I only get personal or compact bibles. The only way I don’t is if it’s a study Bible. And any bigger Bible I always try to get a hardcover because when the pages flop around on the edges it drives me nuts lol
Being that I've spent many years reading the Bible on the computer, or on my Tablet, I want to start going old school with my Bible reading especially for 2025. So, I picked up a compact ESV Bible for $4.00 and I love it. What's nice about a compact Bible is it's a Bible that you can completely make your own, you can mark it when you need to, and there's no commentaries that can influence your thinking. For me, I want to read the Bible for what it is and be open minded to the Lord teaching and I'm believing that my compact Bible will help me do that. And yes, while I do read about the background of each book of the Bible, I also just want to read a good translation Bible and be open minded to what it says.
For compact Bibles, I do like them, but I only know of one that has enough of what I want: the Cambridge KJV Cameo with Apocrypha. It's too expensive to leave in the car, so I end up taking it into the stores and everywhere else. For daily reading, I cycle between my KJV (the Cameo), the LES (was NETS) and EOB combined, and then read one of several other translations. I usually teach from the World English Bible, because it's public domain, a Byzantine text, complete, and very easy to understand. It's usually formal equivalence, but it sometimes veers into dynamic equivalence, and when it does, that's where it makes a mistake. Then I do have to correct it.
I own several compact Bibles of various translations and love them for carrying w/ me for morning devotions in the woods out back as well as for bringing to church.
I usually carry around my bulky ESV Study bible around, it's a great conversation starter at work even if it's a little cumbersome. Compact and cheap bibles are nice to hand out to people interested in reading the Word.
@@JohnMiles117 Like I said, it's a conversation starter. And I like to read the notes and articles as part of my morning-evening readings and devotional.
Been in the market though for a more compact bible, so far only really have a Hebrew bible in an easy to carry format but I like my devotional and daily readings in a consistent language
My EDC for this year is the personal size ESV Study Bible. I can just barely read the references, but the other text is fine. I really like the chunkyness and the feel of it in my lap. First time for a full reading of the ESV.
When Dad and I were discipled as young believers, the church we were in always encouraged us to carry our Bibles everywhere. We would carry those NAS compact Bibles that were like 3"x5". The guys had them in their back pockets. The thought was following the verses, "Be ready in season and out of season", 2 Tim. 4:2, and, "to be ready to share the hope that lies within us", 1 Peter 3:15. Sadly my eyes can't read those anymore so my large print compact is what I carry today 😅.
i just purchased a CEV compact actually, waiting for it to arrive, i know people might not like that translation but here in Philippines I believe the simple language will be useful for outreach since alot of people are not able to understand english that well in remote areas.
I love compact Bibles! 😊I tend to use the ESV Personal Reference Bible as my compact Bible or everyday carry Bible. I like it because it's single column paragraph format (which I personally prefer to double columns), black letter text, and of course very portable. I wish there were more compact Bibles that are single column but I guess it does make the Bible a bit chunkier even if it is still compact.
My favorite is the Cambridge Compact NASB-1977 printed in 1983. It's about 5" x 7" and the perfect size for devotional and public use. Well done!!! excellent video!!!
I appreciate this Ode To Compact Bibles man! My favorite and most used bible form factor is either a thinline (2 column) or what's now known as a "personal size". I was gifted a used Crossway Omega when I started taking my faith really seriously. That form factor has always been a sweet spot to me. Recently, I have been reading from a hardback Cambridge Diadem, which is more of a personal size. If I was to pick the perfect bible format and size it would be that Diadem, hands down. Two columns, center column references, line matching, and a good size font for most circumstances. God bless brother! Let me know if you ever need a bible rebound 😏
I recently bought a 1984 NIV Thinline imprinted "The Vineyard Church." It has a green bonded leather cover and paper from the Netherlands. It's not technically "compact," but it's close. It's smaller than the current zondervan "personal size." I think Vinyard was a Jesus People offshoot church.
@@amyk6403 that's awesome!! I love the 84 NIV. yes the vineyard came from Calvary Chapel, they had some disagreements over style so they split off. I believe John Wimbur was the guy that started Vineyard but I might be wrong.
I go even further and really like pocket bibles. I’ve got a kjv Old Testament, kjv apocrypha, and an esv New Testament. The kjv I got when I was kid that I still have and read is borderline compact size. I’m looking to get an NLT compact. I like having something that is easy to carry around to pick up and put down at any point.
