Best Bible: ESV Thinline vs Pastor’s vs Preaching Bible

A while back, I did a review on the best Bible for preaching. Based on my personal preference for the ESV translation (I talked more about translations in that article), I compared the ESV Pastor’s Bible and the ESV Preaching Bible. 

What I didn’t factor in, however, is the love that ESV Bible users have for Crossway’s bestselling ESV Thinline Bible. 

A lot of pastors chimed up in the comments and sent me emails about how they use it, and love it. 

Since I didn’t have a Thinline, I reached out to Crossway, and they generously sent me a black, genuine leather Thinline Bible for this honest review and comparison. I’ve been using it as my primary Bible for the past month to get a better feel for it.

So is the Thinline the best all-around Bible? 

Let’s compare all three, and then I’ll tell you what I think.

Price

The first thing you look at in a Bible is the price.

If you look at the ESV Thinline on Crossway’s website, it’s priced around $50, but you can get the Thinline on Amazon in the low $30 range right now. And that’s a really good deal for a quality Bible.

The Pastor’s Bible is listed for about $80 on Crossway’s website. But again, you can get it on Amazon for under $60 right now. If you like the extra features and size, that’s also a good price.

The Preaching Bible is listed for $200! That’s an expensive, premium bible price right. So you have to decide f that is going to be worth it for you. But once again, you can pick it up on Amazon for under $120 right now.

Winner: Thinline Bible

If the price is a major factor for you, the Thinline is the best bang for the buck.

Cover

You want a durable cover that will hold up over the long haul. So how do they compare?

The Thinline Bible has a black, genuine leather cover. I really like it. It’s durable, sturdy, and feels high quality. After using it over the last month it is no longer quite as firm and stiff as it was when I first opened it in the beginning. It’s a nice, quality cover that’s guaranteed to last you a lifetime. I have no problem feeling like this cover is going to protect the Bible if I toss it in a bag or shove it a pocket—a large pocket, like if cargo pants came back in style.

The Pastor’s Bible has the same cover as the Thinline—black, genuine leather. Again, I like the feel and durability of it.

One of the reasons the Preaching Bible is more expensive, however, is because it has a goatskin leather cover. And it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s so soft that you have to feel it to understand the difference. It even smells good.

The goatskin leather cover is also guaranteed to last a lifetime. However, I will say that the flexibility of the soft, goatskin leather makes me a bit nervous to take toss the Preaching Bible in a bag or throw it in my car to take on the road to a meeting or Bible study. I’d be worried that the cover could flop over and crumple the pages.

Winner: Preaching Bible

The premium quality of the goatskin leather on the Preaching Bible is something you have to touch and smell to fully appreciate.

Size

The Thinline Bible is 5.375 inches wide, 8.375 inches tall, less than one inch thick, and only weighs 1.62 pounds.

It’s a great size for a Bible that you are going to be carrying around with you. In my personal bible study with it over the last month, I found it easy to pick up and carry with me. I could hold in one hand to read, freeing my other hand to follow the text or open the Logos Bible app on my phone to compare commentaries or other translations. I can see why so many people love this size of the Bible.

The Pastor’s Bible is about 6 inches wide, 9 inches tall, a little more than one inch thick, and weighs about 2.16 pounds. So compared to the Thinline, it’s a little bigger in every dimension.

It’s not a huge difference, but you can definitely see and feel it when comparing them. I found myself naturally holding it more with two hands when reading it, although it’s still possible to hold open with one.

The Preaching Bible is the largest by far. It is 6.2 inches wide, 9.125 inches tall, a hair under two inches thick, and weighs a whopping 3.62 pounds. That’s over double the weight of the Thinline Bible. So it is a far heavier and bulkier Bible. It’s great for Bible-thumping, resting on a desk or pulpit, and expressing the weight and gravity of the Word of God, but not great for portability.

Winner: Thinline Bible

If the size is a major factor for you, you will love the Thinline’s small form and portability.

Layout

So far we’ve only covered the outside of the bibles. But what’s the difference on the inside pages?

When you open the Thinline Bible, you’ll notice that it has a smaller, 8 point font. It’s not bad, but it might be a problem for some people. In my stage of life right now, it’s not so bad, but it might become more of a concern for me as I age.

The Thinline has a double-column layout. It’s nice because you get more text on each page, however, that’s also a lot more on each page. So you’re more likely to lose your place in all the text when reading or teaching from it.

The margins on the Thinline Bible are also very small. So if you want to take notes in your Bible, you’re not going to have a much room for that.

The pages have moderate ghosting. They are a little thinner, you can see the ink on the backside of the page showing through a little. It’s not terrible. I’ve seen far worse, but that can be a little distracting and tiring on the eyes.

