The Very Best Bible Highlighters…Aren’t Highlighters.

If you’re looking at the picture, you’ve probably figured out by now that I’m talking about colored pencils.  I’ve found that these work far better for “highlighting” in a Bible than anything else.

“Real” highlighters can’t be used in most Bibles; they’ll bleed through the thin pages.  Special “dry highlighters” made for Bibles are…just not very good.  They’re mediocre in their ability to actually lay down color.  They’re not very easy to find – you have to get them from a Bible source, rather than at any old office supply store.  And when you do find them, most packages come in all-yellow.  (Occasionally you can find packages with 4-6 colors.)

Gel highlighters like these work okay, but they’re a bit unwieldy and available in limited colors.  (They’re waxy, kind of like translucent crayons.  If you can find some with fine enough points, they might work well for you.)

Colored Pencils to the Rescue

Colored pencils fill the need very nicely.  If you sharpen them fairly sharp, but not super-sharp, they have a plenty fine point.  They’re easily available and inexpensive.  They’re available in a wide variety of colors.  And they don’t bleed through.  Just “color” over the text you want to highlight (start out gently until you know how your dark your particular pencils are and how firm a scribble your pages can handle).  This is why I don’t sharpen mine super-sharp.  Super-sharp is good for writing.  Mostly sharp is better for coloring – it’s easier to cover the whole space and it gives you a softer, more even color coverage instead of distinct lines.

Want more tips & information about quiet time and Bible study?  Take a look at my newest book, Quiet Time Basics!