@ if you can get past some of the references and who it is that produces it then the LDS church makes one that is cheap and actually includes some footnotes that can be helpful. Its the only pocket Old Testament I could find that wasn’t expensive.
Thanks for your video! You did share things useful. Many Bible reviewers just talk about the leather, and the style of the font, etc., but don’t tell you about whether there’s a concordance, if there’s a reading plan, how good or bad the paragraph headings are in terms of content, all that sort of stuff. So I really liked your observations about where the Bible puts the notes, etc., and the details about the Schofield. That’s all very helpful stuff, that is very helpful for a Bible review. Keep up the good work the details make the difference!
I use compact Bibles a lot because I’m constantly traveling in a missions context. I do primarily preach from a full size Bible, but I almost never leave the house without a compact Bible usually an ESV pocket Bible to just throw in the car, but on trips where I highly anticipate using my Bible, I bring either my KJV or NKJV Pitt Minion.
Ha! Your dispensational too! Good stuff... I like my mini Maclaren, I usually take it with me whenever I travel. I also really like the Pitt Minions put out by Cambridge, but they're quiet expensive.
I have used a few compact bibles, but many tend to have too small of font or horrible build quality like my nkjv compact maclaren. My nkjv schuyler csq (psq) is very nice. The font in the csq is actually very good, I just wish I had the KJV one. I do have a harper stamped KJV from the 40s that is one of my favorite compact bibles, with very legible font and good build quality. ESV has gotten put aside for me because no one is making a compact or personal size that's in single or double column verse-by-verse, unfortunately. I really dont like paragraph layouts for bibles at all. For the most part, I stick to personal sized bibles for better legibility.
Compact bibles are great! I have a compact NKJV that I use often and a KJV Cameo that is a fantastic Bible complete with cross references. Thanks for the video!
Yes I had a NKJV check book Bible also. I kept it at work. Now retired it’s on the shelf, the text is too small for me to read any length of time. My new best compact Bible is a LSB portable paragraph reference with red letter.
I am not sure how compact my preferred bibles are but I really like the CSB Giant print personal size. it is really nice. I also like the NLT giant print personal size but it is a bit thicker but smaller footprint. I also like a good large print thin-line like the the ESV that Truth for life had or the NKJV Large print thinline maclaren but those are just a smidge small on the print for me but still usable but I just feel I have to work a bit harder. LOL I have bought probably way to many bibles trying to find my goldilocks bible.
@JohnMiles117 it is funny how from one publisher to the next their can be a pretty significant size difference. It is nice to find what is comfortable to read. It is funny how some things make a bigger difference than expected. Like single vs double column. Or vbv . Can be the difference of reading a few verses or a few pages.
@@guymontag349 that's one great Bible! Although it is too bad about the lack of a concordance, I guess so with the way electronics are in our smartphones it kind of makes concordance obsolete.
@@JohnMiles117 And since we can have the Bible App on our phones, tablets, etc., I guess we don't really need a printed Bible anymore. But not me! Call me old fashioned, but I love the smell of leather, paper, and ink.
I can’t use them anymore. In fact I can no longer use my Geneva Study Bible because the print is too small. Yep, I’m getting old. I’ll probably buy an extra large print bible soon.
@@KildaltonTheologicalStudies 😂 I'm sorry! It's funny that you mention that, my dad just told me the same thing, he's had to "upgrade" to a larger print as well.
I use an ESV large print compact as my main Bible. I carry it most everywhere. Bigger Bibles are obviously easier to read but I really value portability.
I never use compact bibles because its to easy to just bring my everyday bible anywhere i need to go and i dont have to worry about someone not seeing the words if im trying to show them a verse or what have you.
@Yeshuite my everyday Bible is pretty much my Cambridge Pitt minion. I have another Bible that I try and keep my notes in, but I primarily use Pitt Minion
@@richiejourney1840 sure! Putting all my cards in the table lol, I'm pre millennial, pre tribulation rapture, dispensationalist. I believe that God has worked throughout the history of man in different stages (dispensations), and that thru the Bible we see very distinct and clear divisions where God interacts with the people of the earth in different and progressive ways. I think that at this level, at its most basic this teaching is very logical, however there are some that take this concept too far (ie "hyper-dispensationalist") those that try to categorize each and every book down to the most minute detail, where they say that most of the gospels and the book of Hebrews and James are not applicable to us today because they argue that it actually falls under the OT category. This teaching in my opinion is wrong and borders on the heretical. I hope that answers your question.
