When you are looking for a bible to use in your bible study, would it not make sense to get a study bible? Not for the parts where you are digging for yourself and here is why. The author’s or editor’s comments at the bottom of the page, the chapter or section titles, and any cross-references are of the opinion of a person and not the inspired Word of God. When you study the bible that has these things included, they may influence how you see the passage instead of God’s Word impacting you at face value. When you study the Holy Bible, you want to study the inspired Word of God, not a man’s view point of it.

Does that mean those other parts have no value to bible study? No, they have great value, just in their proper place. When it is the proper time to consult commentaries, that is the appropriate time to look those up. That is basically what the study notes and section titles are in a study bible, a man’s commentary of the bible.

So the basic rule of thumb with study bibles is the words “below the line” (not always the case in some study bibles) are not the inspired Word of God. So do not treat them that way.