dozen pounds of books, but I’ve traveled worse. You could go with the Ultimate Bible Dictionary to save money, but between the Everyday Study Bible or Filament and Halley’s you could probably just go without unless you want the expanded reference options.

Conclusion

If you want to get good resources on a budget, you can acquire a pretty handy library by picking up a Bible handbook, dictionary, and commentary. This won’t be the same caliber as what you’d want to pastor a church or pursue an academic path, but it will get you started.

You can use my recommendations to build your list, or you can search around for alternatives. I’ve got a very conservative evangelical bent to this list, because that’s my own background (and also where most layperson-friendly low-budget content is), but most of these will be suitable for anyone.

Normally, I suggest shopping local if you have a Christian bookstore in your area. To get the absolute most from your money, however, the internet will usually be the better bet.