@@JohnMiles117 It's good you can lay it out with such clarity. I started out pre mill pre trib but am now a disbeliever in the millenium and the rapture. If there is a rapture I'd see it as at the same time as the 2nd coming. If there is a millenium I think it likely to be the period of the church dispensation, which has been a millenary phenomenon.
@cpnlsn88 that means a lot! Thank you so much! I've really tried to have as balanced an opinion as possible, I think a lot of times people get really dogmatic about their position without ever considering that there might be a possibility that they could be wrong. I don't want to ever box myself into a position so tight where I feel like I "couldn't" change my mind. With that said though on some things I think it is good to have an opinion and I have no problem speaking my mind, I just don't see why people can't speak their mind without being jerks about it lol
I only get personal or compact bibles. The only way I don’t is if it’s a study Bible. And any bigger Bible I always try to get a hardcover because when the pages flop around on the edges it drives me nuts lol
@@winters556 honestly I'm pretty similar. I have large Bibles, but carrying them around can be a real hassle.
Being that I've spent many years reading the Bible on the computer, or on my Tablet, I want to start going old school with my Bible reading especially for 2025. So, I picked up a compact ESV Bible for $4.00 and I love it. What's nice about a compact Bible is it's a Bible that you can completely make your own, you can mark it when you need to, and there's no commentaries that can influence your thinking. For me, I want to read the Bible for what it is and be open minded to the Lord teaching and I'm believing that my compact Bible will help me do that. And yes, while I do read about the background of each book of the Bible, I also just want to read a good translation Bible and be open minded to what it says.
@@dougvanminnen7537 well said! Just give me the text, that's all I need.
For compact Bibles, I do like them, but I only know of one that has enough of what I want: the Cambridge KJV Cameo with Apocrypha. It's too expensive to leave in the car, so I end up taking it into the stores and everywhere else.
For daily reading, I cycle between my KJV (the Cameo), the LES (was NETS) and EOB combined, and then read one of several other translations. I usually teach from the World English Bible, because it's public domain, a Byzantine text, complete, and very easy to understand. It's usually formal equivalence, but it sometimes veers into dynamic equivalence, and when it does, that's where it makes a mistake. Then I do have to correct it.
I own several compact Bibles of various translations and love them for carrying w/ me for morning devotions in the woods out back as well as for bringing to church.
@@SEL65545 nothing like doing a Bible study in the woods!
Right now, I’m using a Schuyler Personal sized Quentel. It’s the perfect size for me.
I usually carry around my bulky ESV Study bible around, it's a great conversation starter at work even if it's a little cumbersome.
Compact and cheap bibles are nice to hand out to people interested in reading the Word.
@@OrlovYan I agree! ESV study Bible huh? That thing is a tome
@@JohnMiles117 Like I said, it's a conversation starter. And I like to read the notes and articles as part of my morning-evening readings and devotional.
Been in the market though for a more compact bible, so far only really have a Hebrew bible in an easy to carry format but I like my devotional and daily readings in a consistent language
My EDC for this year is the personal size ESV Study Bible. I can just barely read the references, but the other text is fine. I really like the chunkyness and the feel of it in my lap. First time for a full reading of the ESV.
When Dad and I were discipled as young believers, the church we were in always encouraged us to carry our Bibles everywhere. We would carry those NAS compact Bibles that were like 3"x5". The guys had them in their back pockets. The thought was following the verses, "Be ready in season and out of season", 2 Tim. 4:2, and, "to be ready to share the hope that lies within us", 1 Peter 3:15. Sadly my eyes can't read those anymore so my large print compact is what I carry today 😅.
@@rhondamiles9660 I still have one of those. It's Tiny!! Lol great verse btw! Love you mom!
My wife still has one of those kicking around.
i just purchased a CEV compact actually, waiting for it to arrive, i know people might not like that translation but here in Philippines I believe the simple language will be useful for outreach since alot of people are not able to understand english that well in remote areas.
@@maxboucher86 fantastic! That's so cool dude!
I love compact Bibles! 😊I tend to use the ESV Personal Reference Bible as my compact Bible or everyday carry Bible. I like it because it's single column paragraph format (which I personally prefer to double columns), black letter text, and of course very portable. I wish there were more compact Bibles that are single column but I guess it does make the Bible a bit chunkier even if it is still compact.
@@philtheo I'll ask we can't have everything we ever wanted in the Bible! 😂 We can get pretty close though lol
My favorite is the Cambridge Compact NASB-1977 printed in 1983. It's about 5" x 7" and the perfect size for devotional and public use. Well done!!! excellent video!!!
