What Should Latter-day Saints Look for in a Study Bible?

Study Bibles offer valuable insights that can help Latter-day Saints understand the scriptures, including the Old Testament. Church members can use reliable editions alongside the King James Version to better comprehend historical and doctrinal issues obscured by the 1611 text. The General Handbook allows for the use of study Bibles and includes a list of Bibles published or preferred by the Church to maintain clarity in discussions. In this interview, BYU scholar Joshua Sears evaluates leading study Bibles from a Latter-day Saint perspective, explains what to look for, and shares practical tips.

Don’t Miss Our Latest Interviews!

Be part of a growing community exploring topics like Why Latter-day Saints Still Use the KJV and How to Understand King James English.

Joshua M. Sears helps Latter-day Saints prepare to study the Bible for Come Follow Me in his new book, “A Modern Guide to an Old Testament” (Deseret Book, 2025).

Study Bibles 101
Overcoming Hesitation
Limitations of the KJV
Prophetic Models
Practical Tips
Further Reading
Study Bible Links

Understanding What Study Bibles Are

What is a study Bible?

A study Bible usually features a modern English translation. At the bottom of each page are footnotes that explain the historical, cultural, and literary context to help readers make sense of the biblical text presented above.

Depending on the study Bible, there may also be essay-length book introductions, sidebars with special insights, maps and charts, and appendices with additional articles on biblical literature and history.

What are the main benefits of a Latter-day Saint using a study Bible for the first time?

The notes and study aids in a study Bible are designed to help you understand and notice things that, in most cases, you would not be able to discern on your own.

Jeremiah 11: Wordplay using a Hebrew pun

When the Lord asks Jeremiah what he sees in a vision and Jeremiah says that he sees “a rod of an almond tree,” the Lord responds, “Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:11–12).

What does the branch of an almond tree have to do with the Lord fulfilling His word?

No matter how intelligent or how spiritual you are, there is no way to figure it out without some help.

A study Bible will point out that there is a Hebrew pun linking “almond tree” (shaqed) and “hasten” (shoqed), information which allows us to appreciate that the Lord is making a wordplay based on Jeremiah’s answer.

Isaiah 7: Historical context

As another example, Isaiah 7 opens by naming several kings—Ahaz, Rezin, and Pekah—who are in some kind of conflict. If you aren’t well-versed in ancient history, it will be difficult to figure out who is fighting whom and why.

A study Bible will explain that this conflict is called the Syro-Ephramite War and lasted from 735–732 BC, and it may provide some background on the major players and the outcome.

Even basic information like this is immensely helpful for making sense of Isaiah 7.

“The Bible Says So”: An Interview with Dan McClellan

Why do study Bibles matter more for modern readers?

The linguistic, historical, and cultural information in study Bibles helps us catch up on context that the Bible assumes its readers already know.

No one would have had to explain to an ancient Israelite about Hebrew wordplays or the background of a regional war—everyone back then already understood those things.

But now that we’re so far removed from their language, circumstances, and culture, we need help understanding what the biblical authors took for granted.

Understanding Latter-day Saint Hesitations About Study Bibles

Why do some Latter-day Saints feel suspicious of study Bibles?

I often hear Latter-day Saints express three reasons for not wanting to use study Bibles.

Concern #1: They usually aren’t written by Latter-day Saints

One common hesitation is the fact that, for the most part, academic study Bibles are written by scholars outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While it’s true that they won’t include Restoration insights—and we do have to be wise and discerning when reading their work—the benefits can be well worth it.

N. T. Wright on the New Testament in Its World

Concern #2: Study Bibles aren’t necessary because we have a living prophet

Another concern I hear is that “interpreting scripture is the prophets’ job.”

I have a friend who tried to gift Latter-day Saint scholar Thomas Wayment’s New Testament Study Bible to another friend, only to have the recipient refuse the book because he was upset that “some academic” was trying to tell people what the scriptures mean.

Church leaders have encouraged us to consult subject-matter experts.

Regarding that concern, I would point out that Church leaders themselves have encouraged us to consult subject-matter experts.

In 2017, President M. Russell Ballard addressed the student body at Brigham Young University after soliciting questions from young adults. After reading through hundreds of submissions, he began by expressing concern that many questions assumed that, as an apostle, he could speak with competence and authority on virtually any subject.

“I am a General Authority, but that does not make me an authority in general!” he quipped.

M. Russell Ballard: The Entrepreneur Who Became An Apostle

President Ballard then explained:

My calling and life experiences allow me to respond to certain types of questions. There are other types of questions that require an expert in a specific subject matter. This is exactly what I do when I need an answer to such questions: I seek help from others, including those with degrees and expertise in such fields.

