HCSB Study Bible Notes / January 01, 2010

To read about the pivotal role Accordance played in the development of the HCSB translation, see this post.

At its core, the HSCB Study Bible is about one thing: deepening your knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. But there are a number of ways this unique study Bible supports that paramount goal, including 15,000 study notes, 290 Hebrew and Greek word studies, 66 highly detailed book introductions, 62 maps, 27 topical articles, 20 charts, and 18 illustrations, all focusing on the most important topics and questions in Bible study.

Features of the HCSB Study Bible:

• Study Notes provide historical cultural, linguistic, and biblical information that enhances your understanding of a given passage.
• Maps illuminate the Bible text by showing its geographical context.
• Charts organize information in a way that enables the reader to grasp important connections quickly.
• Word Studies enable the reader to see a key word and the family of words to which it is related. It also shows a range of expression in which that word functions.
• Illustrations recreate architectural structures that were part of the landscape in which the Bible was written. Being able to visualize these structures provides a context in which to read and study passages of Scripture. Both the writer of the passage and many of his first readers knew these structures first hand.
• Photos, like Illustrations and Maps, provide visual context known by the biblical writers and many of their first readers. Being able to see the context is a significant aid to comprehension. Both Cyril of Jerusalem (A.D. 315-86) and Jerome (340-420) called the land of the Bible “the Fifth Gospel.” Experiencing the land by photos enriches one’s reading and understanding of the Bible.
• Introductions give overviews of books by providing information on Circumstances of Writing including Author & Background, Message and Purpose, Contribution to the Bible, Structure, and Outline.
• Essays give in-depth coverage to major biblical/theological issues.

The HCSB Study Bible includes several different plans for reading through the Bible: A three-year reading plan edited by Heather Collins Grattan and a 1-year reading plan compile by the late Rev. Robert Murray M’Cheyne. Additionally, this module includes a 52-week Scripture Memory Plan which suggests two different Scriptures on the same topic for each week spanning 15 different biblical concepts (i.e. God, Humanity, Jesus, Creation, Discipleship.)

Note: While the printed version of the HCSB Study Bible contains the HCSB biblical text, this module does not include the actual biblical text.  It contains all the Introductions, Maps, Charts, Illustrations, and Notes of the printed version.  The Bible Study Notes of this module can be linked to run in parallel with any Accordance Bible translation.