@@patrickmiles2475 can't wait till I get mine rebound! It's the perfect size lol
I appreciate this Ode To Compact Bibles man! My favorite and most used bible form factor is either a thinline (2 column) or what's now known as a "personal size". I was gifted a used Crossway Omega when I started taking my faith really seriously. That form factor has always been a sweet spot to me. Recently, I have been reading from a hardback Cambridge Diadem, which is more of a personal size. If I was to pick the perfect bible format and size it would be that Diadem, hands down. Two columns, center column references, line matching, and a good size font for most circumstances. God bless brother! Let me know if you ever need a bible rebound 😏
@@ExFideBiblesandStationery that's so cool! You do Bible rebinds huh? I might hit you up, what's your business?
Love compact Bibles. I have a large print compact ESV that I carry to work with me.
@@The_OG_MP that's awesome!
I recently bought a 1984 NIV Thinline imprinted "The Vineyard Church." It has a green bonded leather cover and paper from the Netherlands. It's not technically "compact," but it's close. It's smaller than the current zondervan "personal size." I think Vinyard was a Jesus People offshoot church.
@@amyk6403 that's awesome!! I love the 84 NIV. yes the vineyard came from Calvary Chapel, they had some disagreements over style so they split off. I believe John Wimbur was the guy that started Vineyard but I might be wrong.
I actually prefer smaller bibles. I have bibles of all sizes, but I prefer ones that I can hold comfortably in one hand while it’s open.
I go even further and really like pocket bibles. I’ve got a kjv Old Testament, kjv apocrypha, and an esv New Testament. The kjv I got when I was kid that I still have and read is borderline compact size. I’m looking to get an NLT compact. I like having something that is easy to carry around to pick up and put down at any point.
I rarely see the OT by itself in a Christian translation
@ if you can get past some of the references and who it is that produces it then the LDS church makes one that is cheap and actually includes some footnotes that can be helpful. Its the only pocket Old Testament I could find that wasn’t expensive.
@@danimal huh,that's interesting.
I love compact Bibles, I just can’t see the real small print all that well anymore.
Thanks for your video! You did share things useful. Many Bible reviewers just talk about the leather, and the style of the font, etc., but don’t tell you about whether there’s a concordance, if there’s a reading plan, how good or bad the paragraph headings are in terms of content, all that sort of stuff. So I really liked your observations about where the Bible puts the notes, etc., and the details about the Schofield. That’s all very helpful stuff, that is very helpful for a Bible review. Keep up the good work the details make the difference!
@@peterschmidt6754 thanks bro! That means a lot!
I use compact Bibles a lot because I’m constantly traveling in a missions context. I do primarily preach from a full size Bible, but I almost never leave the house without a compact Bible usually an ESV pocket Bible to just throw in the car, but on trips where I highly anticipate using my Bible, I bring either my KJV or NKJV Pitt Minion.
That's awesome!! That's so cool that you're a missionary! Keep it up brother!
Ha! Your dispensational too! Good stuff... I like my mini Maclaren, I usually take it with me whenever I travel. I also really like the Pitt Minions put out by Cambridge, but they're quiet expensive.
@@Dwayne_Green tell me about it dude! I also love the Pitt minions, you're right that they can be quite spendy.
I have used a few compact bibles, but many tend to have too small of font or horrible build quality like my nkjv compact maclaren. My nkjv schuyler csq (psq) is very nice. The font in the csq is actually very good, I just wish I had the KJV one. I do have a harper stamped KJV from the 40s that is one of my favorite compact bibles, with very legible font and good build quality. ESV has gotten put aside for me because no one is making a compact or personal size that's in single or double column verse-by-verse, unfortunately. I really dont like paragraph layouts for bibles at all. For the most part, I stick to personal sized bibles for better legibility.
I really like the Pitt Minion. Perfect size, but gotta have my readers with it.
@@Daves_Garage_Reviews 😂 I totally get it, compact size that comes with a cost
Compact bibles are great! I have a compact NKJV that I use often and a KJV Cameo that is a fantastic Bible complete with cross references. Thanks for the video!
@@bhsher that's awesome! Fantastic!
The best compact bible is the B&H (Broadman and Holman) 1984 NIV UltraThin Reference Version. The paper is magical.
Yes I had a NKJV check book Bible also. I kept it at work. Now retired it’s on the shelf, the text is too small for me to read any length of time. My new best compact Bible is a LSB portable paragraph reference with red letter.