I worry sometimes that members expect too much from Church leaders and teachers—expecting them to be experts in subjects well beyond their duties and responsibilities.

The Lord called the apostles and prophets to invite others to come unto Christ—not to obtain advanced degrees in ancient history, biblical studies, and other fields that may be useful in answering all the questions we may have about scriptures, history, and the Church….

If you have a question that requires an expert, please take the time to find a thoughtful and qualified expert to help you. There are many on this campus and elsewhere who have the degrees and expertise to respond and give some insight to most of these types of questions.
M. Russell Ballard, “Questions and Answers.”

Concern #3: Study Bibles distract us from feeling the Spirit and learning doctrine

A final common concern is that study Bibles distract from what is most important about scripture study: learning the doctrine and feeling the Holy Ghost—not learning about history or the minutiae of literary features.

I acknowledge that learning from the Spirit is the priority in devotional scripture study. But modern revelation asks us to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118).

My personal experience is that asking lots of questions—including historical, literary, and cultural ones—helps keep me grounded in the scriptural text and invites the Spirit more, not less.

Study Bibles are one tool that helps me do that.

The Old Testament: What Are Historical and Literary Analyses?

Is caution ever warranted when reading a study Bible?

Yes. While I am an advocate for learning from “the best books” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118) and from good scholars, “whether they’re members of the Church or not,” we do need to be careful.

Some sources are hostile to the faith, some sources present outdated or poor scholarship, and some sources assume positions that are not aligned with Latter-day Saint beliefs.

We need to be discerning.

The reality, however, is that we need to be discerning not just with scripture study resources but with all the information we encounter—in social media feeds, news reports, even conversations with friends.

Evaluating sources and making informed choices about what to believe is a basic life skill.

How can Latter-day Saints learn to evaluate sources about biblical issues?

I recommend we start by making sure we are grounded in and understand the doctrine taught by the Church. We need a starting point to serve as a basis for comparison.

Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants: A Maxwell Institute Book Series

Of course, we cannot wait until we have mastered everything before we engage with the world—learning the Church’s doctrine and using it to evaluate sources is a lifelong process.

We also should follow President M. Russell Ballard’s counsel not to cling to “outdated understandings and explanations of our doctrine” but to “make it a practice to study the words of the living prophets and apostles” and to “keep updated on current Church issues, policies, and statements.”

How does a doctrinal foundation prepare Latter-day Saints to confidently use study Bibles?

With that foundation in place, church members can engage study Bibles and other scripture-study resources with greater discernment:

Recognize hostile agendas: If a resource is hostile to faith or attacks any other group, I recommend skipping it. We don’t need that kind of negativity.

Discern denominational perspectives: If a resource is charitable but written from a particular denominational perspective (say, Jewish, Catholic, or Protestant), it may teach us a great deal, but we would need to watch for places where its conclusions are not informed by Restoration insights.

Understand that nothing is “neutral”: The same goes for secular or ecumenical resources. While these may strive to be theologically “neutral,” the reality is that all interpretation relies on some kind of assumptions, which we may or may not agree with. For example, an academic resource may assume that people cannot know the future, and that assumption would then inform its evaluation of certain predictions in the Old Testament prophetic books.

What Should Latter-day Saints Know About BYU’s Evolution Book?

Is it safer to stick with content about the Bible written only by Latter-day Saints?

That may help bring the underlying assumptions closer to what you want, but we should remember: just because Latter-day Saints created something doesn’t mean it’s accurate. That includes articles, books, blog posts, podcasts, and videos.

President Ballard lamented the tendency, even among our own people, to “teach things that are untrue, out of date, or odd and quirky.”

As with non-Latter-day Saint resources, we should ask ourselves about:

The author’s expertise
The reputation of the publisher or venue
Whether the argument is reasoned or sensational

Don’t Miss Our Latest Interviews!

Stay connected with fresh content and scholarly insights every week.

What guidance does the General Handbook give about using non-KJV Bible translations?

The General Handbook section 38.8.40.1 explains that (so far) the Church has published its own edition of the Bible in three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible in English uses the King James translation, while the Spanish and Portuguese editions use translations prepared by the Church itself (by revising existing translations in the public domain).

How Was the Book of Mormon Translated Into Portuguese?

For other languages, the Handbook explains, the Church has identified “a preferred edition of the Bible” that it recommends to Church members.

The General Handbook instructs:

Generally, members should use a preferred or Church-published edition of the Bible in Church classes and meetings. This helps maintain clarity in discussions and consistent understanding of doctrine. Other Bible translations may also be used.

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 Holy Bible list.

