Logos has two sets of study Bible notes I recommend on sale. I don’t know how long these will last: the Jewish Study Bible notes, and the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible notes, both of which I highly recommend. Per the demo video on this post, you can link these (or others) together to whatever translation(s) you want for your daily reading.
As it turns out, you can legitimately download the former for free in PDF now, though the price is offset by the format. Go here and click on PDF.
The Boston fireside and smaller academic LDS talk both went well; the latter was recorded and I’ll post it here in a week or so. My Society of Biblical Literature talk on Genesis 10:25 and D&C 133:24 also generated some good comments.
This is a massive conference, with people from all over the world AND the ideological/religious range; while I spotted John Walton in the books area and tried to catch up to him, I ran into Bart Ehrman and chatted with him for a bit. We obviously disagree on a number of fundamental things like the existence of God, but he’s a lovely human, and a very talented writer; he took an extremely dry topic and managed to make it a NYT bestseller (Amazon affiliate link), his first of six such NYT bestsellers. Lots of BYU folks and LDS graduate students too.
In historian mode, I’ll note that the edited journals of BYU President Ernest Wilkinson (1951-1970) are now available (Amazon associate link).
Happy Thanksgiving
November 27, 2025 at 4:26 pm
Ben
I suppose JSB and CBSB are not for non specialists.
I see some fascinating titles in Logos but my competency may not be sufficient.
Do you like the Oswalt volumes on Isaiah?
November 27, 2025 at 4:47 pm
Oh, they’re both great, which is why I’m recommending them. The NICOT series, like any, is uneven. I did buy these on Black Friday myself, so…
December 16, 2025 at 3:08 pm
I have ordered both in Kindle, but the ‘The Jewish Study Bible’ is the second edition. Thank you for the advice and guidance, sir
December 16, 2025 at 2:37 pm
Just in time for starting the cycle anew, I just today received an “updates to the handbook” email that gives us express, not tacit, permission to read/color outside the KJV lines (for those who need permission). § 38.8.40.1 has been revised with the following:
“Some individuals may benefit from translations that are doctrinally clear and also easier to understand. Examples of such translations can be found in the Church’s [BRAND NEW!] Holy Bible List.”
Those last three words link to a list of various translations in a variety of languages that I guess meet the standard expressed earlier in this section: “…editions of the Bible that align well with the Lord’s doctrine…” and includes the NRSV, ESV and NIV. Let the arguing over JST concurrence begin!