Approximately 15,000 study notes appear throughout the HCSB Study Bible. We could have included more. As you can see from the list of contributors, there was no shortage of scholarship for this study Bible. What led us to be so discriminate about the notes we included is that input from study Bible users reflected their desire to have necessary, relevant notes within the context of the Scripture being studied. That meant information – notes, maps, illustrations – should be concise and impactful, plus easy to find. Rather than overwhelming the text of Scripture, the study notes and other aids are designed to serve the student of God’s Word and not distract from the text itself.

There are some other things study notes should do if they are to add value to our interaction with Scripture. Here are some of the guiding values that shaped our study notes:

• Study notes should set the historical and canonical context of the passage
• Study notes should approach controversial issues with sensitivity and balance, rather than advancing agendas that exclude other biblically defensible views
• Study notes should use accessible language
• In the few instances when specialist terms are used, those terms are defined so that there is not a wall between text and comprehension

We’ll talk more about the HCSB Study Bible in the future. Thank you for letting me share some of our approach to study notes with you!