When members encounter doctrinal discrepancies between Bible translations, they should refer to the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and teachings of latter-day prophets.
General Handbook section 38.8.40.1

Does the General Handbook say that it’s okay for Latter-day Saints to use study Bibles?

Yes. With these official guidelines, I don’t think any Church member needs to feel guilty about using a modern Bible translation as an aid to their personal study.

The counsel, according to the General Handbook, is to use Church-edition Bibles “generally,” but it allows that “other Bible translations may also be used.”

BYU Scholar Translates New Testament with Latter-day Saints in Mind

The Role of the King James Bible in Latter-day Saint Scripture Study

What is (and isn’t) the King James Version of the Bible?

There are several popular misconceptions about the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). People today are sometimes skeptical of modern translations because they worry that translators are biased and don’t want to be reading someone else’s “interpretation.”

Meanwhile, their default familiarity with the KJV leads them to assume that it’s an agenda-free translation.

The KJV is a Protestant revision of an older revision of even older translations.

However, the 47 scholars who prepared the KJV were all members of the Church of England—and most were clergy.

Therefore, it is a Protestant translation and reflects Reformation-era concerns and viewpoints (notice the use of “Popish Persons” as an anti-Catholic slur in the Epistle Dedicatory at the front).

Latter-day Saints and the New Testament

Is the King James Version an original translation?

No. Although we often refer to these scholars as “translators,” they did not create a new translation from scratch.

The KJV was a conservative revision of the 1568 Bishops’ Bible, which itself was a revision of the 1539 Great Bible, itself a revision of translations made by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale in the 1520s and 1530s.

When we see the 1611 publication date, people assume the KJV’s English is about 400 years old. Since it was a conservative revision of translation efforts from the early 1500s, however, the English is more like 500 years old.

It was considered archaic English even in 1611.

Has the KJV always enjoyed the acclaim it has today as a masterpiece of English literature?

No. The KJV had a very lukewarm reception when it was first published. The translation was routinely derided for being overly literal, resulting in what was perceived as poor (non-standard) English.

It took about 150 years (not until the 1760s) for that perception to change. Whatever people think of the language, its impact on English vocabulary, literature, and art has been profound.

Is the King James Bible hard to understand?

According to a Church news release, “Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who chairs the Church’s Scriptures Committee, says the KJV is ‘beautiful and powerful,’ but for some it can be difficult to understand.”

When describing the difficulty of reading the KJV, it is common to hear that it has a 12th-grade reading level. That claim underestimates its difficulty.

While high schoolers can certainly read and understand much of it, even college graduates are not equipped to comprehend everything without training in Early Modern English.

A King James Vocabulary Lesson

People tend to underestimate the extent of their incomprehension because they do not realize that the meaning of a word or grammatical form has changed over the centuries.

Example: “Careful” in the KJV

Today, the adjective “careful” means you are showing prudence or making a conscientious effort. So, when we tell people to “Be careful!” we are saying to pay attention and exercise due diligence.

However, when the KJV was created, “careful” could also mean that you were anxious, worried, or troubled.

Because that meaning has disappeared from the English language, modern readers—12th-graders or otherwise—have no way of knowing that this is often how the KJV uses the word.

For example, the King James Bible uses the antiquated meaning of “careful” in scriptural verses like:

2 Kings 4:13
Jeremiah 17:8
Ezekiel 12:19
Micah 1:12
Daniel 3:16
Philippians 4:10

Modern readers will likely substitute the current meaning of “careful” and misread the passage.

Notably, they won’t even be aware that the word doesn’t mean what they think it does.

Given those limitations, is it even worth reading the KJV?

Yes. These observations do not mean that the KJV is useless or that people cannot benefit from it.

I love the King James Bible myself. I was so excited about its 400th anniversary in 2011 that I gave my son, born in April of that year, the middle name Tyndale.

But we can appreciate the KJV’s advantages while also having a healthy appreciation for its limitations.

Is the Song of Solomon Scripture?

What are the benefits of reading the Church’s King James Bible side-by-side with a modern translation?

Modern translations offer several benefits. I’ll explain four of them, including how contemporary translations often provide increased accuracy.

1. Modern definitions

Using modern English ensures readers understand by using words the way we use them today. The KJV, for example, often uses the word “judgment” in contexts where the word we use today is “justice.”

If you don’t know that, then you can easily misunderstand the point of a verse.

2. Increased translation accuracy

Modern scholars understand Hebrew and Greek better than the translators of the King James Bible, so they can translate the Old Testament and New Testament more accurately.

What Language Did Jesus Speak? Aramaic and the Historical Jesus

3. More access to biblical manuscripts

Scholars in the 17th century had access only to a limited number of biblical manuscripts—all dated to the Middle Ages. However, scholars today have access to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Codex Vaticanus, and several other biblical manuscripts that date back many centuries.