The text is also text-aligned, meaning the ink on the backside of the page is not on the same line as the ink on the front side of the page. So again, you’re going to see the ink show through a little bit more in the blank spaces.

The Pastor’s Bible is similar to the Thinline Bible, but you’ll notice right away that the Pastor’s Bible has a bigger, 9 point font. It’s a little easier on your eyes.

It’s also a double-column layout, but it also includes cross-references in the lower right corner of every page. So if you like the cross-references, you’re going love this feature.

The Pastor’s Bile has moderate ghosting. It might be a little better than the Thinline, but it’s hard to tell. It is not text-aligned.

The Pastor’s Bible also has very narrow margins, a lot like the Thinline Bible, and you’re not going to be able to write a lot of notes in there.

The Preaching Bible, however, really shines in the layout—one of the reasons it’s bigger and more expensive. It has a single column on each page, an even bigger 10 point font, and fairly wide margins. So it’s beautiful to look at and easy to read with less clutter on the page—perfect for preaching or taking notes.

The ghosting from the ink on the backside of the page is minimal. You won’t see a lot of ink through the page. And the really big difference you’ll notice is that the Preaching Bible is text-aligned. The text on the back of the page is on the same line as the front of the page. I love the attention to detail that and the extra mile they went with the Preaching Bible.

Winner: Preaching Bible

I love the layout of the Preaching Bible. The attention to detail that and the extra mile they went with the Preaching Bible shows.

Lay Flat Test

The lay flat test is important for preaching. If I open my bible to preach from the beginning in Genesis 1:1 or the end in Revelation 22, is it going to stay open or start closing?

This is where the Thinline Bible struggled. In Genesis 1 and Revelation 22, it started to creep back up. It stayed open, but it made me nervous. Even after using it daily for a good month, it is still struggling. It does not lay flat very well. It’s passable, but you’re going to want to put something on it to weigh it down.

If not, I would be afraid that if a rogue gust of wind from the air conditioner kicks on waving my hands around could make it shut.

The Pastors Bible, as I mentioned in the previous review, did okay on the lay flat test. When opened up the Genesis chapter one and it held there, but it crept up a little way. And again in Revelation 22, it stayed open but it crept up and held at an angle. It performed better than the Thinline, but it doesn’t stay flat.

Having the same cover as the Thinline, I would have expected them to operate about the same, but I think the extra length and weight of the cover in the Pastor’s Bible help it lay flat.

The Preaching Bible shines in the lay flat test. When I opened it to Genesis 1, it laid flat and it stayed flat. And again in Revelation 22, it laid flat and stayed flat. No concerns. No worries. The book is built for preaching.

Winner: Preaching Bible 

The Preaching Bible is the undisputed winner of the lay flat test by far (A+). I give the Pastor’s Bible a passing grade of a B-, but the Thinline barely squeaks by with a C.

Additional Features

Last but not least, we need to look at the additional features of each Bible that may make one stand apart from another.

The Thinline Bible has a minimal layout, but there is a concordance in the back, which is really helpful for studying and finding passages about specific topics. There are also some maps in the back and a single ribbon marker.

One big difference in the Thinline Bible is that the words of Christ are in red. Some people love that, but it can be a downside when you’re preaching or teaching from it because it makes the text a little harder to read. The red text isn’t as bold and dark as the black text.

The Pastor’s Bible has two ribbons, so you get a little bit extra for your money there, which can be helpful if you’re flipping back and forth to different spots. As I mentioned earlier, there are also cross-references on every page.

Where the Pastor’s Bible really stand out, however, are that it is loaded with extra pastoral resources. In the beginning and end of the Bible, you’re going to find some extra articles to help you pastor your church. In the middle, between the Old Testament and the New Testament, there are also a handful of helpful resources for things like baptisms, weddings, and funeral services.

The Preaching Bible also has two ribbons. There are a few maps in the back, some a tables of weights and measures in the back. But other than that, that’s about it.

Winner: Pastor’s Bible

If you are looking for extra features, the Thinline Bible and the Preaching Bible don’t have a lot of extra bells and whistles. The Pastor’s Bible, however, is loaded with extra value.

Conclusion

The ESV Thinline Bible is one of the best all-around Bibles on a budget. If you don’t mind the 8pt font, the size is hard to beat. If the price point for the genuine leather is more than you want to spend, you can get cheaper cover options. If you want goatskin leather, you can also get a premium version with goatskin too. 

There’s a reason that the Thinline is one of Crossway’s best-selling Bibles. It’s a great everyday carry Bible.

However, if you are preaching from this Bible, it will be harder. The 8pt font isn’t ideal (the Pastor’s 9pt font is easier, and the 10pt of the Preaching Bible is superior). Plus, it doesn’t lay flat. 

But it’s hard to beat the portability and affordability of the Thinline.