Review: ESV Story of Redemption Bible

What do the laws of Leviticus have to do with Jesus? The ESV Story of Redemption Bible (Crossway, 2018) is the first of its kind—a narrative Bible. With a running commentary that is designed to imitate a conversation, this Bible attempts to tell the entire Story of God without cumbersome footnotes or sidebars. Instead, a brief note from Greg Gilbert occurs throughout the text to provide a "rest stop" to explain how the passage fits into the larger narrative of Scripture. Standing between devotional and critical commentaries, this Bible helps those who are meditating on Scripture to find its place in a greater, especially in parts of the Bible in which it may be difficult to identify where the Story is going.

The notes are not distracting and carefully placed within the text. They are short yet insightful. Moreover, critical readers will be pleased with an assortment of illustrations, maps, and timelines. In particular, the Bible features a large fold-out timeline giving a big-picture overview of the story of the Bible. This Bible is beautiful; it is a simple white-on-gold design with a minimalistic yet elegant typesetting. The margins are wide, plentiful for distraction-free reading and notetaking.

This is an excellent Bible to begin piecing the smaller fragments into a weaved tapestry of one unified Story. I highly recommend it to believers of all ages. Gilbert writes in a manner that is accessible while remaining integritous to the meaning of the passage. The design is beautiful, legible, and enjoyable for devotional reading. I highly recommend this Bible.

(My thanks is given to Crossway for providing a complimentary review copy in exchange for an honest review.)

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