Having more textual evidence available allows us to better identify and correct textual errors that accumulate in later manuscripts.

Do the Dead Sea Scrolls Contain the New Testament?

4. Contemporary punctuation

Contemporary translations use modern punctuation, such as quotation marks, to help readers make sense of what they’re reading.

Modern formatting is also extremely helpful. Unlike the KJV’s system of starting a new paragraph with each verse (even if it’s the middle of a sentence), modern translations organize sentences into paragraphs that better show you the text’s internal structural logic.

Poetry, meanwhile, is displayed in poetic stanzas so you can identify where poetry is and more easily scan poetic lines.

Could you show us an example?

Putting these all together, observe the differences between Isaiah 52:14–15 in the KJV and a modern translation:

Comparing the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) translation of Isaiah 52:14-15 with the KJV version highlights the benefits of using a study Bible when reading the scriptures.

Here we observe:

Understandable language: The benefits of modern English with words like “astony” updated to “astonish” or “visage” to “appearance.”
Improved Hebrew: Reevaluation of the Hebrew has changed “sprinkle” to “startle.”
Enhanced accuracy: Comparison with different ancient biblical manuscripts led to the change from “thee” (a second-person pronoun) to “him” (a third-person pronoun).
Readable layout: Modern formatting sets these lines into poetic stanzas, and modern punctuation (two em dashes) helps set apart a parenthetical aside so that readers can more easily follow the main thought (“[just] as many were astonied … so shall he sprinkle many nations”).

My recommendation is that Latter-day Saints continue to use the KJV, but also have a modern translation on hand so you can compare the two.

If you don’t want to purchase a hard copy, many modern translations are available for free on websites or mobile apps. Comparing the KJV side by side with a modern translation can give us the best of both worlds.

Free Bible Translation Apps

These popular Bible apps are free to use:

Blue Letter Bible

Bible Hub

Bible Project

e-Sword LT: Bible Study to Go

Logos: Deep Bible Study

This suggestion to compare different translations has recently been affirmed by Church leaders:

Elder Dale G. Renlund said, “As Latter-day Saints, we can confidently gain insights from multiple translations.”

President Camille N. Johnson described converts who bring cherished Bible translations with them from other faith traditions, as well as people in the Church with a variety of reading abilities: “If we want individuals to develop a habit of reading the scriptures, if we want mothers and fathers to read the scriptures with their children, it is helpful for them to have the option of using a Bible translation that teaches doctrine in a way they can understand.”

Sister Tamara W. Runia also said that youth will benefit from comparing translations: “As they explore and study translations of the Bible that feel natural to them, it will be such an amazing blessing.”

Why does the Church primarily still use the KJV despite its shortcomings?

There are several contributing factors to the continued use of the King James Version of the Bible within the Church.

1. The Book of Mormon uses King James language.

The Book of Mormon not only uses King James language, but also appears to have been deliberately translated to interact with the King James Bible—forming a kind of inter-scriptural dialogue with that particular version.

Did Moroni Translate the Book of Mormon?

The Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price also draw upon King James language. Similarly, Joseph Smith’s new translation of the Bible used the KJV as its base text.

If Latter-day Saints were to simply drop the KJV and replace it with a modern translation, a great many biblical quotations, allusions, and intertextual connections to our other scriptures would be obscured.

2. J. Reuben Clark claimed the KJV was more accurate than modern translations.

Another contributing factor is an influential book published in 1956 by President J. Reuben Clark, titled Why the King James Version.

Interestingly, the book focuses exclusively on the New Testament and makes its primary argument for the KJV’s superiority by defending it on text-critical grounds.

That is, President Clark argues that the Greek text underlying the KJV New Testament—known as the Textus Receptus—is more accurate than later Greek editions prepared by modern scholars who draw on a variety of ancient New Testament manuscripts.

Why Do Latter-day Saints Use the King James Version?

President Clark readily acknowledged that he did not know Greek and had no firsthand experience with these text-critical issues, so the book relies almost entirely on lengthy quotations from conservative scholars who wrote decades before him.

The arguments mustered to fit the conclusion were outdated even in the mid-20th century.

I don’t know a single BYU New Testament expert who would agree.

Today, I don’t know a single New Testament expert at Brigham Young University who would agree with the textual arguments promoted in Why the King James Version.

However, although President Clark announced up front that the work was not an official Church publication, its basic premise became well known and has, no doubt, contributed to the notion that the KJV remains more accurate than modern translations.

What Was Bruce R. McConkie’s ‘Sound Doctrine’?

