This edition of the ESV Bible includes a number of valuable features to encourage the reading and study of the Bible. A brief description is provided below explaining the purpose and use of this editions’ features.
Section headings have been included throughout the text of this edition. While the headings are not part of the Bible text itself, they have been provided to help identify and locate important themes and topics throughout the Bible.
This edition of the ESV Bible includes one of the most extensive and useful cross-reference systems available. The ESV cross-reference system is based on a comprehensive system developed more than a hundred years ago by a team of Bible scholars from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. As far as possible this system also included the cross-references used in the original King James Version of 1611. The resulting cross-reference system was first used in the English Revised Version (RV) and has been highly regarded around the world for its effectiveness in showing the internal interrelationship of the text throughout the Bible.
The cross-reference system as it appears in this edition of the ESV Bible has been adapted as needed from the RV system for use with the ESV text. In some cases, therefore, the specific wording of the reference passage may differ, although the underlying meaning and relationship to the referenced text is normally the same.
Because the ESV is an essentially literal, word-for-word translation, the ESV is especially suited for cross-reference study of key words and concepts throughout the Bible.
An alphabetical superscript, preceding a word or phrase, is used to indicate each word or phrase that is cross-referenced. Numerical superscripts, however, which follow words or phrases, link to footnotes. See, for example, the word “psound8” in Titus 2:1, where the letter superscript “p” preceding the word links to the cross-reference, while the number superscript “8” links to the footnote.
The ESV cross-reference system includes several types of cross-references, as illustrated here from Romans 3:3–4. These include:
(1) References to Specific Words or Phrases. References to words and phrases within the same chapter appear as, e.g., “ver. 7”; within the same book, as, e.g., “ch. 9:6”; in other books of the Bible, as, e.g., “Heb. 4:2.”
(2) Comparative References. These references direct the reader to passages with the same theme and are indicated by square brackets, e.g., “[ch. 9:6; 2 Tim. 2:13].” In this example the theme of God’s faithfulness as found in Rom. 3:3 is cross-referenced with the same theme found later in Rom. 9:6 and in 2 Tim. 2:13.
(3) Less Direct References. These references generally provide additional information or insight about a specific theme and are introduced with the word “See,” e.g., “See John 8:26.” In this example the reader is directed to John 8:26, where God is presented as a trustworthy judge, thereby illustrating the theme of God’s faithfulness as taught in Rom. 3:4.
(4) Quoted References. These references indicate the source for verses or phrases quoted from other places in the Bible, e.g., “Cited from Ps. 51:4.”
The notations “(Heb.)” and “(Gk.)” indicate that the reference is clearer in Hebrew or Greek than in English. “(Gk.)” in New Testament citations of the Old Testament indicates that the reference is most clear in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament.
Several kinds of footnotes related to the ESV text are provided throughout the ESV Bible to assist the reader. These footnotes are indicated in the ESV text by a superscript number that follows the word or phrase to which the footnote applies (e.g., “Isaac2”). Superscript letters that precede a word (e.g., “cIsaac”) are used to indicate cross-references (see cross-reference explanation above).
The footnotes included in the ESV Bible are an integral part of the text and provide important information concerning the understanding and translation of the text. The footnotes fall mainly into four categories, as illustrated in the examples below.
(1) Alternative Translations. Footnotes of this kind provide alternative translations for specific words or phrases when there is a strong possibility that such words or phrases could be translated in another way, such as: “Or keep awake” (see Matt. 26:38); and “Or down payment” (see Eph. 1:14). In such cases, the translation deemed to have the stronger support is in the text while other possible renderings are given in the note.
(2) Explanation of Greek and Hebrew Terms. Notes of this kind relate primarily to the meaning of specific Greek or Hebrew terms, as illustrated by the following examples:
(a) Notes about the meaning of names in the original languages, such as: “Isaac means he laughs” (see Gen. 17:19); and “Simeon sounds like the Hebrew for heard” (see Gen. 29:33).
(b) Notes that give the literal translation of a Greek or Hebrew word or phrase deemed too awkward to be used in the English text, such as: “Greek girding up the loins of your mind” (see 1 Pet. 1:13).
(c) Notes indicating that absolute certainty of the meaning of a word or phrase is not possible given our best understanding of the original language (e.g., Hebrew words occurring so infrequently in the Old Testament that their meaning cannot be determined with certainty). Such words are identified with a note stating that “The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain” (see, e.g., Josh. 17:11).
(d) Notes that indicate the specialized use of a Greek word, such as: “brothers,” translating the Greek word adelphoi (see, e.g., the extended note on Rom. 1:13, corresponding to the first occurrence of adelphoi in any New Testament book, and the abbreviated note, e.g., on Rom. 7:1, corresponding to subsequent occurrences of adelphoi in any New Testament book); and “sons,” translating the Greek word huioi (see, e.g., Rom. 8:14). See also the discussion of adelphoi and huioi in the preface.
(3) Other Explanatory Notes. Footnotes of this kind provide clarifying information as illustrated by the following examples:
(a) Notes clarifying additional meanings that may not otherwise be apparent in the text, such as: “Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Lev. 13.”
(b) Notes clarifying important grammatical points that would not otherwise be apparent in English, such as: “In Hebrew you is plural in verses 1-5” (see Gen. 3:1).
(c) Notes clarifying when the referent for a pronoun has been supplied in the English text, such as: “Greek he” (see, e.g., Mark 1:43).
(d) Notes giving English equivalents for weights, measures, and monetary values.
(4) Technical Translation Notes. Footnotes of this kind indicate how decisions have been made in the translation of difficult Hebrew and Greek passages. Such notes occasionally include technical terms. For an explanation of these terms the reader is referred to standard Bible study reference works. See further the section in the preface on “Textual Basis” for an explanation of the original-language texts used in the translation of the ESV Bible and how the translation of difficult passages has been resolved.
| Abbreviations and Special Markings | |
|---|---|
| A.D. | in the year of our Lord |
| a.k.a. | also known as |
| A.M. | midnight to noon |
| B.C. | before Christ |
| c. | about, approximately |
| cf. | compare |
| ch., chs. | chapter, chapters |
| contra. | contrast |
| e.g. | for example |
| Macc. | 1 and 2 Maccabees—two historical books in the noncanonical Apocrypha |
| ms., mss. | manuscript, manuscripts |
| NT | New Testament |
| Or | An alternate translation justified by the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek |
| OT | Old Testament |
| P.M. | noon to midnight |
| v., vv. | verse, verses |
| [ ] | In text, brackets indicate words probably not in the original writings |
| [ ] | In margin, brackets indicate references to a name, place or thing similar to, but not identical with that in the text |
| etc. | and so forth |
| f., ff. | following verse, following verses |
| i.e. | that is |
| lit., | literally |
| LXX | Septuagint—an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek |
| Key to Parenthetical References | |
| ( ) | exact text |
| (cf.) | corroborative text |
| (see) | amplifying/clarifying text |
| (contra.) | contrasting text |