Gotta have a compact bible for church
@@Wubss oh yeah baby!
I am not sure how compact my preferred bibles are but I really like the CSB Giant print personal size. it is really nice. I also like the NLT giant print personal size but it is a bit thicker but smaller footprint. I also like a good large print thin-line like the the ESV that Truth for life had or the NKJV Large print thinline maclaren but those are just a smidge small on the print for me but still usable but I just feel I have to work a bit harder. LOL I have bought probably way to many bibles trying to find my goldilocks bible.
@@fuelediowa hey in my book , personalized Bibles definitely count as compact!
@JohnMiles117 it is funny how from one publisher to the next their can be a pretty significant size difference. It is nice to find what is comfortable to read. It is funny how some things make a bigger difference than expected. Like single vs double column. Or vbv . Can be the difference of reading a few verses or a few pages.
@fuelediowa that's so true! I've definitely noticed that alternating between verse by verse and paragraph.
The Cambridge Pitt Minion is the perfect compact Bible IMHO. The Schuyler PSQ (Personal Size Quentel) is also excellent, but lacks a concordance.
@@guymontag349 that's one great Bible! Although it is too bad about the lack of a concordance, I guess so with the way electronics are in our smartphones it kind of makes concordance obsolete.
@@JohnMiles117 And since we can have the Bible App on our phones, tablets, etc., I guess we don't really need a printed Bible anymore. But not me! Call me old fashioned, but I love the smell of leather, paper, and ink.
@guymontag349 Amen! I may use digital Bibles in my free time, but it will never ever replace a physical Bible
NKJV Clarion reference Bible
@@SDsc0rch I agree!! Excellent bible
I can’t use them anymore. In fact I can no longer use my Geneva Study Bible because the print is too small. Yep, I’m getting old. I’ll probably buy an extra large print bible soon.
@@KildaltonTheologicalStudies 😂 I'm sorry! It's funny that you mention that, my dad just told me the same thing, he's had to "upgrade" to a larger print as well.
I can still read the main text ok, but I have to use a magnifying glass for the notes.
I use an ESV large print compact as my main Bible. I carry it most everywhere. Bigger Bibles are obviously easier to read but I really value portability.
Hi I don't like compact Bibles, I like large print Bibles, personal size. God Bless
I never use compact bibles because its to easy to just bring my everyday bible anywhere i need to go and i dont have to worry about someone not seeing the words if im trying to show them a verse or what have you.
@@theonly1689 nothing wrong with that!
what is your everyday bible?
@Yeshuite my everyday Bible is pretty much my Cambridge Pitt minion. I have another Bible that I try and keep my notes in, but I primarily use Pitt Minion
I enjoy my olive green full yapp nlt personal size quentel by schuyler
@@mygirlmacy gotta have that full yap! 😂 Joking aside that's a great choice of Bible! 👌
Would you explain to me in your own words what a “dispensationalist” means?
@@richiejourney1840 sure! Putting all my cards in the table lol, I'm pre millennial, pre tribulation rapture, dispensationalist. I believe that God has worked throughout the history of man in different stages (dispensations), and that thru the Bible we see very distinct and clear divisions where God interacts with the people of the earth in different and progressive ways. I think that at this level, at its most basic this teaching is very logical, however there are some that take this concept too far (ie "hyper-dispensationalist") those that try to categorize each and every book down to the most minute detail, where they say that most of the gospels and the book of Hebrews and James are not applicable to us today because they argue that it actually falls under the OT category. This teaching in my opinion is wrong and borders on the heretical. I hope that answers your question.
@@JohnMiles117 It's good you can lay it out with such clarity. I started out pre mill pre trib but am now a disbeliever in the millenium and the rapture. If there is a rapture I'd see it as at the same time as the 2nd coming. If there is a millenium I think it likely to be the period of the church dispensation, which has been a millenary phenomenon.
@cpnlsn88 there ain't nothing wrong with friendly theological disagreement 👍😁.
@@JohnMiles117 I always enjoy hearing your perspectives as they are so well put and in such a measured and respectful way.
@cpnlsn88 that means a lot! Thank you so much! I've really tried to have as balanced an opinion as possible, I think a lot of times people get really dogmatic about their position without ever considering that there might be a possibility that they could be wrong. I don't want to ever box myself into a position so tight where I feel like I "couldn't" change my mind. With that said though on some things I think it is good to have an opinion and I have no problem speaking my mind, I just don't see why people can't speak their mind without being jerks about it lol