3. Some members believe that the KJV translators were uniquely inspired.

There is also the perception that the King James Version has a divine origin. In a 2007 General Conference talk, then Elder M. Russell Ballard echoed a sentiment expressed by other Church leaders:

I believe … the scholars of King James had spiritual promptings in their translation work.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, “The Miracle of the Holy Bible.” (May 2007)

When Church members hear statements like this in isolation, it can be easy to assume that the KJV’s translators were “inspired” while modern translators are “uninspired.” However, additional statements by Church leaders offer an expanded understanding.

For example, Elder Jörg Klebingat of the Seventy, a member of the Scriptures Committee, explained that “most modern translations were produced by faithful scholars and linguists who are utterly convinced that the Bible is the word of God” and that their work “supports—rather than compromises—understanding of the doctrine of Jesus Christ.”

Sister Tamara W. Runia of the Young Women general presidency also taught, “We can all benefit from translations made by our Christian brothers and sisters to enhance our study and faith as disciples of Christ.”

Was Jesus a Rabbi? An Interview with Bruce Chilton

4. Some members believe that the KJV translators were more skilled than modern Bible scholars.

The perception that the KJV translators were uniquely inspired also, at times, contributes to the perception that they were uniquely skilled.

For example, an Ensign article in 2011 claimed that the King James translators, who were “all learned biblical scholars and linguists,” possessed “unique skills” and that “it would be difficult today to gather 50 scholars with the knowledge of ancient languages possessed by these men.”

This assertion is simply untrue.

This assertion is simply untrue: one can easily find more than that number of competent biblical linguists at the annual meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature.

This kind of framing has led some Latter-day Saint narratives about the English Bible to stop at 1611 as if nothing has happened since—just look at the Bible Dictionary entry for “Bible, English” in the current edition of the scriptures.

However, more recently, Church statements have clarified that modern scholars have been able to make improvements on what has come before.

For example, Elder Klebingat explained,

There’s a misconception that modern translations of the Bible are less than faithful to the ancient sources—that in modernizing the language, translators have compromised or dumbed down the doctrine…. In many cases, that simply isn’t true. Modern translators often have access to manuscripts that were not available to early translators.
“New Guidance on Bible Translations for Latter-day Saints,” Church Newsroom, 16 December 2025.

Does the Church use Bible translations other than the KJV?

Yes. An often-ignored part of this story is that the Church doesn’t have just one official Bible translation—it has three.

In addition to the English KJV, the Church has produced its own translation of the Bible in Spanish, Santa Biblia: Reina-Valera 2009, and in Portuguese, Bíblia Sagrada, Almeida 2015.

The Church created these Bible translations by making its own updates to existing public-domain versions.

Who Was Eduardo Balderas?

What do the Spanish and Portuguese Bibles suggest about how the Church views the global role of the KJV?

Unlike the KJV (which we simply inherited), the translation choices in the Church’s Spanish and Portuguese Bibles are the result of active decisions, which can tell us more about the Church’s current approach to Bible translation.

Archaic language isn’t essential

We observe in these two non-English translations that the language was modernized: obsolete verbal forms were dropped, out-of-date vocabulary was replaced, and syntax was made current.

This isn’t to say the translations are casual or irreverent, but they are clearly designed to communicate. That suggests that the Church doesn’t think we need archaic language just for the sake of it.

Modern scholarship is valuable

These Spanish and Portuguese translations of the Bible, produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also make use of modern text criticism.

This changes numerous passages, moving them away from readings that matched the meaning in the King James Version and aligning them instead with how modern scholars think they should read—like we find in modern English translations.

In other words, Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latter-day Saints sometimes read more accurate renditions of what the biblical authors wrote than English-speaking Saints.

The Textus Receptus isn’t superior

Significantly, these recent Church-produced translations disregard the arguments for elevated language and the superiority of the Textus Receptus once articulated in J. Reuben Clark’s 1956 book, Why the King James Version.

The Church disregarded outdated but influential claims from “Why the King James Version” when creating Spanish and Portuguese translations of the Bible for Latter-day Saints.

Latter-day Saint Prophetic Models for Creating and Using Study Bibles

How does Joseph Smith’s Translation (JST) fit into the picture?

Joseph Smith created his new translation of the Bible by using a copy of the King James Version as his base text (which was probably less of a conscious choice than a reflection of the fact that the KJV was one of the only options available to him).

Scholars are still exploring the nature of the Joseph Smith Translation, as we now call it, but everyone agrees that it does different things in different places.

Changes seem to reflect Joseph “studying it out in his mind.”

