The ESV Global Study Bible was created to help people know and understand the Bible—that is, to help people everywhere around the globe encounter the timeless truth of the Bible and experience its life-changing meaning.
The Global Study Bible was created for every English-speaking person in the world who wants to know more about the Bible. In the coming years, Crossway also plans to provide the Global Study Bible in many more languages. But until these editions become available, the Global Study Bible seeks to serve the following two primary groups of English-speaking Christians.
First, “Global Christians” throughout North America and the Western world—people who have a passion to live out the teaching of the Bible and the gospel in their own communities and around the globe.
Second, “Global Christians” in every corner of the world where English is read or spoken either as a first or a second language—especially in places where few Bible study resources are available. To reach this global audience at the lowest possible cost, the Global Study Bible is being produced in Asia and other parts of the world—wherever the lowest manufacturing costs can be obtained.
The Global Study Bible is also being provided free online to everyone who purchases a print edition, and free online to a million people worldwide—wherever the demand and need for Bible study resources is greatest.
The ESV Global Study Bible uses the highly regarded English Standard Version Bible as its starting point. Building on the 768,000 words of the ESV Bible text, the Global Study Bible provides notes, articles, and other study material comprising an additional 759,000 words of explanation and teaching. The result is a comprehensive resource equivalent in scope to a 12-volume Bible study library, all in one volume.
The Global Study Bible features include 12,000 study notes, 900 highlighted Bible facts, 80,000 cross-references, 120 Bible character profiles, 120 duotone maps, charts, and illustrations, an extensive concordance, and a glossary of key terms. In addition to this, each book of the Bible includes a “Global Message” introduction, indicating the global significance of each book for the story line of the Bible and the message of the gospel, culminating in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
The result is an exceptional resource, with more than 1950 pages of highly accessible Bible text and study resources—to enable people everywhere to encounter the Bible and discover for themselves its relevance for time and eternity.
To accomplish this purpose, the ESV Global Study Bible was seven years in the making. The editorial team included more than 120 outstanding Bible scholars, teachers, and pastors. The team of contributors came from more than a dozen countries, more than 20 denominations, and more than 50 colleges, universities, and seminaries around the globe.
Given the international vision of this Study Bible, supplemental articles by key Christian scholars and leaders from around the world have been included, with Dr. Ajith Fernando of Sri Lanka serving as the Global Editor. See below for a list of those contributors.
The ESV Global Study Bible is available free online to at least one million people worldwide. First, everyone who purchases a print edition will receive free online access to the Online Global Study Bible. But in addition to this, Crossway will also make a second copy available free online to another global Christian, wherever the demand and need is greatest, anywhere in the world.
Every free Online Global Study Bible is integrated with the ESVBible.org website and is available anywhere that there is an Internet connection—online, on tablets, and on mobile devices everywhere. The ESVBible.org platform also gives users access to the full ESV Bible text, along with the ability to personally manage notes, highlight and share text, and obtain additional Bible resource modules.
The goal of the ESV Global Study Bible is, above all, to honor the Lord—in terms of its excellence, beauty, and value; in terms of helping people everywhere to understand and know the Bible, the gospel, and Jesus Christ; and in terms of addressing the life-and-death issues facing churches and people everywhere. Our urgent prayer, as the publisher of the Global Study Bible, is that many millions would come to know and love the gracious, merciful God of the Bible, through Jesus Christ his only Son, the Creator of all things and the Savior of the world.
To God alone be the glory,
Lane T. Dennis, Ph.D.
Crossway President