The Crossway ESV Interleaved Edition
There are Bibles designed primarily for reading, Bibles designed for study, and Bibles designed for journaling. The Crossway ESV Journaling Bible, Interleaved Edition manages to become something more personal than any of those. It is a Bible that almost invites you to create your own lifelong commentary alongside the biblical text.
I have the Natural Leather, Brown, Flap with Strap edition, and it is a beautiful Bible. The natural leather has a warm, rustic appearance that should develop even more character with use. The long leather flap and wraparound strap give it the appearance of an old journal or field notebook rather than a conventional Bible. In my opinion, that fits the purpose of this edition perfectly. This is a Bible meant to be written in, studied, marked, illustrated, and lived with.
Crossway describes the Interleaved Edition as being patterned after the Bible used by Jonathan Edwards, the eighteenth-century preacher and theologian who accumulated more than 5,000 notes alongside Scripture. The concept is wonderfully simple: every page of Scripture faces a completely blank page. That one design decision changes everything.
Instead of trying to squeeze comments into a narrow margin, you essentially receive an entire notebook page beside every page of Scripture. There is room for sermon notes, theological observations, word studies, cross-references, prayers, devotional reflections, outlines, quotations, textual variants, historical information, or even your own personal commentary. For someone who loves taking extensive notes, this may be one of the best Bible formats available.
Excellent Paper for Writing and Artwork
One of the strongest features of this Bible is the paper. The Interleaved Edition uses approximately 50 gsm cream-colored paper, which is considerably heavier than what is found in many traditional Bibles. That extra thickness makes a noticeable difference.
The pages feel much more substantial than ordinary Bible paper, and the cream color is pleasant to read while also providing an attractive background for handwritten notes. Because the blank pages are completely unruled, you are not limited to traditional note-taking. You can sketch, diagram, letter, draw timelines, create maps, or incorporate Bible artwork. That is one of the reasons I particularly appreciate this edition. It is not merely a “wide-margin Bible.” It gives the creative reader an actual canvas.
Colored pencils, archival pens such as Microns, and similar dry media should be particularly well suited to the paper. Naturally, anyone using wet media or heavy markers should test them first, but for normal writing, drawing, and colored-pencil work, the heavier paper is a significant advantage.
There are hundreds of blank pages available throughout the Bible—essentially a blank page facing every page of biblical text. Crossway specifically designed it for readers wanting maximum room for sermon notes, personal reflections, prayers, or artwork.
The Biblical Text
Crossway uses the English Standard Version, presented here in a traditional double-column format with 7.5-point type. The Bible contains 1,584 pages, so this is unquestionably a substantial Bible.
The relatively small type is probably the one feature prospective buyers should consider carefully. Crossway has had to balance readable Scripture text with hundreds of additional blank pages. A significantly larger font would make an already thick Bible enormous.
For me, however, the purpose of this Bible outweighs that limitation. This isn’t intended to be the smallest Bible you carry everywhere. It is essentially a Bible, journal, study notebook, and personal commentary volume combined into one book.
The Bible also features a Smyth-sewn binding, cream-colored paper, a ribbon marker, and a one-year Bible reading plan. A sewn binding is particularly important in a Bible like this because it is designed to receive years, perhaps decades, of use.
Two Versions Are Available
Crossway currently offers the ESV Journaling Bible, Interleaved Edition in two particularly attractive versions:
The Natural Leather edition I have costs $174.99, and the TruTone Mahogany Mosaic Cross edition costs $79.99. Both are in stock at Crossway. The TruTone edition gives you essentially the same wonderful interleaved concept at a considerably lower price, while the Natural Leather edition is the choice I would make for someone wanting this to become a lifetime Bible—something that will age along with your notes, artwork, and study.
The Natural Leather Edition
The Natural Leather, Brown, Flap with Strap version is especially attractive. Rather than trying to look formal or ornamental, it looks handcrafted and functional. The leather wraps around the considerable text block, while the strap secures the Bible closed. As the photographs show, it has something of the character of an old scholar’s journal. And that is exactly how I think this Bible should be used.
The leather will inevitably acquire marks, creases, and signs of handling over time. In this case, I think that will make the Bible better rather than worse. A Bible filled with years of handwritten notes and drawings, enclosed in leather that shows years of use, has the potential to become a remarkable personal keepsake.
Create Your Own Study Bible
The feature that excites me most is the possibility of essentially creating your own study Bible or Bible commentary. On the blank page beside a passage, you could include:
- commentary and personal observations
- apologetics notes
- Greek or Hebrew word studies
- textual variants
- historical and archaeological background
- Jewish cultural context
- quotations from the Church Fathers
- sermon or teaching outlines
- prayers and devotional reflections
- theological diagrams
- maps, timelines, and artwork
After years of study, you would possess something that no publisher could ever produce: your Bible containing the record of your own journey through Scripture.
There is also something appealing about the historical connection to Jonathan Edwards. Crossway intentionally patterned the Bible after his practice of keeping extensive notes alongside Scripture. You are participating in a very old tradition, reading Scripture with pen in hand and allowing your observations to accumulate over a lifetime.
Who Is This Bible For?
I would especially recommend the Crossway Interleaved Bible to pastors, teachers, seminary students, serious Bible students, artists, journalers, and anyone who regularly finds himself wishing there were more room beside the biblical text.
It is also excellent for someone who wants to begin a long-term project. You could devote the pages to theological study, sermon preparation, apologetics, devotional observations, or simply allow one volume to become the record of decades of reading.
For artists, the completely blank pages are a major advantage over ruled journaling Bibles. You are not forced to work around lines or narrow margins. You have an entire page available for visual meditation on Scripture.
One Important Tip: Join Crossway+ Before Buying
If you are thinking about purchasing this Bible directly from Crossway, I strongly recommend signing up for Crossway+ first.
Membership is completely free, and Crossway currently gives members 30% off 1–9 copies of every print book, ESV Bible, and tract pack. That means Crossway+ members receive 30% off this Bible as well. They also receive free shipping on qualifying orders of $30 or more within the contiguous United States, among several other benefits. You can sign up here: Crossway+ Free Membership
Since joining costs nothing, there really is little reason to pay the full retail price when ordering directly from Crossway.
Final Thoughts
The Crossway ESV Journaling Bible, Interleaved Edition is one of those Bibles whose usefulness becomes obvious as soon as you open it.
Yes, it is large. Yes, the 7.5-point print is smaller than some readers may prefer. But those are reasonable compromises for what Crossway has accomplished: a complete ESV Bible accompanied by hundreds of full-sized blank pages and bound together as one substantial volume.
If you love taking lots of notes, writing commentary, recording sermon thoughts, studying theology, or creating Bible artwork, this edition gives you something most Bibles simply cannot provide: Space. Lots of it.
And perhaps that is the best way to describe the Crossway Interleaved Bible. It gives Scripture room—not merely room on the printed page, but room for the reader to interact with it.
After years of use, I can imagine this becoming one of the most personal books a Christian could own: Scripture surrounded by a lifetime of prayers, discoveries, questions, insights, commentary, and artwork. For the serious note-taker or Bible artist, I think Crossway created something very special here.
Highly recommended.
(I received a copy of this Bible from Crossway in exchange for an honest review)
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