Sometimes, large blocks of new material are added to the traditional biblical text, as in the case of Joseph receiving extensive revelatory accounts from prophets such as Enoch and Moses.

In other places, the changes seem to reflect less a capital-R Revelation than Joseph “studying it out in his mind” (see Doctrine and Covenants 9:8), tinkering with the wording to make the Bible either clearer or more accurate.

The Joseph Smith Translation: An Inspired Version of the Bible

What role did the KJV play in Joseph Smith’s selection of Bible verses to edit in the JST?

Although we may not always be able to tell what prompted Joseph to give a verse his attention or what he was thinking when he dictated a change, it does seem clear that much of his engagement was driven by the specific wording in the King James Bible.

In other words, he often spotted a problem that is not inherent to the Bible—something that you would find in any text or translation—but instead something that is only a challenge in the KJV.

These could include anything from an ambiguous pronoun to an idiosyncratic translation for a Hebrew phrase to an archaic English word like wot (“know”).

What do Joseph Smith’s JST translation choices suggest about how he viewed the KJV?

Joseph Smith had a tendency—although he was not consistent by any means—to dictate a modern English word instead of older forms, such as replacing “saith” with “said.” In fact, one scholar who categorized all of Joseph’s dictated changes concluded that this kind of modernizing of archaic King James English represented the single largest category of changes.

From these observations, we can conclude that Joseph was perhaps not as enamored with the King James style as many Saints are today.

What would Joseph Smith think of modern study Bible translations?

We cannot know what he might have thought of a completely modernized version like the New International Version (NIV), but his frequent updating suggests he didn’t think that Jacobean English was necessarily superior in and of itself.

How Does the Book of Mormon Reinterpret the Bible?

How did the JST cause Latter-day Saints to approach Bible translations differently from Joseph Smith?

Ironically, the fact that Joseph Smith used the King James Version as the base text for his own rendition later led generations of Latter-day Saints to adopt an approach to translation that sometimes runs contrary to his own.

Joseph tried to modernize the KJV’s English, but because the Prophet used it, Saints in the 20th century decided we should stick with its language.

Later generations have sometimes taken the Prophet’s changes as the final word in biblical interpretation.

The Prophet made numerous corrections to the KJV, but, more than a century later, Latter-day Saints took that engagement to mean that the KJV was the most correct translation the world could produce (at least without prophetic gifts).

Joseph Smith didn’t see the biblical text as fixed. He was very experimental in his adjustments and rewrites, but his disciples in later generations have sometimes taken the Prophet’s changes as the final word in biblical interpretation, rejecting the need to compare translations or experiment with fresh translations of our own.

How Did Joseph Smith Produce Ancient Scripture?

How can Latter-day Saints study the JST if Joseph Smith didn’t intend for it to be the final word?

My suggestion for Saints studying the Bible is to regularly consult the JST changes found in the footnotes and the appendix of the Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible.

Comparing the KJV and the JST is like having the Prophet right next to you offering his commentary on the text.

“Hmm,” he seems to be saying, “it says here that God ‘repented,’ but we know God can’t sin. Let’s change that to something else.”

If we can spot what caught Joseph Smith’s attention and identify his solution, we can engage more deeply with the biblical text ourselves.

Emma Smith’s Role in Shaping the ‘Elect Lady’ Revelation (D&C 25)

At the same time, what we don’t want to do is automatically assume that a JST change represents the one-and-only correct reading for a particular verse.

Since Joseph was sometimes offering latter-day commentary, sometimes modernizing the KJV, and sometimes fixing a perceived problem with one of several possible solutions, the changes he made, while helpful in our context, sometimes moved the text away from what the ancient author had written.

Just because a Bible translation doesn’t match the JST doesn’t mean it’s defective.

We don’t want to assume that just because the KJV or any other English translation doesn’t match the JST, then that always means these Bible translations are defective.

Both can be true and helpful at the same time and in their own way.

Do speakers at general conference ever reference study Bibles?

I’ve seen a few references in their footnotes.

For example:

Elder Uchtdorf quoted the NIV First-Century Study Bible in his October 2021 talk “Daily Restoration.”
President Christofferson referenced the 2018 NIV Study Bible in his April 2022 talk “Our Relationship with God.”
President Holland also indicated in a 2021 interview that in his personal study, he was enjoying The Oxford Study Bible with its “updated scholarship” and “extensive series of footnotes.”

You will also sometimes find citations from Bible commentaries and similar resources in their footnotes.

D. Todd Christofferson Quotes You’ll Use Again and Again

Practical Study Bible Guidance for Latter-day Saints

What features should a Latter-day Saint look for in a trustworthy study Bible?

