This guide provides an introduction to major reference works and other resources for the study of the Bible in English.

Resources for studying the Bible in the original languages can be found in the Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Greek guides.

The editors of the ESV Study Bible offer a helpful perspective on using extra-biblical study helps:

"We should always begin by reading the Bible's actual words, seeking with our hearts and our minds to understand these words and apply them to our lives. Then, after starting with the words of the Bible itself, we can turn to the study notes and many other study Bible resources for information about the background to the text, for the meaning of puzzling words or phrases, and for connections to other parts of the Bible. Finally, we should return again to the Bible itself, reading it with a new and deeper understanding, asking God to speak through his Word to the situation of our life and to draw us near to himself" (9).