The Access Bible has long been the go-to study Bible for mainline Christians looking for insight into and background for the Bible. Designed for the individual reader, it's accessible to new readers but also offers enough depth for those who are already familiar with the texts but want to delve deeper into the culture and context of their authors and origins. A unique feature of the Access Bible is the running commentary which is interspersed with the Bible text. Difficult concepts are clearly explained in terms which everyday readers can easily understand. There's no need to have a dictionary by your side when you're using the Access Bible, Updated Edition. When a technical explanation is required, all of the terms are defined right on the page, as well as in a glossary at the back. History, social contexts, religious practices, the beliefs of ancient peoples-all are explained when the Bible text requires it. In addition, this Bible was designed to contain all the background information needed by believers from a wide spectrum of churches. The Access Bible sets a new standard for ease of understanding.

This Updated Edition includes all same outstanding study helps (annotations, sidebars, maps, essays, and a glossary) as the original, but now also includes section introductions and additional essays.