Author expertise

Since we typically consult a study Bible for historical, cultural, linguistic, or literary information, we should ensure the authors have expertise in biblical history, culture, languages, and literature.

Some Bible-study resources merely pull quotes from other sources, but the editors are not equipped to evaluate the information themselves.

Religious viewpoint

We should also be aware of the denominational lens a study Bible uses when interpreting biblical texts. There are Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, and secular study Bibles, for example.

While I do think there is value in learning how other faith communities understand the scriptures, we should keep in mind that their assumptions do not always align with how Latter-day Saints read scripture.

What red flags should Latter-day Saints watch out for?

I suggest we avoid study Bibles that are not written in a spirit of charity. That might include atheistic resources that attack faith by highlighting the Bible’s problems. It also includes resources that attempt to defend their faith by attacking other religions.

For example, the ESV Study Bible (Crossway, 2008), written by and for Evangelicals, takes potshots at Mormons in the footnotes and even includes an appendix attacking Mormonism as an un-Christian “cult.”

Why Did Eerdmans Publish a Book on Latter-day Saint Theology?

What is your assessment of today’s leading Study Bibles from a Latter-day Saint viewpoint?

There are many options out there, so I’ll just highlight a few.

Best overall: The SBL Study Bible

Every study Bible has advantages and disadvantages, but right now if people press me for the best one-size-fits-all volume, my recommendation is The SBL Study Bible (HarperOne, 2023).

Latter-day Saint scholar Joshua Sears recommends The SBL Study Bible as the best “one-size-fits-all” option.

It uses the latest update to the New Revised Standard Version translation.
It’s ecumenical in its theological orientation (the editors are of mixed faiths).
The notes and essays were coordinated and prepared by scholars from the Society of Biblical Literature—the world’s largest academic organization dedicated to the study of the Bible.

This sample page from the SBL Study Bible uses the latest NRSV translation, is accessible to numerous faith traditions—including Latter-day Saints—and includes notes and essays prepared by the renowned Society of Biblical Literature.

Specific faith traditions

Evangelical and Catholic

If you want something oriented around a particular faith tradition, options include things like:

NIV Study Bible, rev. ed. (Zondervan, 2020)
The Catholic Study Bible, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2016).

Editions like this can be helpful because they may expose us to fascinating interpretations that are not often heard in our own tradition. But of course, we would need to recognize that their views may conflict with Latter-day Saint understanding.

Jewish (Connection to the Book of Mormon)

Based on Nephi’s observation that “there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them” (2 Nephi 25:5), Latter-day Saints may be particularly interested in Jewish readings of scripture, which are available in:

The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2014)
The Jewish Annotated New Testament, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Coming Soon: An Interview with Amy-Jill Levine

Stay tuned for an exclusive From the Desk interview with Amy-Jill Levine in 2026 when Oxford University Press publishes the Third Edition of The Jewish Annotated New Testament.

In the meantime, you can read her most recent interview: Were the Pharisees Bad People?

Traditional: The English Bible: King James Version (Norton Critical Editions)

Most study Bibles use a modern English translation, but some Latter-day Saints may prefer a version that preserves our traditional King James Version while adding modern scholarly notes.

For that combination, I recommend the volumes in the Norton Critical Editions series:

The English Bible: King James Version, vol. 1: The Old Testament (Norton, 2012)
The English Bible: King James Version, vol. 2: The New Testament and the Apocrypha (Norton, 2012).

Translation issues and literary features: The Hebrew Bible (Robert Alter)

Another option I have enjoyed is Robert Alter’s The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary, 3 vols. (Norton, 2019).

Alter’s translation of the Hebrew Bible (just the Old Testament) was an astounding one-man project, and while there are disadvantages to working alone, it also means the translation has more personality than you often get with committee outputs.

The notes are lighter on history and culture and focus instead on translation issues and literary features, which play to Alter’s strengths as an expert on biblical narrative.

Listen to Robert Alter discuss his groundbreaking translation of the Hebrew Bible in this lecture at BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.

Latter-day Saints: The New Testament

Thomas Wayment’s Translation of the New Testament

In our own community, Latter-day Saints have produced a number of biblical commentaries, but only a few books function as a full academic study Bible, as I have been using the term. One of them is Thomas Wayment’s The New Testament: A Translation for Latter-day Saints.

Wayment has published two editions:

The first edition has a green cover and was co-published in 2018 by BYU’s Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book.
The Revised Edition has a blue cover and was published in 2022 by Greg Kofford Books.

This is on my short list of must-have scripture study resources for English-speaking Church members.

Kent Jackson’s Translation of Genesis

Another example is Kent Jackson’s Genesis: A New English Translation, which, while covering only a single biblical book, presents a modern translation and formatting, along with notes providing JST readings and historical, cultural, and linguistic information.

