CSB Spurgeon Study Bible Review: An Honest Look
A Study Bible has the potential not only to help you grow deeper in your understanding of God’s Word, but can help you encounter God through His word as well. The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible aims to do just that. But let’s take a closer look at it and see if it really does.
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| Pros | Cons |
| -Ease of Understanding and Accuracy -Readable Print and Durability -Pastoral and Devotional Insights | -Few Study Notes at Times -Quotes Hard to Read -Lack of Articles |
Key Takeaways: The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible combines the best of Spurgeon’s sermons right alongside the Biblical text. However, it lacks articles and study notes on large passages of Scripture. So, whether its worth buying it or not depends on your personal preference and needs.
Who Should Buy It: The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible is great for pastors and fans of the Prince of Preachers.
Features Overview
For the purposes of this review I am using the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible, Brown/Tan, Cloth over board.
The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible has many unique features including:
- Spurgeon Biography
- Lost Sermons of Spurgeon
- Spurgeon Study Notes
- Spurgeon Quotes
- Spurgeon Sermon Illustrations
- Concordance
- Book Introductions
- Maps
The best unique feature of the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible is the Lost Sermons of Spurgeon. Throughout the Bible there are 20 lost sermons of the Prince of Preachers. They include pictures of his original notes as well as a typed version of these sermons.
Other unique features are little quotes and sermon illustrations scattered throughout the Bible as well. The quotes are some of the best from Spurgeon’s sermons. And the sermon illustrations help the Bible come alive.
That said, the quotes are in a cursive font that makes it hard to read. Thankfully, they are in print in the study notes in a dark green color where they are easier to read.
Product Details
The following chart provides the product details for the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible, Brown/Tan, Cloth over Board, from Christian Book, as I was unable to find the product information on the publisher’s website. The third column is the same details for the specific Bible I own.
| Details: | From Website | Personal Bible |
| Translation: | Christian Standard Bible (CSB) | CSB |
| Format: | Hardcover | Hardcover |
| Pages: | 1,840 | 1,832 |
| Page Layout: | Two-column | Two-column |
| Font Size: | 10 pt. | 10 pt. |
| Size: | 7.0″ x 9.6″ | 7.0″ x 9.6″ |
| Weight: | 3.4 lbs. | 3.4 lbs. |
As this chart shows the details are the same as advertised on the website.
So, let’s take a look at some of the key features to see if the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible is worth it for you.
Study Notes
The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible contains notes crafted from the sermons of Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was a prominent English Baptist preacher known for his eloquent sermons and powerful oratory skills. He is often referred to as the “Prince of Preachers” and remains a revered figure in Christian history.
As such these notes provide a helpful introduction to Spurgeon’s sermons and is a convenient way to read Spurgeons encouragement alongside the Bible.
Overall, I found these study notes to be powerful devotional commentary on Scripture. For example, when Pharaoh is in the midst of the plagues Moses and Aaron go to him and speak on behalf of the Lord. Through them, God asks Pharaoh how long will he refuse to humble himself before God?
Spurgeon’s note reads,
“In those old monarchies, when the king was absolute and supreme, when his wish–even though he was little better than a maniac–was the law that governed the people…then kings seemed to be like little gods…
…no doubt they grew intoxicated with the fumes of the incense their subjects willingly offered…and so came to think of themselves as almost divine…
…It is not so amazing, therefore, that Pharaoh should have thought that, in the God of the Hebrews, he had met with just another one of the same stamp as himself, against whom he could carry on war…
…He said to himself…let there be a battle of Pharaoh against Jehovah, and let it be fought out to the bitter end! I will show these people that I care nothing for them, or their prophets, or their God.”
CSB Spurgeon Study Bible
This example illustrates two things. First, Spurgeon’s way with words. There is a reason he is called the Prince of Preachers and the study notes show that he is worthy of such title. The second thing these notes show is that sometimes they can be quite long, even for one verse.
That takes up a lot of space and limits the number of study notes one can have on the page. Another downside of these notes is that there are very few of them at times and in specific books of the Bible. There are complete pages in a row with no study notes at all. This is a little disappointing.
That said, the notes that are in the study Bible represent some of the best of Spurgeon. They are always a delight to read and bring an eloquence and devotional quality to studying the Bible that makes you want to reflect and meditate on Scripture.
Font and Page Quality
The font size of the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible is advertised on the Christian Book website as 10 pt. That is exactly what it was when I measured it.
| Advertised | Actual | |
| Biblical Text | 10 pt. | 10 pt. |
| Study Notes | 7 pt. | 7 pt. |
As you can see the font size of both the Biblical text and the study notes are as advertised.
The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible has the largest font size of any that I own. It’s extremely readable. Likewise, the notes are also readable. In some Bible, the Biblical text is the size of the study notes in this Bible.
Page Quality
The pages of the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible are of a superb quality. They are slightly thicker than pages in your typical Bible. So I am not concerned to turn the pages quickly.
The text shows through the page to the other side, but only minimally. It’s a lot better than some other study Bibles that I’ve seen. You are not able to read the text from the other side as it is faint and not distracting at all.
Overall, the page quality of the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible is some of the best that I’ve seen.
Articles
The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible only contains one article (excluding the lost sermons mentioned earlier). This article is a short 4 page biography of Charles Spurgeon written by Alistair Begg.
The biography provides a great introduction to Spurgeon and the impact of his life and ministry. It compares Spurgeon to people like Richard the Lionheart, John the Baptist, and Paul. The biography discusses the humility, boldness, and conviction with which Spurgeon served the Lord.
Overall, it provides a great introduction to the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible and fosters a strong desire to read his sermons and notes. It may even bring a tear to your eye.
Book Introductions
The book introductions are one page background information to a specific book in the Bible. They include both the historical, cultural, and literary contexts as well as a devotional aspect. As such, they are both informative and meditative. This provides a nice balance not always found in other study Bibles.
The section headings include,
- Circumstances of Writing
- Contribution to the Bible
- Structure
- Spurgeon on ________”
The circumstances of writing section includes basic background information that will discuss the title, author, date of writing, and cultural background of a particular book. This is stuff you will find in most study Bibles.
The contribution to the Bible section explains how the particular book relates to the rest of the Bible. It helps readers keep a focus on the big picture story of the Bible.
The Structure section provides a literary overview of the structure of the book. It is not in outline form, but rather a couple of paragraphs.
Lastly, what makes these book introductions unique, is the Spurgeon on _____” section. This is a brief quote from Spurgeon himself related to the book of the Bible.
Handling and Portability
One of the most important things to consider when looking at study Bible, or any Bible, really, is how well it handles. Can you get good use out of the Bible and it stand up to wear and tear for years?
To test this, I placed my thumb on a page and left it there for five minutes as if I were reading the page. After the five minutes I removed my thumb and analyzed how well the page held up.
Doing this with the CSB SPurgeon Study Bible, the results showed slight wrinkling of the page. This is to be expected with regular use and wear and tear. That said, the page held up well and was not weakened as a result.
Portability
Another factor to consider is portability. The CSB Study Bible appears to be thinner than some other study Bibles. That said, it is also bigger size wise. That’s why the Study Bible not as thick. Overall though, it is still a big solid book.
It’s hardcover binding and quality pages would lead me to carry it around more often then other study Bibles I own. I would take it on a trip and use it as a study Bible while traveling. Though, I probably would not carry it to and from church on a consistent basis.
Overall, the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible is a great devotional tool filled with insights from the Prince of Preachers. But that doesn’t mean it’s ideal for everyone. So, you may want to check out this article where I compare the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible to other Study Bibles.