Genesis: A New Translation for Latter-day Saints

Book of Mormon: Annotated Study Edition (Oxford)

Although we’ve been talking about the Bible, readers may also be interested in the first-ever edition of the Book of Mormon prepared in the style of an academic study Bible, Grant Hardy’s The Annotated Book of Mormon (Oxford University Press, 2023).

While written primarily for those outside the faith, I suggest in a 2023 review that “even the most experienced Book of Mormon readers will learn much from this edition.”

What is the Annotated Book of Mormon?

I would just say: be consistent and be flexible. Make sure scripture study happens, but also make sure it’s working for you right now.

Someone shared with me once that she set a goal to read the entire standard works beginning to end—a noble goal!—but she got to Leviticus and got stuck. It was so unfamiliar and so difficult that every time she tried to restart, she wouldn’t get very far.

And because she had that goal and wanted to stick to that goal, Leviticus became the reason scripture study usually didn’t happen. I advised her to just skip Leviticus and revise her goal, which, right now, was hindering her progress more than helping.

The bottom line is that scripture study is supposed to be something that enriches your life, so if it’s not doing that—either because it’s not happening or because of the way you’re doing it—it’s time to change something. That’s true both for personal and for family study.

Final Reflections About Latter-day Saints and Study Bibles

If there’s one principle you hope Saints take away from your work on study Bibles, what would it be?

Study Bibles are one more reminder that the scriptures are more rich, inexhaustible, and rewarding than we sometimes assume.

Sometimes, daily scripture study disappears from people’s busy lives because they have read the same chapters in the same way too many times. They stop expecting to find anything new.

Julie Smith memorably captured the problem:

Reading the scriptures can feel like sitting on a boat, scanning the water, and being lulled into complacency by the hypnotizing monotony of the scene. Wave after wave after wave, verse after verse after verse, spread out in front of you. There’s nothing to focus on. Nothing new. Nothing intriguing. Nothing that makes you want to peek around the next bend, because there is no bend. It all looks the same. Why even keep looking?
Julie Smith, Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels, 2nd ed. [Salt Lake City: Kofford, 2014], ix.) (Link)

She continues:

But what if you went snorkeling and dove in and discovered that underneath the wearisome waves is an entirely new world—one that you could not have even imagined while sitting on the boat? There you would see corals, fish in every color, maybe a little danger, but definitely a lot of beauty. You would be desperate for a few more minutes to gaze at the ever-changing and previously unimagined sights.
Julie Smith, Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels, 2nd ed. [Salt Lake City: Kofford, 2014], ix.) (Link)

Snorkeling, in this context, can take many forms, but I think what many people need to jump-start their enthusiasm for scripture study is to try something new:

Language: If you’re an English speaker, try reading in a different language and see what new ideas pop out. Or do the same thing in a different English translation.
Medium: If you usually read on your phone, try reading paper again. If you usually read, try listening to an audio version.
Verse totals: If you typically do a deep dive into a few verses at a time, try reading large numbers of pages quickly.
Study focus: If you usually jump straight to personal application questions, experiment with asking historical or cultural questions instead.
Religious podcasts: If you listen to Latter-day Saint scripture podcasts, mix in a Catholic one.
Verse selection: If you usually just read a scripture block from beginning to end, pick a subject in the Topical Guide and track it across the canon.
Format: If you’re accustomed to the reading experience provided by the Church’s scripture formatting, try something formatted differently, like a replica 1830 edition Book of Mormon or a reader’s edition of the New Testament.
Reading method: If you always read silently, try reading out loud.
Scripture highlights: If you don’t highlight words, assign meaning to some colors, and make each page a rainbow. If you always highlight, start from scratch so the highlights don’t predetermine what you notice.

Reading the Bible Through the Septuagint

The bottom line is that just as variety is the spice of life, trying new things can break up the monotony of scripture study. Different methods, languages, formatting, questions, and study aids help keep that thrilling sense of discovery alive with each dive beneath the waves.

Although they aren’t the only way to achieve this, study Bibles are one valuable tool for learning new things every time we read.

Want More Scholar Interviews in Your Inbox?

Readers trust From the Desk for insightful interviews—Sign up to get the latest first.

About the Scholar

Joshua Sears is an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He has degrees in Hebrew Bible from BYU, The Ohio State University, and The University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of A Modern Guide to an Old Testament (Deseret Book, 2025).

Citation Information

This interview was originally published on December 9, 2025. The most recent update, on December 16, 2025, includes information about a new General Handbook provision that provides additional flexibility for using Study Bibles in church meetings.

Table of Contents